Lawnmower Blenny Nipping at Stylophora?

[Patrick Cox]

I recently added a Lawnmower Blenny to my 75G SPS tank and it has really done a great job at cleaning up the algae. However I noticed yesterday that my Stylophora has some bare patches and I am now wondering if the blenny has been nipping at it. The coral looks healthy other than this. Please reply if you have any experience with this. I will post a picture when my tank wakes up.

Thanks

 

[peasofme]

Ecsenius blennies are known for this. i haven't heard of lawnmowers doing this but i'm sure it's possible. especially if the blenny is hungry or if there is algae near the coral.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Ecsenius blennies are known for this. i haven't heard of lawnmowers doing this but i'm sure it's possible. especially if the blenny is hungry or if there is algae near the coral.

Thanks. This fish is always hungry. It is constantly grazing on algae. I am now suspecting that there was algae on or near the coral and this is what caused it. I will need to keep on eye on the fish to see what it is doing. I hope it does not become a significant problem because it is great at cleaning up algae in the tank.

 

[snorvich]

If sufficiently hungry, it may be eating zooxanthellae from the coral.

 

[Patrick Cox]

If sufficiently hungry, it may be eating zooxanthellae from the coral.

Is zooxanthellae the same as polyps? Thanks.

 

[snorvich]

Is zooxanthellae the same as polyps? Thanks.

No. Most reef-building corals contain photosynthetic algae, called zooxanthellae, that live in their tissues. The corals and algae have a mutualistic relationship. The coral provides the algae with a protected environment and compounds they need for photosynthesis and in return, the algae produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes. Most importantly, zooxanthellae supply the coral with glucose, glycerol, and amino acids, which are the products of photosynthesis.

 

[peasofme]

zooxanthellae is what's inside the polyp that allows the coral to feed off of sunlight.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Here is a picture of my Stylo. You can see that it looks healthy other then the bare spots that are mainly on the underside of the coral. Does this look like it was done by the fish or some other cause? Thanks

 

[peasofme]

kinda looks like blenny bite marks