Undertheradar Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Today I noticed that the galaxea is starting to develop what appears to either be massive new growth areas or bleaching. The temp has been a constant 80, so that eliminates my first concern. This is odd since it has been doing fine for at least a year, and been showing alot of new growth (although it doesnt look like this). This past weekend I added a yellow clown goby to the tank that tends to pick at some corals...and sit on them alot...could this be to blame? All the other corals, many more fragile than a galaxea, are fine...in fact, the monti cap is recovering from being fragged just weeks ago...Xenia and GSP are growing like weeds...along with the wire macro. Nutrients are fine. About 2 weeks ago I had to use flatworm exit...but I used carbon right away. Just in case I removed the old carbon today and replaced it with fresh and PO3 remover... Just wondering if anyone else has had similar happen and what the causes might have been...or if there is anything I have overlooked. Link to comment
birdman204 Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Has the colony been moved recently? is that area new growth within the past few months and now it has been put into a laminar flow pattern? that may cause the flesh to peel in that fashion.... hmmm interesting, I was gonna suggest temps next.... But.... Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 The flow hasnt changed recently...last I adjusted it was a week or so ago (galaxea had been in that spot for months. It's accelerating fast. In the few hours since I took this picture, it's 50% bigger. It must be that goby...it must have something on it's skin... laminar flow...that means??? It doesnt look like the flesh it peeling however...just fading and going away. Im going to remove the goby and put it in the fuge where it cant do any harm. I will also adjust the flow to an older setting. I can see the little bugger nippin at the acro as i type...wierd...thought they were reef safe... Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 http://reefrock.com/site/modules.php?name=...le=print&sid=41 they do secrete a poison...this is my #1 suspicion now. I am also finding reports some of them nibbling at corals. I have noticed my digitata and acro have been less then happy since hes been in there (its hard to tell if it's been nibbled on or just retracted from being leaned on by him. I think I will have to keep him in the fuge or trade him. Hes in the fuge right now...all he can do is nibbble at the heater and the macro. It the galaxea gets better, or at least stops dying...I know he was the problem. WHODATHUNK? Link to comment
clute0488 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 one time i went on vacation and i came back to find that my fans died and the heat was very high. i lost two fish and a coral and parts of my galaxea. it never grew back. I dont know if this is due to a new MH or the fact that i started doseing phyo but all of a sudden everything grew back that was lost....in ur pic it looks like you lost a few small pieces and its starting to grow back??? Link to comment
birdman204 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 is that the fish you have? It appears the latin name they used on that page is incorrect, I believe. Actually, poisonous ones, have a white stripe on their head. and this is simply a defense mechanism for their size, many fish will spit them out if they try to eat them. The pic of the one you posted is a coral nester, basically, it will rasp at some corals when making a territory or nest. I have never witnessed this in my animal, although when he is hungry, he will nip at my clam mantle, I feed him, and no more. had him since the first week of February. Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted May 24, 2004 Author Share Posted May 24, 2004 Well, after removing the clown goby everything has recovered. According to the Baensch Marine Atlas #1 all of the clown gobies secrete the bittersweet poison. They are all prone to nipping certain SPS corals...no wonder my acro looked all pruned... This may or not be an issue, as the clown may or may not decide to perch itself on a coral that is sensitive to the poison, but in my case it did. All in all, my tank is better off without this one in particular. The nipping and 'perching' behavior is supposed to vary greatly from individual to individual, but for now, I dont feel like taking the chance on it happening yet again with another 'individual'...LOL. So the clown goby has been banished to the sump/refugium where he gets to feed on the amphipod and copepod culture all day long, and get any food that happens to come through the overflow. In other words, hes fat as all H*((! Link to comment
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