Tank Journal Archive

chimaera

enjoy the little things
May 13, 2012
5,473
2,295
Sandringham
Friend Or Foe?
There are a few things that annoy me at the moment with this tank. Some of them appear to be issues caused by what would normally be considered 'good' for the tank.

  1. Caulerpa - PEST. Oh how it pisses me off that it comes back every single time I remove it. Until this point I hadn't realised one the the single biggest challenges with nano tanks ... the fact that you can't just introduce an algae eater to keep crap like this under control. Maybe a Lawnmower Blenny, but I would have to remove my Bicolour and I'm not keen to do that.
  2. Aiptasia - PEST. I don't have a bad case of it, just one or two popping up every now and then. But like the Caulerpa, I think I have zapped them all only to notice another pop up. Can't add pepps due to the pistol shrimp (though I might try one, see if it stays out the pistol's way)
  3. Amphipods - ???. This is not one I can prove, but I keep having random issues with zoas and palys closing and then dying off. The latest were two frags of Red People Eaters, large original paly in the centre with 4-5 babies surrounding. BOTH of the large palys, one on each frag, closed up a while ago and have never re-opened. Same has happened with several other zoa frags including some really nice ones, while other zoas, even those usually temperamental (eg red hornets) are thriving. So I have concluded that the proliferation of amphipods in the tank, with no fish predator to keep them at bay, is to blame. I've read that certain types of larger amphipod may be responsible for eating/damaging zoas, but nobody seems to have ever proven the fact.
  4. Spaghetti worm - ???. Generally considered 'friend' for the tank, I noticed my clam had been closed up for several days and couldn't work out what the issue was. Today I saw a spaghetti worm with its stringy tentacles over the clam, so I am pretty sure that is what has been irritating the clam. I managed to dig it out from under the clam (or at least what I think was its body!) so will see if it improves.
  5. Bristle worms - ???. Similar to the amphipods, there are huge numbers of these in the tank and some are huge worms (20cm+). Again normally I would just appreciate the CUC as they do a fantastic job of cleaning up, but I wonder if there are too many and some of the corals are bothered by them, or have any available food stolen from them all the time.

Other than that, the tank is going well, SPS is thriving, Acans are thriving, Chalices are hit and miss ... some okay some not, Zoas and Palys are hit and miss as above, Blastos are thriving.
 

holly

Member
Jul 10, 2013
1,806
832
Melbourne
I hear you! I have the same concerns in my 3ft. tossing up popping in a mandarin or something else that will eat pods and bristle worms.. not sure though.
 

chimaera

enjoy the little things
May 13, 2012
5,473
2,295
Sandringham
I hear you! I have the same concerns in my 3ft. tossing up popping in a mandarin or something else that will eat pods and bristle worms.. not sure though.
Don't think a mandarin would eat the larger amphipods nor bristleworms. A 6-line wrasse might, but I would be concerned it would wipe them out completely.
 

Agent M

Member
Oct 21, 2011
3,536
1,586
Melbourne
Just my opinion:

3) Amphipods - FRIEND. From what I have seen over the years, the zoa issue may be a case of care requirements rather than pest problems (other than sundial snails) because they are collected from different depths/conditions

4) Spaghetti worm - PEST. They are essentially harmless and will take surprisingly large pieces of food so are good for CUC, but they do irritate the corals and look unsightly

5) Bristle worms - FRIEND unless you keep seahorses or pipefish. Anything with a really tiny mouth that sucks up its food with force could become a victim to them but it would be rare
 

chimaera

enjoy the little things
May 13, 2012
5,473
2,295
Sandringham
3) Amphipods - FRIEND. From what I have seen over the years, the zoa issue may be a case of care requirements rather than pest problems (other than sundial snails) because they are collected from different depths/conditions
95% sure that is not the case here - this is affecting single polyps out of 10 on a frag plug, hardy types that have shown massive growth rates - eg the Red People Eaters ... fragged one polyp onto a plug and within a month it had grown to 7 polyps, yet one of them suddenly closed and died off. Same zoa types on plugs next to each other, one suffers one does not.

I also once had an amphipod crawl out of a paly when I removed it from the water.

The amphipods in my tank have grown brazen ... when I feed pellets in the middle of the day with lights on 100%, they will just run out, grab a pellet and drag it off to eat. No fear. Which is why I wonder about the zoas/palys ... as dozens of others have before me.

Oh well, I accept that it happens sometimes, of course pisses me off particularly when it is a nice piece, but what can I do?