Donya's 55-Gallon
- Thread starter Donya
- Start date
I can wait.
gregswimm
Fish Addict
What do you feed your Ophioderma? Frozen clam meat or are there enough leftovers to sustain them?
OP
OP
Blaaaaaaaaaaahhhhasfpsffsdjfdsfa. Long spin urchin was sitting near the surface and decided to surprise me by whipping its spines out of the water as my arm passed nearby. It didn't break the skin, but it left greasy black smudges on the skin where it brushed me. The smudges washed off, but I presume this must be part of why the species causes so many problems if it does break the skin. There aren't supposed to be venom glands at the tips of the spines, so I' not sure what the stuff is that it leaves behind. Perhaps it's a thin layer of tissue that rubs off?
gregswimm
Fish Addict
The spines are hollow, maybe they have some sort of bacteria culture in there.
OP
OP
Husband's explanation: it's clearly the black goo from the X-files.
If the black goo came from inside the hollow spine then it would make sense that it would be some sort of bacterial or toxic smoothie along the lines of what the literature keeps referring to (in an annoyingly vague way; it's not clear to me that anybody ever actually checked what's in there for Diadema species, and one book I have is similarly skeptical). If it came from the outside of the spine then it would have to be tissue like exists on some related urchins' spines. If I can remember to get some q-tips then I will test the outside and tips of the spines to see where exactly it came from.
Almost exclusively shrimp pellets. Sometimes I target feed them other meaty things like krill, but I have tried to avoid having much raw meat flying around this tank since it has anemones in it and I don't want to nuke them if I screw up and put in scallop meat or something that's a bit off (I have barely any sense of smell, so it's hard for me to tell).
If the black goo came from inside the hollow spine then it would make sense that it would be some sort of bacterial or toxic smoothie along the lines of what the literature keeps referring to (in an annoyingly vague way; it's not clear to me that anybody ever actually checked what's in there for Diadema species, and one book I have is similarly skeptical). If it came from the outside of the spine then it would have to be tissue like exists on some related urchins' spines. If I can remember to get some q-tips then I will test the outside and tips of the spines to see where exactly it came from.
Almost exclusively shrimp pellets. Sometimes I target feed them other meaty things like krill, but I have tried to avoid having much raw meat flying around this tank since it has anemones in it and I don't want to nuke them if I screw up and put in scallop meat or something that's a bit off (I have barely any sense of smell, so it's hard for me to tell).
gregswimm
Fish Addict
Possible, idk. The whole bacteria in the spine hypothesis makes sense to me (as far as the horrible infections people who get poked get), komoto dragons do something similar. Culture rapidly spreading infectious bacteria in their mouths that incapacitate prey in a mater of hours.
OP
OP
Looks like whatever it is doesn't just rub off the outside of the spine, so I guess the tissue idea is out. I wrapped the ends of a couple of pipets with paper towel as a makeshift q-tip (since I failed once again to buy them when I had the chance), brushed up and down the spines, including the side of the very tip (but not directly over it), and got nothing except an incredibly angry urchin. However, if pressure is applied directly to the tip, the paper gets marked immediately. Pressure straight down leaves a single dark dot, and pressure at an angle (but still over the tip) leaves a smear as the urchin wiggles its spine about.
gregswimm
Fish Addict
I would look at it under a microscope, I have a feeling it could be barbs or something to help the spine 'catch' once it penetrates. Maybe even an irritant to make the poke that much more unpleasant (or both).
OP
OP
Not too pleased with this tank at the moment. One of my cardinal pair dropped dead this afternoon. The pair never looked/acted anything but healthy and both had grown nicely. The one that died seemed 100% normal when the lights went on this morning and then I just walked in a bit ago and it was flopped over dead. No evidence of injury that I can see. The only thing different in the tank these past few days is that I took out the dinosaur pump and put a more sensibly-sized one in; can't see any relation there though. Yucky weekend.
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
So sorry to hear this. Sometimes fish die for no apparent reason. I wish we could figure these things out every time.
OP
OP
Looks like there's evidence of a bigger problem this morning. Something made the tank's pH plummet overnight and the remaining striped cardinal and my damsel were breathing hard this morning, although the PJ cardinal was acting normal. PJ aside, one dead fish, two odd-acting fish, and a pH bomb less than 24h later in this volume of water suggest that something else happened, I just don't know what yet. All other sizeable critters are accounted for. I did a WC and added new carbon and some extra airline before I had to leave...just have to wait and see what the state of things is when I get back this evening.
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