Perculas In Plate coral

[Brian1f1]

Well, my Picasso’s have never shown interest in a coral in a year, but suddenly yesterday my female started going hard on my LTP. At first it seemed maybe ok, but today it was shriveled up, and I decided to move it across the tank in the hopes she’d forget about, when I did I saw she nipped off at least two tips......

I’m surprised she is so rough... Ugh. Anyone have any tips on getting her to leave it be? I’m hoping moving it will do the trick... Otherwise I guess I’ll need to pull her.

 

[DeniseAndy]

She is trying to get it to host. Those long tentacles are just too tempting. They do pick at there anemones too. They clean them. I just think the plate may not appreciate it as much as the nems do. So sorry. Female clowns are pig headed and unlikely to change or forget. Good luck!

 

[Reeferdood]

Clowns are funny sometimes, mine has taken a liking to acans, duncans, finger leathers, and a torch.. I would guess in time it might take to something else... Do you have an anemone in the tank now?

 

[Brian1f1]

No... but get this, I moved it a half hour ago and put a torch in its place (swapped them).

Demon.

 

[Reeferdood]

That’s funny...[emoji51]

 

[Brian1f1]

Here, host this please (you probably can’t kill it, anyway)! She literally bit tips off the tentacles of my LTP [emoji35]... hope it doesn’t die from that... ugh

 

[cloak]

Just out of curiosity do you target feed that coral on a regular basis? If so, maybe the Clownfish have made the connection between food and a happy home? It can get a little rough sometimes. Hmm...

 

[KrisReef]

My short tentacle did very well when a clown moved in. The plate suffered for months after I moved the clownfish. I wish I had left them both alone. My plate has recovered, the clown got into a battle in the new tank and lost.

 

[Brian1f1]

LTP are far more delicate than short, I’m afraid.

Yes I target feed it... but I target feed all my coral bc I’m a neurotic obsessive.... ha (sort of ha...)

Anyway, this is fun, fits with my day (and week). How are your nights going?

 

[Brian1f1]

I literally just watched it swim up to my gold torch, suck a tentacle into its mouth, bite it clean off, spit it out, and swim away