Evil amphipods killing corals! HELP!

[seafansar]

Has anyone else had problems with amphipods eating their corals? And if so, what did you do to get rid of the amphipods?

I have been watching my tank at night and found out what's been bugging some of my corals. First off I have some palys that started looking bad. Probably started for who knows what, but at night these huge amphipods would be covering them and it looked like they were eating them. I wanted to be sure, so I moved the palys around some. They kept dying until I moved the palys off of the sand or rock and onto a frag rack. I never saw any amphipods on the frag rack, so that's the only reason I could tell that was letting them get better. I kept one frag on the bottom and one on the frag rack for a while. The frag rack one was doing so much better, starting to open up again, that I put the other frag up there and it started recovering too. Now those palys look fine up on the frag rack, but I'm still a little scared to put them back on the bottom.

Lately I've noticed that these two new chalices that I've had for a few weeks doing fine up on the frag rack are starting to recede after I put them on the rock. I waited until late last night and looked at them with a flashlight and saw those ******* amphipods covering them! I could literally see them rip tissue from the coral! I moved the frags back up on the frag rack and I'm sure they'll heal, but this is getting ridiculous.

I have hundreds of those big amphipods in my tank and don't know what to do. Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution? The amphipods usually only come out at night. Is there a fish that hunts at night that would eat them?

Sorry it was a long post, but I just wanted to explain that it's the amphipods doing it and not something else.

 

[Murfman]

Get some wrasses. I have a Yellow Coris, Black Leopard, Picture and Melenarus and they hunt all day long. Any pods that are hiding they will look for and eat. They may not hunt at night but they will control the population.

 

[Azurel]

I had the same issuea few years ago and psted about itand people thought I was some kinda of nut spreading lies. Till it started to happen to others, I got a mandarin and 6 line wrasse. I didn't have an issue about 2 weeks after that...I have now a Redheaded Psuedochromis and have almost no amphipods now. I still have a bunch of little ones but nothing like those big ones that wer eating eery new frag of zoas and palys that I put in the tank.....The best thing you can do is add a predator......In extreamy rare cases you could use the drug for Red bugs which will kill all the shrimp.

 

[Dylan]

Has anyone else had problems with amphipods eating their corals? And if so, what did you do to get rid of the amphipods?

I have been watching my tank at night and found out what's been bugging some of my corals. First off I have some palys that started looking bad. Probably started for who knows what, but at night these huge amphipods would be covering them and it looked like they were eating them. I wanted to be sure, so I moved the palys around some. They kept dying until I moved the palys off of the sand or rock and onto a frag rack. I never saw any amphipods on the frag rack, so that's the only reason I could tell that was letting them get better. I kept one frag on the bottom and one on the frag rack for a while. The frag rack one was doing so much better, starting to open up again, that I put the other frag up there and it started recovering too. Now those palys look fine up on the frag rack, but I'm still a little scared to put them back on the bottom.

Lately I've noticed that these two new chalices that I've had for a few weeks doing fine up on the frag rack are starting to recede after I put them on the rock. I waited until late last night and looked at them with a flashlight and saw those ******* amphipods covering them! I could literally see them rip tissue from the coral! I moved the frags back up on the frag rack and I'm sure they'll heal, but this is getting ridiculous.

I have hundreds of those big amphipods in my tank and don't know what to do. Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution? The amphipods usually only come out at night. Is there a fish that hunts at night that would eat them?

Sorry it was a long post, but I just wanted to explain that it's the amphipods doing it and not something else.

I siphoned out as many as I could with a turkey baster. What are you feeding your tank? Phyto will make them grow much quicker.

The easiest solution is a sixline or yellow coris wrasse. The yellow coris will probably do better.

The same thing happened with my amphipods.. I stopped dosing phyto, siphoned out with a turkey baster the ones I can see, and got a mandarin.

 

[seafansar]

Thanks everyone! I was afraid people would think I was a nut for saying the amphipods were eating my corals. lol.

I have a sunrise psuedochromis and 2 mandarins in the tank now and they don't seem to control the population much. But I'm getting a melennarus wrasse next week, so hopefully it'll take care of them. I feed phyto from time to time, so I'll stop that too. And I'll try to siphon out some at night. Thanks for all the tips!

 

[gilmour01]

if you want to go hardcore, you could use interceptor.

 

[Dave3112]

+1 on the melanarus! I feed my tank alot and it is always on the hunt! The only draw back is that I can not spot feed my lps anymore, it steals the food.

 

[seafansar]

I will try the melanurus wrasse and feed phyto much less. If that doesn't help enough I'll siphon them out. I think I'll stay away from the interceptor cause I do have those mandarins. Don't want to kill off all their food. One eats pellets fine, but I don't think the other one has learned to yet.

 

[Murfman]

+1 on the melanarus! I feed my tank alot and it is always on the hunt! The only draw back is that I can not spot feed my lps anymore, it steals the food.

spot feed at night.

 

[tangdiver]

quick and easy, but might do more harm than good.....but my thoughts were the same.

:tongue:

if you want to go hardcore, you could use interceptor.