Punchanello
Well-Known Member
I'm new to reefing and despite thinking I was well prepared, there's nothing like real life experience to kick you in the pants.
Let me set the scene. My tank is four months old. About 4 weeks ago the water turned deep green with what I have been reliably and unreliably informed is a huge phytoplankton bloom. I have gone lights out for days, reduced feeding, tried to out-compete to no avail. I have even had several offers to buy my phytoplankton infused green water. A uv sterilizer is on its way which I hope will help.
Needless to say I have limited visibility of what is in the tank except to say my corals look delighted when I can see them. I think during this period I have missed a lot. Like whether my fish look lethargic or not. Are they eating etc.
I had 2 clowns, a four lined cardinal and a watanabe angel. Yesterday the angel fish died (see pics) and last night I could not see one of the tiny clowns.
Then, this morning, out of the corner of my eye I see the clown sleeping and the cardinal making 3 or 4 aggressive swoops at him. The clown seems to wake up and move to the other end of the tank and starts sleeping again. Again the cardinal goes at him. I watched this repeating from 6am to 7am. Could it be that the cardinal has been harassing my Watanabe and possibly the smaller clown to death and has now started on the other clown?
I posted the pictures below in the fish disease forum and it looks likely to have been a bacterial infection that killed her. I have had her for 2 months. I assume that maybe the reduced feeding and bullying ended up being too much for her.
I'd like to try and get some idea of what I'm dealing with. My fear is that although it doesn't look like ich or velvet, by jumping to the conclusion my cardinal is a murderer I might be missing something less easily addressed. Has anyone else seen this kind of behaviour from a cardinal?
Let me set the scene. My tank is four months old. About 4 weeks ago the water turned deep green with what I have been reliably and unreliably informed is a huge phytoplankton bloom. I have gone lights out for days, reduced feeding, tried to out-compete to no avail. I have even had several offers to buy my phytoplankton infused green water. A uv sterilizer is on its way which I hope will help.
Needless to say I have limited visibility of what is in the tank except to say my corals look delighted when I can see them. I think during this period I have missed a lot. Like whether my fish look lethargic or not. Are they eating etc.
I had 2 clowns, a four lined cardinal and a watanabe angel. Yesterday the angel fish died (see pics) and last night I could not see one of the tiny clowns.
Then, this morning, out of the corner of my eye I see the clown sleeping and the cardinal making 3 or 4 aggressive swoops at him. The clown seems to wake up and move to the other end of the tank and starts sleeping again. Again the cardinal goes at him. I watched this repeating from 6am to 7am. Could it be that the cardinal has been harassing my Watanabe and possibly the smaller clown to death and has now started on the other clown?
I posted the pictures below in the fish disease forum and it looks likely to have been a bacterial infection that killed her. I have had her for 2 months. I assume that maybe the reduced feeding and bullying ended up being too much for her.
I'd like to try and get some idea of what I'm dealing with. My fear is that although it doesn't look like ich or velvet, by jumping to the conclusion my cardinal is a murderer I might be missing something less easily addressed. Has anyone else seen this kind of behaviour from a cardinal?
