hydnophora killing an acropora

[karimwassef]

Wow. I would see the dead zones in the morning, but I've never actually seen the attack happening live. The attack area and thickness of mesenterial filament "carpet" is impressive. This is over an inch x inch mass that was launched from inside the hydno's edge?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/IMG_61661_zpseonclekp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/IMG_61661_zpseonclekp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_61661_zpseonclekp.jpg"/></a>

Hard to see from a photo, so here's a quick vid

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fk_DoqTD3fU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[j_mazzy]

that's insane

 

[Pife]

They are very aggressive.

 

[Piper27]

We used to have a colony the size of a basket ball. It would reach out 10" with its filaments to kill something. Once it got a frogspawn around 15" away because it had its tenticle out. Very pretty and fluffy lps when in a high nutrient tank. I won't keep them anywhere in the tank anymore.

 

[karimwassef]

I know it's an old debate, but I still think it's an SPS, not LPS.

small and large are not exactly scientific terms, so... I think anything smaller than pin's head is SPS, but then... how big is the pinhead? LOL!!

 

[Piper27]

I label it lps because it gets very fluffy, slimes up your hands when you touch it, has ridges instead of small polyps, murders things that go near it with its own guts and when you look at the skeleton it doesn't have any holes where polyps live it's more of a maze of ridges like a maze brain. Honestly I think it sets itself apart from sps pretty well except for its branches, but again it also encrusts just as much, and in time those branches get very thicK. The tenticles in the ridges may look like polyps though I think they are connected to the flesh along the ridge. I am no scientist though. Tomato tomato.
Very cool shot by the way!

 

[karimwassef]

Thanks. My LPS aggressor is the Hollywood Stunner chalice. It's killed a lot of montis. When it decimated my thriving undata colony before I had a chance to frag it (like 48hrs I didn't look), I put it in the bottom left of my tank. You can see it in my vids there... It's like Siberia for bad corals. Still thriving though.

 

[karimwassef]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2YtdwALbf_I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is NO LED - just Metal Halide since the LED messes up my iphone vids.

 

[karimwassef]

the aftermath... OUCH!!

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/BDF65C75-6B0E-47F0-8FC6-3533A2C37651_zpsgv3jysow.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/BDF65C75-6B0E-47F0-8FC6-3533A2C37651_zpsgv3jysow.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo BDF65C75-6B0E-47F0-8FC6-3533A2C37651_zpsgv3jysow.jpg"/></a>

 

[karimwassef]

wow. is there any hope for coexistence?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/067228FC-52D6-41AE-B95C-C6C33A6128F7_zps0xvbby5v.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/067228FC-52D6-41AE-B95C-C6C33A6128F7_zps0xvbby5v.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 067228FC-52D6-41AE-B95C-C6C33A6128F7_zps0xvbby5v.jpg"/></a>

 

[karimwassef]

The damage was apparently much larger and impacted two acropora...

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/06719ACD-9069-4495-8F10-257271612F41_zpsplmqf8wm.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/06719ACD-9069-4495-8F10-257271612F41_zpsplmqf8wm.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 06719ACD-9069-4495-8F10-257271612F41_zpsplmqf8wm.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/8BE3CF29-EA3E-432A-9053-372B2391EB4D_zpsh4c22xlq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/8BE3CF29-EA3E-432A-9053-372B2391EB4D_zpsh4c22xlq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 8BE3CF29-EA3E-432A-9053-372B2391EB4D_zpsh4c22xlq.jpg"/></a>

 

[Piper27]

I would remove that coral or move it to an area where there is no corals anywhere near it. It will only get more aggressive as it grows and will keep killing things near it for more space until the corals near it are completely destroyed. I don't see any hope for coexistance where it is located now. I had a tang throw a coral on top of my old big colony once and it covered the coral completely with guts and it was gone in short time. It looked really awesome consuming it.
Beautiful tank for sure! I love the flow It's awesome to see birdsnest grow out evenly and not skinny and thin. That's a good challenge and one reason I still keep birdsnest even though they grow so quick.

 

[karimwassef]

Thanks.

Unfortunately, the hydno is deeply seated in a large crevice and has build a solid calcium base that feels harder than the artificial concrete rock it's in. I can't move it off without using a bone saw/dremmel or killing it with kalk.

I think I'll have to sacrifice that whole rock as a hydno rock eventually. Now it looks like I need new homes for my refugee corals.

 

[karimwassef]

Hey. Did you watch my flow video? Is that what you were talking about?

 

[Wazzel]

Thanks. My LPS aggressor is the Hollywood Stunner chalice. It's killed a lot of montis. When it decimated my thriving undata colony before I had a chance to frag it (like 48hrs I didn't look), I put it in the bottom left of my tank. You can see it in my vids there... It's like Siberia for bad corals. Still thriving though.

Same for me. Mine has done a number on a couple of acros in the general area. I have cut it way back, but it grows so fast and the tentacles sweep further that you expect.

 

[Piper27]

Yea I watched a couple videos that showed the flow. Your right the hydnophora has the hardest skeleton of all corals ime,. It is the sharpest as well and will slice you open pretty easily. It does get a cool neon green under LEDs though. The basketball sized colony was the heaviest piece of coral, I could barely get it out of the tank!

 

[Horace]

Note to self....do not add this to the tank ever again.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[karimwassef]

but it's so pretty.... I think it just deserves its own rock area.

Maybe I'll put a piece of Hollywood stunner on the other end of the rock and let them duke it out for supremacy...

 

[Piper27]

I would put my savings on the hydnophora, they use their "guts" to kill things, almost litterally. The chalice will just use lame sweepers

 

[karimwassef]

Sure, but sweepers have more reach... So the chalice can push off the hydno before it gets close enough to do damage...

It's like a tall lean boxer with massive reach vs. a short squat power puncher. I'll always bet on reach if they can't move their feet