Jump to content
SaltCritters.com

Amphipods - when do they get reclassified as a pest


podBoy

Recommended Posts

. . .or at least known coral predators.

 

I'm still surprised by all the threads out there where people say things like "I don't think the pods are eating your corals. You must be having other issues, and they're feeding on dying corals.

 

I've seen my share of dying corals. My previous tank years back slowly declined due to an inability to keep up with maintenance. I've seen all manner of coral recede to the point of death from health issues unrelated to pods.

 

I've also seen amphipods run up a perfectly healthy pocillopora and rip off a polyp and retreat to it's base to eat it.

 

I'm battling these little buggers in my 10 gal holding tank which is pod predator free. They camp out beneath and near my corals and munch on them at night. Chalices and acropora seem to be their favorite at the moment.

 

As soon as I evict them the coral will bounce right back. I can't hunt all the little bastards down though.

 

So many people have a hard time believing that a this little crustacean would eat coral, when there are so many crabs that are known to do the very same thing.

 

It's pretty easy to see the difference between recession and a coral being eaten if you pay much attention.

 

Currently looking into a Kauderni Cardinal as a possible solution, seeing as they're night hunters.

 

Here's a pic of the pocillopora eating amphipod circa - 2006

 

post-16908-0-53718100-1407836053_thumb.jpg

 

No pics of the ones eating my corals right now, but they are all the same shade of uniform darker brown. They generally look different from the ones hanging around in the rocks.

 

They also like to make little detritus "cocoons" right under the lips of for example, chalices. This is also the same behavior that the pocillopora eating amphipod exhibited. It made a little cocoon at the base of the pocillopora, and would come out to scurry up the coral. There will be damage right in the immediate area of these little pod detritus housing establishments in the case of a small chalice frag, for example, and to either side for a small distance. ..depending on how long they've been there. The edges of the rest of the coral will be perfect.

Link to comment

I'm 90% percent sure I'm seeing the same thing happening but with my zoas.

Colonies were growing and healthy, large pod population with no predators and I've seen them hanging around the zoas more and longer but didn't think anything of it at first.

The last few days I've seen regression of the mat and polyps staying closed on 2 colonies.

I checked for pox, nothing. Checked for nudis & eggs, again, nothing. Quite a few larger pods hanging around on them, check.

 

Coincidence? I think not.

Also the cheeky buggers won't even wait for dark, they'll do this even with the lights on (probably due to lack of predators).

 

I did some searching last night and the few cases where decent suggestions were found (mostly on this forum, very old threads iirc) nearly all say add a sixline wrasse or do a FW dip.

Sixline is out in my case as it's only a 5 gallon and FW dips are definately a last resort as well as my colonies are glued to the live rock and killing of the little tube worms is sure to invoke the unbridled wrath of my girlfriend (hell hath no fury etc etc).

 

Anyway, I'm looking for a pod eater now that can fit in a 5 gallon... peppermint shrimp maybe or would a yellow clown goby be any good as well? I'm open to suggestions.

Link to comment

I've got loads of these it always amazes me how they curl their bodies up when they walk, dosnt look efficient at all. My general exp with this type has always been a love/hate relationship. For that small of a tank I don't think the population will ever become too large so an addition of a small gobie or crab should (not hermit) should get it in check.

Link to comment
Nano sapiens

I believe that the discrepancy may come from there being similar looking Amphipod species wherein some may eat live, healthy coral and some don't.

 

My tank had the worst of the worst. The little buggers would come out at night and remove Zoa skirts eventually leaving just the disk. Then the Zoas would eventually melt. After that they moved on to Blastos and Acans...

 

I eliminated them all from my 12g with a single fish:

 

Black Barred Convict Goby (Priolepis nocturna).

 

Small, nocturnal...perfect.

Link to comment

Yeah, most of my damage is done at night. Manually removing or even frightening them off my frag rack will let the coral bounce back a little.

 

I'll have to remember that convict goby for small nanos - going to see if my cardinal does the trick.

