Oh My...new Problem In My Tank

[svirid]

Good day,

today after I got home from work I have saw 10% of my brain coral become completely white
and shrunk. Later I noticed plenty of bugs on it.
At that time brain coral was at the top of my rocks to get more light.
The bugs looks exactly like this ones AMPHIPODS on this website
http/www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm

I took the coral and gave him iodine bath, killing some of the bugs but there are still plenty in my tank.
Not sure if it really good by the way and how to rid of them.

Put the coral back, same thing, they found him again.
So I move it to the gravel, it looks like its feeling better but I am not sure if they find it there too.

Any advice? Thank you very much guys for your help.

 

[Colin_T]

the amphipods are probably hungry. They normally eat plant matter but if there isn't any algae then they will scavenge off whatever is in the tank, including dead fish and corals. Normally fish will eat them but it depends on what fish are in the tank.
You can try putting a lettuce leaf in a jar and having that in the tank for a few hours. The gammaris (amphipods) will crawl in and eat the lettuce. Then you can take them out and freeze them in icecube trays to use as fish food later on. Cucumber and pumpkin work as well. Just try a few things and see if you can reduce their numbers that way. Otherwise you will need ot get a fish that eats them and not the corals.
NB, just make sure any vegetable that goes in the tank is clean and free of chemicals. Give it a good rinse before you use it.

 

[SkiFletch]

Do they look like this?

If so, those are not bugs, that's an immune response of the coral which can quickly spread to be fatal. Might be a good idea to frag it before it's too late.

 

[Colin_T]

that's a real unhappy looking brain coral there SkiFletch

 

[svirid]

Do they look like this?

If so, those are not bugs, that's an immune response of the coral which can quickly spread to be fatal. Might be a good idea to frag it before it's too late.

Thanks God its not like that. In my case I can really see AMPHIPODS eating it.

 

[svirid]

the amphipods are probably hungry. They normally eat plant matter but if there isn't any algae then they will scavenge off whatever is in the tank, including dead fish and corals. Normally fish will eat them but it depends on what fish are in the tank.
You can try putting a lettuce leaf in a jar and having that in the tank for a few hours. The gammaris (amphipods) will crawl in and eat the lettuce. Then you can take them out and freeze them in icecube trays to use as fish food later on. Cucumber and pumpkin work as well. Just try a few things and see if you can reduce their numbers that way. Otherwise you will need ot get a fish that eats them and not the corals.
NB, just make sure any vegetable that goes in the tank is clean and free of chemicals. Give it a good rinse before you use it.

Thanks for the information, it sounds easy enough. Will dry seaweed work in this case too? or latuce only?
Are u sure they will find it in a jar? I just have to locate it on the rocks right?

Also I like Fire Gobies, I think they it AMPHIPODS , what do u think if I get one?

 

[Colin_T]

Fire gobies won't eat amphipods. The crustaceans are too tough for them to chew up. They might pick up the odd baby one but all the others will be fine and continue eating the coral.

You don't have to use lettuce. Any sort of plant matter will do even dry seaweed. I just say lettuce because most people know what it is and have some in their fridge. But any vegetation/plant matter will suffice.

Have the jar lieing on its side and some plant in it. Then locate the jar in the tank so it doesn't get too much water moving around it. It doesn't matter if it's on the rocks or the sand, the amphipods will smell the food and go looking for it. They like hiding in small crevices too so if you put some bioballs or something like that inside the jar with the plant, they will feel comfortable and move right in. Then when you get a chance lift the jar out and pour the water through a fine mesh fish net. Then you can get rid of the amphipods. You will have to repeat the process for a few weeks before you get most of them out.

 

[svirid]

Very interesting conversation I found
[URL="http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=145876&st=0"]http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...145876&st=0[/URL]

I actually wanted to get sixline wrasse but was afraid it will be agrassive agains my clowns.
What do u think guys?

 

[Colin_T]

6 line wrasses are fine with most fish. They bicker among themselves but shouldn't cause any problems to clownfish.

 

[svirid]

The only problem I have with the wrasse for now is that they have to be added at the last, and I actually wanted to add couple of more fish before, I wanted to add Bangai Cardinal and later on wrasse.

Also I did left jar for a night on my rocks. Actually I was using a big shell, I added some sea wead inside it. In the morning I got apx 10 of them in there, not sure if its a lot or not.

Brain looks like feeling much better on the gravel, white spot almost gone. I will be repeating procedure with the jar for a while till I get a wrasse.

I will keep you posted.

 

[SkiFletch]

Heh, yeah that happened to my brain coral when a freaking actinodiscuss mushroom stung it . Had to frag it and lost half the colony. As for amphipod eaters, smaller psuedochromis will also much on them. My own psuedochromis springeri is a relatively model citizen. A little spunky, but a great hunter of pods.