Amphipods eating polyps

[davea]

Hi all

 

Having an issue with a colony of palys receding rapidly, the cause looks to be an infestation of amphipods! It really looks to be them causing the issue although i have read they don't eat coral I'm beginning to doubt everything I've read. You can see in the pictures what appears to be bite marks and amphipods milling around. Would be interested to hear peoples thoughts. Also there is a significant amount of bristle worms around but again I'm lead to believe they dont harm coral.

[Weetabix7]

I have personally had the larger Amphipods go after my Palys in the past. 

I literally saw one bite through the stalk of a Paly and carry it off right in front of my eyes. 

Luckily it doesn't happen often. 

When it happened to me, I got a Yellow Coris Wrasse to eat the Pods & keep them under control, which worked well. 

I've never had bristleworms cause me trouble, in all of the tanks I've had. They just look scary. 

[davea]

1 hour ago, Weetabix7 said:

I have personally had the larger Amphipods go after my Palys in the past. 

I literally saw one bite through the stalk of a Paly and carry it off right in front of my eyes. 

Luckily it doesn't happen often. 

When it happened to me, I got a Yellow Coris Wrasse to eat the Pods & keep them under control, which worked well. 

I've never had bristleworms cause me trouble, in all of the tanks I've had. They just look scary. 

The little blighters i knew somthing was a miss! I'll look into getting a yellow coris wrassse. It was a good bunch of palys aswell had them for a long time and were really healthy until this! Would a mandarin dragonet be any good for controlling them? 

[Weetabix7]

12 minutes ago, davea said:

The little blighters i knew somthing was a miss! I'll look into getting a yellow coris wrassse. It was a good bunch of palys aswell had them for a long time and were really healthy until this! Would a mandarin dragonet be any good for controlling them? 

 

Do NOT get a Mandarin!!!

They will eat all the pods within a day or two and then slowly starve to death since they will only eat live food. 

Beautiful, but demanding to care for. 

Almost any Wrasse will serve your purposes. 

A Sixline Wrasse would work, but they like to start fights so I am more cautious about putting them in tanks with fish already in them. 

I got the Yellow Coris Wrasse because it had milder disposition and it was perfect for me. 

 

I'm wondering about those brown spots at the base of the Palys, I haven't seen that before. 

Are you saying that is from the Pod Bites?

At any rate, you can likely save the remainder of the Palys by placing them on a frag rack higher in the tank, the Pods are much less likely to go after them there. 

A lugol's iodine dip to help them heal wouldn't be a bad idea either. 

Use 1 cup tankwater and 1 or 2 drops lugol's in a separate container, dip frag/s in there for 5 mins or so, then return to tank. 

[davea]

15 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Do NOT get a Mandarin!!!

They will eat all the pods within a day or two and then slowly starve to death since they will only eat live food. 

Beautiful, but demanding to care for. 

Almost any Wrasse will serve your purposes. 

A Sixline Wrasse would work, but they like to start fights so I am more cautious about putting them in tanks with fish already in them. 

I got the Yellow Coris Wrasse because it had milder disposition and it was perfect for me. 

 

I'm wondering about those brown spots at the base of the Palys, I haven't seen that before. 

Are you saying that is from the Pod Bites?

At any rate, you can likely save the remainder of the Palys by placing them on a frag rack higher in the tank, the Pods are much less likely to go after them there. 

A lugol's iodine dip to help them heal wouldn't be a bad idea either. 

Use 1 cup tankwater and 1 or 2 drops lugol's in a separate container, dip frag/s in there for 5 mins or so, then return to tank. 

Yeah i had a mandarin previousley and trained them to eat frozen but alas he did die after about 8 months as i had no pods at all in the tank. I have copepods a plenty now in refugium so was toying with the idea but wrasse for this purpose could be a better idea. Sadley the polyps are attached to a piece of large lr and removing is pretty much impossible :(. The brown spots on the polyp stem are loose flesh and does look like somethings been munching but obviousley cant say for sure

[Weetabix7]

Hmm. Ok, well, find a Wrasse and good luck!!

[WV Reefer]

In my experience the pods only munch coral that is already having some type of issue.  

[davea]

1 hour ago, WV Reefer said:

In my experience the pods only munch coral that is already having some type of issue.  

