Pods Eating SPS

[tymo92]

I've always been skeptical of this, never having experienced issues with amphipods in 10+ years of reefing. For the last few months though I've been losing coral and can't chalk it up to anything else.

Tank is 8 months old, no pod-eating fish, and at night the rock, coral, sandbed is covered with amphipods/munnid isopods. A few months ago I had a favia lose tissue from the edges, then similar issue with Acans and chalices. Amphipods/isopods were visible at the receding edges eating but I assumed, as most people would claim, that they were only eating unhealthy/dying flesh. Corals moved from rock/sand to the frag rack seemed to recover or at least not get much worse.

A week ago I received some SPS frags, put them on the frag rack, no issues, good PE. Yesterday mounted them to the rock, again no issues, showed PE immediately. This morning I wake up to half of one Acro bleached/receded, the base of another losing flesh, and a Stylocoeniella looking stressed at its encrusted base (pics below).

Params:
NO3: 3ppm
PO4: .01ppm
Alk: 7.7
Calc: 430
Mg: 1340
SG: 1.025

I got an ICP test a month ago thinking there might be a trace element deficiency or heavy metal. Iodine a bit low but other than that fine.

Can anyone think of another explanation for this and if not, what are my options here? Getting a predatory wrasse is first on my priorities but they've been tough to find during covid.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I wouldn’t say that’s it but I have for sure had pods irritate my acros and I swear there were tiny marks like bites around the irritated faded areas. I had so many giant pods they were a huge nuisance. I am one to believe they will eat corals if there are enough of them that they don’t all get enough food. I think once the corals health is compromised is when they take advantage of it. I have also seen light blue shaded asterina stars eat corals, same concept I believe happens with them. Very hard to find proof of the pods doing this because they are so small and fast, all I ever saw was areas where tiny bites were scattered near unhealthy fading flesh. But there was an obvious distinction between the two and I have not seen any other acro pests make bites that looked like that. Except maybe acro eating nudi but never had those in any of my tanks. Just seen them come in on an a coral from an Aussie shipment years back.
This is why I baste my corals often. It keeps any detritus away from corals and these large pods build their homes in detritus debre and I always found it wedged in areas in the corals crevices that had these wierd issues. I baste all my rocks and corals at least weekly now and it really helps their health I feel. Plus I can see flat worms fly off corals when I baste them and know what to look for. So if I ever get aefw again I will notice them when I baste the corals.
I started a thread a while back when I was having issues with too many huge pods, I forget what the title of the thread was though.

 

[tymo92]

I wouldn’t say that’s it but I have for sure had pods irritate my acros and I swear there were tiny marks like bites around the irritated faded areas. I had so many giant pods they were a huge nuisance. I am one to believe they will eat corals if there are enough of them that they don’t all get enough food. I think once the corals health is compromised is when they take advantage of it. I have also seen light blue shaded asterina stars eat corals, same concept I believe happens with them. Very hard to find proof of the pods doing this because they are so small and fast, all I ever saw was areas where tiny bites were scattered near unhealthy fading flesh. But there was an obvious distinction between the two and I have not seen any other acro pests make bites that looked like that. Except maybe acro eating nudi but never had those in any of my tanks. Just seen them come in on an a coral from an Aussie shipment years back.
This is why I baste my corals often. It keeps any detritus away from corals and these large pods build their homes in detritus debre and I always found it wedged in areas in the corals crevices that had these wierd issues. I baste all my rocks and corals at least weekly now and it really helps their health I feel. Plus I can see flat worms fly off corals when I baste them and know what to look for. So if I ever get aefw again I will notice them when I baste the corals.
I started a thread a while back when I was having issues with too many huge pods, I forget what the title of the thread was though.

Thanks for the input. For months I assumed it wasn't the pods, or at least the corals were irritated/unhealthy and the pods were just eating slime but this recession overnight immediately after moving to the rocks has me questioning what else it could possibly be.

To your point about tiny bite marks around acros, I have been seeing patchy areas of white discoloration around the base of a larger colony.

I've ruled out AEFW, have dipped and seen no sign of them, also it isn't just acros being effected.

 

[Rrwilson1223]

I had an issue back when my tank went fallow for a couple of months. The amphipod population exploded due to the lack of predators. There wasn’t enough food/nutrients in the tank and the amphipod started getting desperate. There were carpets of them and they even came out during the day. Suddenly, any soft tissue on corals like acans started receding. Even watched as several pods sat on the edge of the coral and ate it... I have not seen the same issue since fish returned.

 

[tymo92]

I had an issue back when my tank went fallow for a couple of months. The amphipod population exploded due to the lack of predators. There wasn’t enough food/nutrients in the tank and the amphipod started getting desperate. There were carpets of them and they even came out during the day. Suddenly, any soft tissue on corals like acans started receding. Even watched as several pods sat on the edge of the coral and ate it... I have not seen the same issue since fish returned.

Did you have any predator fish like wrasses that brought the population down after the tank was fallow? I have a pair of clowns, pair of gobies, tang, and flasher wrasse but none of those will touch pods unless they are already in the water column.

