Do flasher wrasse eat amphipods?

[living_tribunal]

Good luck. I need to watch mine more closely and see if they are why some corals seem sad lately. You have taught me something that I would have never guessed

I’ve got a few thoughts on how it occurred. This is an lps tank, I’d say the overall flow is low-moderate. The larger brains on the bottom receive a lot of food and surely there are a lot of leftovers that don’t get blown off.

I believe the amphipods first realized there was food, started to get onto the polyps to steal morsels. Then the corals started getting agitated, potentially recessing a little.

From that point on, it was just a vicious cycle where the coral would recess from the agitation, then the amphipods would eat that tissue.

I saw an amphipod climb into my lobos mouth and steal a whole 1mm pellet one time!

I feel like as long as there is some form of competition then they’ll be great in your tank. If left undisturbed, and with enough food, they’ll populate to pretty insane levels.

 

[Crabby48]

I’ve got a few thoughts on how it occurred. This is an lps tank, I’d say the overall flow is low-moderate. The larger brains on the bottom receive a lot of food and surely there are a lot of leftovers that don’t get blown off.

I believe the amphipods first realized there was food, started to get onto the polyps to steal morsels. Then the corals started getting agitated, potentially recessing a little.

From that point on, it was just a vicious cycle where the coral would recess from the agitation, then the amphipods would eat that tissue.

I saw an amphipod climb into my lobos mouth and steal a whole 1mm pellet one time!

I feel like as long as there is some form of competition then they’ll be great in your tank. If left undisturbed, and with enough food, they’ll populate to pretty insane levels.

I feed my tank very heavy frozen food but have a lot of flow. Some LPS get hammered but seem to be ok with it. I have a fuge that is where my amphioods have been the biggest problem taking over the pods. They also seem to love my gsp rocks close to the zoas. Yes I have little gsp.

Now that I think about it the wrasse hang out all day by the zoa’s and gsp picking.

Next holiday all my reef friends will be getting my extra amphiboles and aip

 

[living_tribunal]

I feed my tank very heavy frozen food but have a lot of flow. Some LPS get hammered but seem to be ok with it. I have a fuge that is where my amphioods have been the biggest problem taking over the pods. They also seem to love my gsp rocks close to the zoas. Yes I have little gsp.

Now that I think about it the wrasse hang out all day by the zoa’s and gsp picking.

Next holiday all my reef friends will be getting my extra amphiboles and aip

I guarantee you that’s what he was doing.

It’s like mid day for my tank right now, and these guys have remained pretty hidden compared to the last few weeks after adding the wrasse

Even so, I always have a dozen or so visible amphipods in my direct line of sight anywhere I look in the tank. They’re gnarly.

When I stare closer at the sand and rocks there are 5x as many tiny baby amphipods as the larger visible ones you see in the pictures.

 

[Crabby48]

I guarantee you that’s what he was doing.

It’s like mid day for my tank right now, and these guys have remained pretty hidden compared to the last few weeks after adding the wrasse

Even so, I always have a dozen or so visible amphipods in my direct line of sight anywhere I look in the tank. They’re gnarly.

When I stare closer at the sand and rocks there are 5x as many tiny baby amphipods as the larger visible ones you see in the pictures.

Ipsf amphipods the gift that keeps giving.
I may start using filter socks so I collect them. Between filter sock and macro removal it may be the edge I need

 

[living_tribunal]

Ipsf amphipods the gift that keeps giving.
I may start using filter socks so I collect them. Between filter sock and macro removal it may be the edge I need

Man! When I dump out my filter sock and shake it into my sump, I must have about 40 amphipods that come out and swim into my rocks. It’s insane. I feel like they enjoy it in there because of all the food and what not. It’s insane.

 

[Crabby48]

Man! When I dump out my filter sock and shake it into my sump, I must have about 40 amphipods that come out and swim into my rocks. It’s insane. I feel like they enjoy it in there because of all the food and what not. It’s insane.

I just let my food go to the fuge. Removed a PBT that got big for the display and now struggle keeping NO3 up. I am basically over feeding just to keep NO3 up. That is the reason I stopped filter socks and probably why I have so many pods lately.
I’m think of trying another Melanurus but when you need a fish out that doesn’t eat nonlive food it makes you stop and think is it worth it

 

[living_tribunal]

I just let my food go to the fuge. Removed a PBT that got big for the display and now struggle keeping NO3 up. I am basically over feeding just to keep NO3 up. That is the reason I stopped filter socks and probably why I have so many pods lately.
I’m think of trying another Melanurus but when you need a fish out that doesn’t eat nonlive food it makes you stop and think is it worth it

Read this before you continue to increase your nitrate: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5441187/

 

[Sashaka]

Hard to say if a McKoskers and a Haliocheres sp. will get along without knowing your tank dimensions. Any fish will fight if they are too cramped/stressed.