I've heard that but i also see with my own eyes that the coral is receding at a fast rate and the only things around the coral is bristle worms and amphipods. No disease no nudibranch and no other critter that could be irritating them. 

[WV Reefer]

9 minutes ago, davea said:

I've heard that but i also see with my own eyes that the coral is receding at a fast rate and the only things around the coral is bristle worms and amphipods. No disease no nudibranch and no other critter that could be irritating them. 

I would be interested in your tank age and parameters ......also how long have you had the coral in question?

[Weetabix7]

Yeah, when it happened with me, the polyps were super plump and healthy. 

[WV Reefer]

5 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

Yeah, when it happened with me, the polyps were super plump and healthy. 

I've heard of this too.

 

But, I know that a lot of us have that "one thing" that just won't live in our tanks..... for me its zoas.  I always thought it was because the pods were eating them but for some reason they just do not grow in my tank.   I blamed the pods and the pods were just taking advantage of the situation.

[Weetabix7]

8 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

I've heard of this too.

 

But, I know that a lot of us have that "one thing" that just won't live in our tanks..... for me its zoas.  I always thought it was because the pods were eating them but for some reason they just do not grow in my tank.   I blamed the pods and the pods were just taking advantage of the situation.

 

Well honestly, a lot of people have that problem with Zoas, you're not alone in that. 

They're just weird and unpredictable sometimes. 

But as far as it relates to this thread topic, at the time I had that happen in my tank, I really wasn't having problems with Zoas or Palys. 

[WV Reefer]

5 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Well honestly, a lot of people have that problem with Zoas, you're not alone in that. 

They're just weird and unpredictable sometimes. 

But as far as it relates to this thread topic, at the time I had that happen in my tank, I really wasn't having problems with Zoas or Palys. 

I have no doubt about that at all. They are quite bold when they start getting large. 

i was just interested in the OP's tank info just to see if something else could be happening. I see he's asked a lot of questions but I don't see much about the tank. 

[davea]

2 hours ago, WV Reefer said:

I have no doubt about that at all. They are quite bold when they start getting large. 

i was just interested in the OP's tank info just to see if something else could be happening. I see he's asked a lot of questions but I don't see much about the tank. 

The tank is an m90 fluval tank and is 2 years old and its an upgrade of a 50 litre tank which was also 2 years old. All parameters are all within recommended areas apart from nitrate which is a little high at 15-20ppm. The coral in question is over 12 months old and had grown to a bustling cluster until this and is now a third of what it was. All other tank inhabitents are well thriving.

[WV Reefer]

6 minutes ago, davea said:

The tank is an m90 fluval tank and is 2 years old and its an upgrade of a 50 litre tank which was also 2 years old. All parameters are all within recommended areas apart from nitrate which is a little high at 15-20ppm. The coral in question is over 12 months old and had grown to a bustling cluster until this and is now a third of what it was. All other tank inhabitents are well thriving.

Well, it seems they may just be murderers. lol. 

 

You may never really know for sure which came first but you've got the space so I'd just get something to eat the little sh*ts. 

[davea]

17 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

Well, it seems they may just be murderers. lol. 

 

You may never really know for sure which came first but you've got the space so I'd just get something to eat the little sh*ts. 

I concur! I guess the yellow wrasse is as good an idea as anything that way if the pods are gone and the problem goes we know what the issue is...

[holy carp]

What is the pink stuff in the 2nd and 3rd pictures of the original post?

Could those be injuring the polyps and the amphipods are coming in to get the damaged palys?

[davea]

 

1 hour ago, holy carp said:

What is the pink stuff in the 2nd and 3rd pictures of the original post?

Could those be injuring the polyps and the amphipods are coming in to get the damaged palys?

They're star polyps but they're not prominent enough to be causing the damage thats been caused

[Weetabix7]

1 hour ago, holy carp said:

What is the pink stuff in the 2nd and 3rd pictures of the original post?

Could those be injuring the polyps and the amphipods are coming in to get the damaged palys?

 

Good eye!!

They ARE growing over the Paly Mat tho, and could be causing irritation & if the irritation is weakening the Palys, it's possible the Pods are taking advantage of that. 

Hard to say for sure though.