Link to comment

When they were a pest for my corals, I fresh water dipped the corals and placed them on a frag rack, up and away from the sandbed and rocks. The FW dip got the small hidden ones to come out fast.

 

Then when the population was under control (they self regulate and get eaten) I was able to put the frags back.

Link to comment

I did a manual cleanup of the biggest ones I could find 2 nights ago and have seen my 2 affected colonies start to bounce back already.

I'll also start vitamin C dosing to help the recovery process.

 

Looks like a trip to the FS to get myself a small goby is in order.

 

*mutters something about pods and corals while waving his turkey baster*

Link to comment

. . .or at least known coral predators.

 

I'm still surprised by all the threads out there where people say things like "I don't think the pods are eating your corals. You must be having other issues, and they're feeding on dying corals.

 

I've seen my share of dying corals. My previous tank years back slowly declined due to an inability to keep up with maintenance. I've seen all manner of coral recede to the point of death from health issues unrelated to pods.

 

I've also seen amphipods run up a perfectly healthy pocillopora and rip off a polyp and retreat to it's base to eat it.

 

I'm battling these little buggers in my 10 gal holding tank which is pod predator free. They camp out beneath and near my corals and munch on them at night. Chalices and acropora seem to be their favorite at the moment.

 

As soon as I evict them the coral will bounce right back. I can't hunt all the little bastards down though.

 

So many people have a hard time believing that a this little crustacean would eat coral, when there are so many crabs that are known to do the very same thing.

 

It's pretty easy to see the difference between recession and a coral being eaten if you pay much attention.

 

Currently looking into a Kauderni Cardinal as a possible solution, seeing as they're night hunters.

 

Here's a pic of the pocillopora eating amphipod circa - 2006

 

attachicon.gifpocillopora_pod.jpg

 

No pics of the ones eating my corals right now, but they are all the same shade of uniform darker brown. They generally look different from the ones hanging around in the rocks.

 

They also like to make little detritus "cocoons" right under the lips of for example, chalices. This is also the same behavior that the pocillopora eating amphipod exhibited. It made a little cocoon at the base of the pocillopora, and would come out to scurry up the coral. There will be damage right in the immediate area of these little pod detritus housing establishments in the case of a small chalice frag, for example, and to either side for a small distance. ..depending on how long they've been there. The edges of the rest of the coral will be perfect.

I find goby rock at keeping them down in population or only one or two. I have a fire goby and a yellow watchman goby

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

My lone Kauderni Cardial seems to be doing the trick. All my corals are recovering nicely, and I haven't seen any pod damage for a while.

 

For a while I wasn't sure how effective hunters these guys are. But just the other day, I shut the pumps off for a minute, and I watched as the cardinal spotted a pod of some kind (isopod, probably) on the far wall of the tub about 2 feet away. It bolted across and scarfed it down in a second.

 

Another positive side-benifit, and evidence that the amphipods population is down: I've got some Ulva that arrived as a hitchiker, and some other red delicate algae that is noticably growing in size. Ulva is difficult to grow with a lot of amphipods. They like to sit in it and munch away. It had pretty much maintained, or decreased in size for a while. Pods were visible in it at all times of day.

 

And just in case anyone is a doubter, I have actaully been a bit lax in my husbandry lately. Only difference is the addition of a fish that hunts pods. Oh, and I have about 40+ different frags, some that have arrived in poor health, that I've nursed back to the point of growth. And have not lost a single one, since getting back into the hobby a few months ago.

 

Amphipods can, and will eat your corals. A Kauderni Cardinal seems to be working for me. It's nice to not see pods scurrying away from my frags when I shine a flashlight in at night. No more pod rage. :)

Link to comment

I may have spoken too soon. I had to evict a couple of tiny amphipods that were camped out and harrassing two seperate acro and montipora frags. They had their cocoons tucked in tight just below the rims of these frags. they merely had to exit these cocoons to munch away.

 

The giveaway is perfectly healthy coral with goo polyp extension, exept for a small patch by the base.

 

It appears I'm not out of the woods just yet.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...