So, with the new shift at work, I am up every morning around 4am to get ready for work, and I generally take the time to hit the tank with a flashlight just to see what is going on in the tank. I picked up some purple hornet zoas which were initially looking great, but have since been in decline. This morning, I'm pretty sure I discovered why.
As the title suggests, it's amphipods. Rather large ones, about a 1/4th of an inch long or so, and they are undoubtedly eating the polyps. I suspected them when my colony of sympodium got demolished, but chalked it up to something else despite there being these same-sized amphipods on and around the colony during it's last days. This time there's no question in my mind, as I was actually able to see them taking bites of the polyps. I have several wrasses in the tank already, but they are obviously at rest when these little *******s are doing their dirty work. So, I need something that hunts at night. Dipping the corals won't matter, as there will still be plenty more of these guys waiting in the rocks for their chance at the zoanthid buffet. Any suggestions?
As the title suggests, it's amphipods. Rather large ones, about a 1/4th of an inch long or so, and they are undoubtedly eating the polyps. I suspected them when my colony of sympodium got demolished, but chalked it up to something else despite there being these same-sized amphipods on and around the colony during it's last days. This time there's no question in my mind, as I was actually able to see them taking bites of the polyps. I have several wrasses in the tank already, but they are obviously at rest when these little *******s are doing their dirty work. So, I need something that hunts at night. Dipping the corals won't matter, as there will still be plenty more of these guys waiting in the rocks for their chance at the zoanthid buffet. Any suggestions?