I have a McKoskers with 2 Haliocheres and a fairy wrasse all in a 180 gal without issues. The Haliocheres sp. both pick 'pods, the fairy and flasher do not.

+1

 

[Crabby48]

Read this before you continue to increase your nitrate: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5441187/

Thanks. I’ll have to finish reading later. I don’t keep high nutrients but few corals don’t do well when po4 gets below .06 so I try and keep my no3 up a little so I don’t have a huge unbalance. When I kept very low po4 no3 many lps suffered.

 

[living_tribunal]

Thanks. I’ll have to finish reading later. I don’t keep high nutrients but few corals don’t do well when po4 gets below .06 so I try and keep my no3 up a little so I don’t have a huge unbalance. When I kept very low po4 no3 many lps suffered.

If you read on it from scientists who aren’t in reefing, apparently phosphates are a huge part to coral growth and nitrates can quickly become a coral killer as it both depletes phosphates and also disrupts the symbiotic relationship where corals pass nitrate to the zooxanthelle and the zooxanthelle in turn passes the coral nitrates.

I have been number chasing a bit to keep my nitrate to phosphate below 10x. The ocean has an N/P of 4.5x.

Another study I read tested coral growth at various phosphate levels. Coral growth and polyp extension was the highest at the largest phosphate level of .5.

I’ve complete changed the way how I feel about phosphates since digging deeper. They are so incredibly important to coral growth and health.

 

[Crabby48]

If you read on it from scientists who aren’t in reefing, apparently phosphates are a huge part to coral growth and nitrates can quickly become a coral killer as it both depletes phosphates and also disrupts the symbiotic relationship where corals pass nitrate to the zooxanthelle and the zooxanthelle in turn passes the coral nitrates.

I have been number chasing a bit to keep my nitrate to phosphate below 10x. The ocean has an N/P of 4.5x.

Another study I read tested coral growth at various phosphate levels. Coral growth and polyp extension was the highest at the largest phosphate level of .5.

I’ve complete changed the way how I feel about phosphates since digging deeper. They are so incredibly important to coral growth and health.

As soon as you think your doing good something like this ruins your thoughts. Lol.
Thanks for so much info tonight.

 

[living_tribunal]

As soon as you think your doing good something like this ruins your thoughts. Lol.
Thanks for so much info tonight.

You’ve helped me too many times to count, about time I paid you a favor!

 

[living_tribunal]

I'm not sure. I usually go by Live Aquaria's recommended tank sizes. I think an H. Chrysis (yellow) wrasse would work. I had my H. Melanarus in a 75 gal with my fairy and flasher and they did ok, but the melanarus seemed big for the tank. I don't think he would have done well in a smaller tank. I didn't have the yellow wrasse at that time.

Is this the wrasse you’re referring to?

 

[living_tribunal]

Is this the wrasse you’re referring to?

Never mind, I see the yellow wrasse you’re referring to. It seems like this is the only reliable fish to consume a consistent amount of amphipods. Would you agree with that?

 

[living_tribunal]

@Crabby48 about 4 days worth of the sock pods

 

[Crabby48]

@Crabby48 about 4 days worth of the sock pods

That’s is crazy. I will have to put socks in later and see how many I catch. I don’t think it will be that many.

 

[living_tribunal]

That’s is crazy. I will have to put socks in later and see how many I catch. I don’t think it will be that many.

You run sock less?

 

[nereefpat]

Never mind, I see the yellow wrasse you’re referring to. It seems like this is the only reliable fish to consume a consistent amount of amphipods. Would you agree with that?

Any in that genus will go crazy for amphipods. Some fish in that group get big, though. Check with us first.

Good ones are H. chrysus, leucoxanthus, biocellatus

 

[living_tribunal]

Any in that genus will go crazy for amphipods. Some fish in that group get big, though. Check with us first.

Good ones are H. chrysus, leucoxanthus, biocellatus

I went with the H. Chrysus, aside from their relatively peaceful temperament and amphipod prowess, it seems like they have excellent utility in the tank. Seems like a great fish to have in general for multiple reasons. I have a 65G, do you think that’s fine for him?

 

[Crabby48]

You run sock less?

Yes I do. I run pinky filter before my return pump to catch loose macro algae that escapes the fuge. I only use filter socks when I clean my sand bed.