clown goby and acro's

[jthnhale]

hi all,

I have a question / observation about a yellow clown goby I used to have.

He was in my tank for a few months and was doing great, he would perch on a clams mantle and hide in his favorite acro colony. Then one day he started picking at the acro's and the polyps would not extend. after a couple of weeks of this I had to find him a new home.

soon after I gave him away I discovered I had red bugs, a lot of red bugs.
Is it possible that the goby was picking at the red bugs, or do you think
it was just a coincidence? I started thinking about it, it seems strange that the fish did not touch the acros at all for a few months, then when red bugs appeared he started picking at them. thoughts?

- jonathan

 

[masterswimmer]

Great question Jon. I'd like to know about this as well. Very coincidental, could it be some sort of symbiotic relationship?

Tagging along.

Russ

 

[Stoney Mahony]

They naturally nip the tips of SPS in the wild. There are so many big corals that a little nip here and there will not harm the coral as a whole. I had a pair of them and they went to town on my SPS. I think it is just their instinct to nip the tip.

 

[GMGQ]

When I had one, it was really bothering my acros. After I put it in the sump, I got GREAT polyp extension from the acros.

So as far as my experience goes, I think they're more of a nuisance to SPS.

 

[RichConley]

From what I've heard, they nest in acropora, and when theyre getting ready to breed, they'll clear an area of tissue, and lay their eggs there.

Maybe yours was just feeling maternal?

 

[jthnhale]

well I guess they are not the potential red bug assassins I thought they might be

 

[reefrick.M]

I had to bring mine back to the LFS. Munched down the polyps on 2 of my Millepora's. For such a small fish it did a lot of damage to my frags. They all recovered after it's removal. There was no question of it's guilt as I sat there and watched it. I only had to remove about half of my rock work to get the little you no what out.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Had different behavior out of a green clown goby ... hangs in the Acropora some but lacks the other problem behaviors.

No idea if he eats red bugs.

 

[masterswimmer]

Wow, thanks for relating the experiences. Sounds like the typical hit or miss.

swimmer