Amphipods eating corals?

[ltrot92]

I've heard mixed things on this. Anyone know if it can happen? I've started noticing some of mine creeping around a zoa frag I have at night...

 

[Gablami]

I have never heard of this. At night amphipods creep around just about everything. Are you seeing damage or are they just closed up?


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[dswong01]

It could be zoanthids pest like spyder or nudibrank

 

[ltrot92]

So far just closed up. Have been closed for the past couple days though, and have seen some of the amphipods creep around the corals (definitely amphipods btw)

 

[Gablami]

Zoanthids are usually pretty bulletproof. Your other corals are doing fine?


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[ltrot92]

The other two I have (Duncan and some xenias) seem fine, just the zoas that seem to be closing up

 

[650-IS350]

I've had really large Ampipods decimate zoos and palys. I've personally watched them at night with a red flashlight. Got some wrasses, ampipods history.

 

[ltrot92]

Yeah, my amphipod population seems to have exploded in the past few days and I've started noticing some big ones. Gonna keep them under observation for a couple days, see what happens. Unfortunately I've got a pretty small tank (15 gallons) so that kind of limits what livestock I can put in to deal with them.

 

[Kim Pattison]

Mandarin will eat the small ones there by keeping the population in check.

 

[650-IS350]

Mandarins have really small mouths, more for Copepods. The ones that harm polyps are the Large ampipods

Its the big ones about 1/4" or slightly bigger that I've seen usually eat Zoos and Palys. Usually going after the polyps skirt/tentacles first.

 

[650-IS350]

Good read
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rs/index.php

Seeing is believing..

 

[Gablami]

That is one huge amphipod.


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[ltrot92]

Yup, those look like the ones in my tank.

Caught a couple snooping around my zoas last night, will try to take some video if I see them again.

 

[650-IS350]

I've nuked my tank before with interceptor as well. I just get all the important inverts I want to keep out of the tank during the process.

 

[ltrot92]

Update: have not seen them on my corals in the past few days, but will try to observe them to see if they appear more.

Although I set up a media reactor the other day which somehow sucked up a bunch of them, so that might have been part of it...