Hi All,
Thought I would post a recent experience of mine, that I am sure I will soon think is humorous, but which presently classifies as an ARRRGH!!! experience.
My 45 gal lagoonal reef is recovering from a plague of the Devil's spawn (Aiptasia), which killed most of my corals. The tank presently has a copperbanded butterfly - which eats other food when no anemones are around - and a pair of maroon clowns in it.
A couple of months ago, my wife had to visit Seattle and on her way home, stopped by and bought me a couple of nice little pieces of Acropora. I put them in my tank, and watched one thrive and the other undergo some tissue recession. However, all was soon good with the world and the "sickie" recovered and was doing very well.
Until 3 days ago.
I have a clonal assemblage of some mushroom polyps in my system. Started with one, now have maybe 40. They reproduce like crazy. They are also aggressive and sting the bejeezus out what ever they touch.
You guessed it, they started to "attack" my little coral.
Okay, I think. I can solve this. There is a nice open area about 6 inches away that would be just perfect for the coral. I move the coral on its little concrete pad (it is a farm raised colony). I wedge it in place. It looks good. It is safe from the corallomorphs.
I am happy.
When I checked the tank the next morning, I find the coral colony turned over and down in the mushrooms. I quickly rescued it, but there is plenty of damage. It was very stable where I had put it and there was no way it could have moved on its own, I thought, but just to be sure I put it back and securely epoxied it in place.
Went off to do my morning chores.
Came back to find "Big Mama," the maroon clown female, removing the last remnants of the epoxy, after having already removed the coral and dumped it over on the rockwork. Not in mushrooms, this time, though.
Okay, I thought, I still like the spot for the coral, I can fix this. So I go to my low light tank in the next room and find a nice little piece of flat rock. I wedge this in to make a better platform for my coral. The phone rings and some other chores intervene. When I return to the tank about an hour later the flat rock is nowhere to be seen. By reaching in my tank and feeling behind the rockwork, I find the flat rock where the clown had dropped it.
I am getting irritated at this Q@$@r$%&^% fish! So yesterday morning I epoxied the coral back in place where I wanted it. Wedging in it in with signficant force. Using about 3/4 of a tube of expoxy to make sure it is held securely.
Checked on the tank repeatedly yesterday - all looked well. Checked on the tank after dark last night, all looked well.
Checked on the tank this morning, about 2 hours after the lights came on, to find pieces of expoxy rubble all over the tank and the coral face down in the mushrooms again.
I just put the coral in a totally different part of the tank... I hope "Big Mama" likes it there....
Sigh. I hate feeling like a loser... But it is obviously her tank.
But I had to share this with someone.
Cheers, Ron
[This message has been edited by rshimek (edited 12-14-1999).]
Thought I would post a recent experience of mine, that I am sure I will soon think is humorous, but which presently classifies as an ARRRGH!!! experience.
My 45 gal lagoonal reef is recovering from a plague of the Devil's spawn (Aiptasia), which killed most of my corals. The tank presently has a copperbanded butterfly - which eats other food when no anemones are around - and a pair of maroon clowns in it.
A couple of months ago, my wife had to visit Seattle and on her way home, stopped by and bought me a couple of nice little pieces of Acropora. I put them in my tank, and watched one thrive and the other undergo some tissue recession. However, all was soon good with the world and the "sickie" recovered and was doing very well.
Until 3 days ago.
I have a clonal assemblage of some mushroom polyps in my system. Started with one, now have maybe 40. They reproduce like crazy. They are also aggressive and sting the bejeezus out what ever they touch.
You guessed it, they started to "attack" my little coral.
Okay, I think. I can solve this. There is a nice open area about 6 inches away that would be just perfect for the coral. I move the coral on its little concrete pad (it is a farm raised colony). I wedge it in place. It looks good. It is safe from the corallomorphs.
I am happy.
When I checked the tank the next morning, I find the coral colony turned over and down in the mushrooms. I quickly rescued it, but there is plenty of damage. It was very stable where I had put it and there was no way it could have moved on its own, I thought, but just to be sure I put it back and securely epoxied it in place.
Went off to do my morning chores.
Came back to find "Big Mama," the maroon clown female, removing the last remnants of the epoxy, after having already removed the coral and dumped it over on the rockwork. Not in mushrooms, this time, though.
Okay, I thought, I still like the spot for the coral, I can fix this. So I go to my low light tank in the next room and find a nice little piece of flat rock. I wedge this in to make a better platform for my coral. The phone rings and some other chores intervene. When I return to the tank about an hour later the flat rock is nowhere to be seen. By reaching in my tank and feeling behind the rockwork, I find the flat rock where the clown had dropped it.
I am getting irritated at this Q@$@r$%&^% fish! So yesterday morning I epoxied the coral back in place where I wanted it. Wedging in it in with signficant force. Using about 3/4 of a tube of expoxy to make sure it is held securely.
Checked on the tank repeatedly yesterday - all looked well. Checked on the tank after dark last night, all looked well.
Checked on the tank this morning, about 2 hours after the lights came on, to find pieces of expoxy rubble all over the tank and the coral face down in the mushrooms again.
I just put the coral in a totally different part of the tank... I hope "Big Mama" likes it there....
Sigh. I hate feeling like a loser... But it is obviously her tank.
But I had to share this with someone.
Cheers, Ron
[This message has been edited by rshimek (edited 12-14-1999).]