I understand that some soft corals wage "chemical warfare" in nature and in our tanks. Now I've also read that this can get serious enough to have potentially devestating effects on the other livestock we keep. Now is it possible to acclimate our livestock to these chemical toxins until they are basically immune the the effects? I'm pretty sure nobody has vials of soft coral chemicals in their refrigerator for this. What if as an aquarist you decided to wait to stock any soft corals last and you made sure to only stock one or two frags at that? Does anyone think that as they grow and are able to produce more chemicals the other tank inhabitants would become slowly acclimated to this. That is assuming that chemical production is linked and directly related to coral size.
chemical warfare
- Thread starter garzaci
- Start date
Flipper62
Premium Member
What ?????
Who ever told you this ??
If there is a coral that launches a chemical warfare on another coral. Its because it feels the other coral is invading its space. The corals are too close to each other and the toxin is launched at the other coral.
Once the toxin is in the water stream....its not going to do much. It will be so diluted, its not going to come back around and kill the other coral.
Chris27
New member
So you're saying that in an aquarium with 10,000 Gal/Hr of water movement, a coral can somehow "shoot" a toxin directly at another coral? I find that hard to believe....
Chris27
New member
Chris27
New member
Yup - nothing like 19 hours of sitting in first class, and 12 hours of layovers - love Guam, hate flying there though. At least Continental is still serving filet mignon with a metal fork and knife BTW...
The chemistry was still really good, just a little bit of a mess around the tank and sump. Luckily she did the Kalk and Mag right while I was gone, the calc, alk and mag were all where they were when I left...
If I remember right, didn't you have a small toadstool wreak some havoc on your frag tank?
Soft corals such as sacrophyton, sinularia, lobophyton,lemnalia ,etc. do leach alellopathic compounds. A stressed specimen can seriously harm other corals in a tank in my experience. They also shed skin from time to time . They do not have sweeper tentacles. I don't see how a coral could be acclimated to a toxin.
I keep quite a few leathers in mixed reef tanks and a separate leather tank. I use carbon an purigen since they remove organic compounds. However, it's not certain that they will attract all or even most of the alellopathic stuff. Observation coupled with regular water changes work well.
I keep quite a few leathers in mixed reef tanks and a separate leather tank. I use carbon an purigen since they remove organic compounds. However, it's not certain that they will attract all or even most of the alellopathic stuff. Observation coupled with regular water changes work well.
I disagree. I believe that the corals could become immune, or at least less affected by it. I don't have any evidence whatsoever but with the adaptations organisms are able to make in order to survive I don't see how they wouldn't eventually come up with some defense. Just recently I saw an article where scientists are trying to cure individuals with peanut allergies. They are starting by feeding almost nonexistent amounts of peanut and slowly increasing until a tolerance is built. That was the idea behind my curiosity of the corals becoming immune to the chemical warfare.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
The methods that coral (all organisms) use to adapt to their environment (in this case chemical warfare) can vary. In most cases this adaption takes place due to mutations in their genetic make-up (which usually takes many generations of the coral specie). Microscopic organisms such as bacteria and algae reproduce at such a fast pace, mutations can happen much quicker than larger organisms (such as coral). Generally speaking these type of mutations that allow larger organisms to adapt to things such as chemical warfare, take very long periods of time (perhaps even thousands of years or longer).
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HighlandReefer
Team RC
Most insects for example take at least 10 or more years to develop true resistance to pesticides (thats a lot of generations). Much insect resistance to pesticides is due to behavior changes in the insect. For example, resistant insect populations to pesticide can be due to where they decide to live in a given space. Some may prefer to hang from a ceiling area (where a pesticide is not applied) and others in corners where the pesticide is applied. This type of resistance can occur much quicker. 
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Understood. I agree that as a whole the population could take thousands of years to adapt, but as an individual I believe there is the posibility that over some time they could learn to deal with it. Back to the peanut example. If a human body can adapt in less than one full lifespan then why can't a coral in less than its one lifespan. Maybe since we are a younger species we are more prone to rapid change to aid in survival and maybe the corals are so old they have pretty much figured out what works for them and are now less prone to rapid change. I don't know. But maybe someone here has the resources to test this. I don't think it can be ruled out yet.
Chris27
New member
Sounds like you are describing marriage ....:uzi:
paraletho
Premium Member
I agree when we talk chemical warfare. We are talking about poisons designed over millenium to kill their enemy not give it an itchy rash or a runny nose. Run carbon, don't overcrowd, don't frag softies in the tank water, and certain Genus are worse than others ie. Sarcophyton.
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