killer bubble coral???

[Capt_Cully]

any one have a bubble coral kill and eat fish before? mines been suspect in two MIA'a "a coral of interest", and there have been other disappearances that are questionable.

are they strong enough to take down smaller 2-3" fishes?

thanks

 

[xcreonx]

How big is the bubble? It's doubtful it could kill a 2" fish. But you never know!

 

[Capt_Cully]

softball sized. it's gotta be the culprit. very weird!

 

[supertech3]

IMO no way it could consume your fish that size, I would suspect something else (pumps,other fish,stuck in rock,etc..)

 

[TippyToeX]

I too doubt it would take out any healthy fish.

 

[M. Python]

It canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t happen, they donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t capture large pray.

 

[Capt_Cully]

it was a small scooter blenny. about 1.5-2 inches. i feed the bubble silversides that size. one minute the blenny was visible, fat and happy. couple hours later he was MIA and the bubble looked like it does after downing a silverside. mouth visible and swollen.

i mean i hope i'm wrong, but the blenny is DEFINITELY gone. he hasn't hidden since i've had him. not even when he was new and under attack by tankmates as the new arrival.

 

[physicslord]

Have you checked behind the tank on the floor?

 

[TippyToeX]

It might have looked fat and happy because it ate the already dead body of the fish.

 

[jay24k]

I could believe it. My bubble is a softball size. He eats full piece of silversides and when he touches it, he sucks it in to his flesh and it sticks to him pretty hard.

Now the thing I find hard is him eating a healthy fish. I could see a dead or weak dying fish hit him and get eaten but not a healthy fish.

 

[Amphiprion]

Actually, a large, healthy bubble coral can easily eat a fish clumsy enough to blunder into it. I have one that is even larger than a softball--close to half a basketball when fully expanded. It is capable of a stronger sting than my anemone, and my ate some fish, as well! Mine is capable of ingesting whole silversides and actually eats mushrooms too. So, yes, it is certainly possible.

 

[Capt_Cully]

THANK YOU!

i'm not trying to cause a debate. Everything I've read or researched in the hobby has taught me one valuable lesson. Give me evidence or a point of view, and I'll find some one with evidence or a point of view to contradict it.

SO, IMO it is possible for a bubble coral to take down a small fish. Scooter Blennies aren't the fastest or strongest swimmers and mine skirted around that bubble coral constantly. I believe it was eaten by the coral which has a sting and is carnivorous. Therefore i'm getting rid of it. Thank you for everyones views. This is mine.

Take it or leave it.

Thanks

 

[cherbub]

I don't think thats possible...

 

[Tu Ku]

Don't get rid of the bubble! Just don't buy anymore scooter blennies. What could be cooler than a coral that eats fish! Surely I'm not the only one who thinks so.

 

[jay24k]

If you never had a bubble coral and seen how it feeds on large silversides, then you don't know what they are cable of. My bubble packs a very very strong sting and will easily take out the best of my LPS in their wars. My hammer and moon coral which is on each side will send sweepers over. My bubble will grab em, hold onto em and kill the tips of them.

 

[sedwards]

I know this is an old thread but I found it googling for the same subject. I was able to confirm that this is happening through a Nest camera on the tank when I suspected my bubble coral. I had lost a scooter blenny and 3 damsels over the past month or so.

This morning I noticed a damsel missing and found him buried into the bubble coral. Looking at the video I was able see the stupid damsel nestle against the coral and then seemingly freeze only to be very slowly enveloped into the coral. Seems to be having a hard time eating the whole thing however as it's still buried inside of it. The bubble is about 8" in circumference and the damsel was a smaller 4 stripe (about 1.5-2").

No doubt in my mind this is what's happening to at least some of my fish. I do have a large coral banded, some turbos and a snowflake eel in here, but nothing else but corals and live rock. I know sometimes the damsels will battle with the eel so that may have been the demise of others, but seeing the one inside the bubble confirms at least that is a possibility for the others.

s

 

[littleruttiger]

Wow, that's actually kind of cool, except for the dying fish part.

 

[SeaCucumberFan]

Whoah that's kinda creepy, warty corals with baleen eating fish. Now imagine a bubble coral the size of a pillow! It could eat a tang!

 

[Capt_Cully]

Validation 10 years later? ILL TAKE IT!

 

[Freds]

Validation 10 years later? ILL TAKE IT!

Gotta love the internet.