defchild84
New member
I purchased a nice size mini-colony not too long ago. I had no idea, that out of my 4 t5 bulbs, one bulb WAS, and had been out for some time. The piece, being quite a sensitive acropora, began to lose some of the coloring after a week. After browning a little, it began to form algae on a few of the tips.
Luckily, I saw the bulb. I replaced it, and began to watch my corals recover daily. My troubled 'piece' began to regain it's colors. Still, few of the tips remained covered in a film o algae. Just under 40 times the turnover, I thought perhaps that the flow was insufficient for this particular specie. I upped that particular colonie's flow , but still, the algae persisted. Perhaps I never paid attention prior, but on that particular night that I sat down, and was truly stumped, I noticed something I hadn't before. I saw hermit crabs climbing on the acropora, and was munching on the film o algae. After one, another, and so on until the tips were clear. This, of course took some time-to be exact, over a course of three days.
This, is what my question pertains to. I haven't seen a single hermit crab climb my other colonies, or pieces. Yet they chose to climb,and reach for the algae on the troubled piece, only ONCE, it began to color back. Without trying to sound like jumping to any conclusions, ideas, or any opinions, could it be possible..... that,
1. Corals might release a chemical which might entice certain species of inverts which could assist them?
2. Could acropora crabs be beneficial in this way- not just fending the piece which it resides in, but also keeping nuisance algae, debri, detritus, etc off of the acropora?
3. Perhaps the hermit crab just senses the algae?
4. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
Luckily, I saw the bulb. I replaced it, and began to watch my corals recover daily. My troubled 'piece' began to regain it's colors. Still, few of the tips remained covered in a film o algae. Just under 40 times the turnover, I thought perhaps that the flow was insufficient for this particular specie. I upped that particular colonie's flow , but still, the algae persisted. Perhaps I never paid attention prior, but on that particular night that I sat down, and was truly stumped, I noticed something I hadn't before. I saw hermit crabs climbing on the acropora, and was munching on the film o algae. After one, another, and so on until the tips were clear. This, of course took some time-to be exact, over a course of three days.
This, is what my question pertains to. I haven't seen a single hermit crab climb my other colonies, or pieces. Yet they chose to climb,and reach for the algae on the troubled piece, only ONCE, it began to color back. Without trying to sound like jumping to any conclusions, ideas, or any opinions, could it be possible..... that,
1. Corals might release a chemical which might entice certain species of inverts which could assist them?
2. Could acropora crabs be beneficial in this way- not just fending the piece which it resides in, but also keeping nuisance algae, debri, detritus, etc off of the acropora?
3. Perhaps the hermit crab just senses the algae?
4. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
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