 

[Fishurama]

Did you have any predator fish like wrasses that brought the population down after the tank was fallow? I have a pair of clowns, pair of gobies, tang, and flasher wrasse but none of those will touch pods unless they are already in the water column.

Get a melanurus wrasse or any of the Halichoeres gene. They also eat other pests and are a great addition to have if you have sand and not a bare bottom. Had the same issue with pods eating my zoas. I was running a predator tank and switched to reef and had too many. Wrasse picked them apart.
Dragonets also work well. I have a pair in my 120.

To anyone who thinks this isn't possible, other then the many threads on the forums, here is a video from someone else on this forum who went through them eating their zoas too. These guys do and can eat soft tissue.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I had to get a few large wrasse because the pods are so big that’s the only thing that could eat them.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Get a melanurus wrasse or any of the Halichoeres gene. They also eat other pests and are a great addition to have if you have sand and not a bare bottom. Had the same issue with pods eating my zoas. I was running a predator tank and switched to reef and had too many. Wrasse picked them apart.
Dragonets also work well. I have a pair in my 120.

To anyone who thinks this isn't possible, other then the many threads on the forums, here is a video from someone else on this forum who went through them eating their zoas too. These guys do and can eat soft tissue.

That has to be one of the coolest and creepiest videos I’ve ever seen

 

[Hincapiej4]

dang, time for Mandarins!

 

[Rrwilson1223]

Did you have any predator fish like wrasses that brought the population down after the tank was fallow? I have a pair of clowns, pair of gobies, tang, and flasher wrasse but none of those will touch pods unless they are already in the water column.

Once my fallow period was over, I added a couple of Moyer’s Leopard Wrasses. It took a couple of weeks, but they decimated the population in my 160 gallon display. I assume they did the brunt of the work as their bellies were always plump.

 

[Luke 75 Gallon]

I do not trust amphipods!! I’ve tried getting information on this before. Most say they won’t do anything to corals unless your tank has something wrong with it. But after hearing yours was also in the one year mark it could explain it too. The amphipods didn’t have a predator and over the years I’ve had tanks with no predators and eventually you’ll see waves of amphipods dying off and coming back. But this time I watched them eat my coral at night despite having stable parameters. They look way bigger than most pods I’ve ever seen and they start at the bottom. I’ve had them do it to my sps before too. I got a 6 line. No problems sense then. Regular pods I think are great but amphipods are evil.

 

[Luke 75 Gallon]

I also got a coral banded shrimp that took care of them at night, that was actually when I saw the biggest difference!

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

Get a melanurus wrasse or any of the Halichoeres gene. They also eat other pests and are a great addition to have if you have sand and not a bare bottom. Had the same issue with pods eating my zoas. I was running a predator tank and switched to reef and had too many. Wrasse picked them apart.
Dragonets also work well. I have a pair in my 120.

To anyone who thinks this isn't possible, other then the many threads on the forums, here is a video from someone else on this forum who went through them eating their zoas too. These guys do and can eat soft tissue.

Very late dead post but I think I agree…I’ve had lps coral mainly for over a year….in about a months time coral started dying and FAST all coral my zoa garden completely wouldn’t open my hammer I had for a year dead in a few nights …I noticed nighttime was when my corals got attacked because the next morning you can tell….I just caught some big isopods and I do believe after I stopped feeding heavily ( had to feed heavy to get my hippo over the ich phase) now the last 2 remaining corals are my zoa garden is finally opening after 2 months and my green polyps just opened yesterday ….I have a fat corris yellow wrasse he’s huge and I don’t feed much ….idk what’s going on but I believe these guys are the reason I lost 2g in coral

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

Just doesn't make sense my pe was fine there’s no other explanation

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

I do not trust amphipods!! I’ve tried getting information on this before. Most say they won’t do anything to corals unless your tank has something wrong with it. But after hearing yours was also in the one year mark it could explain it too. The amphipods didn’t have a predator and over the years I’ve had tanks with no predators and eventually you’ll see waves of amphipods dying off and coming back. But this time I watched them eat my coral at night despite having stable parameters. They look way bigger than most pods I’ve ever seen and they start at the bottom. I’ve had them do it to my sps before too. I got a 6 line. No problems sense then. Regular pods I think are great but amphipods are evil.

I agree with this now ! Now I’m gonna find every one and kill it!! I believe if they don’t have a great food source they will eat coral and I been in this hobby for 7 years not as long as some of you but I thought these guys were fine until now

 

[Lavey29]

Interesting conversation, I have a ton of pods and pod eating fish but have seen amphipods running through my corals and have had a few pieces lose heads without explanation. I figured something was eating them but did not suspect pods.

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

Interesting conversation, I have a ton of pods and pod eating fish but have seen amphipods running through my corals and have had a few pieces lose heads without explanation. I figured something was eating them but did not suspect pods.

Everyone except people on this forum seems to agree I posted this somewhere else everyone was like NO WAY impossible ….uhmmmm nooo I think now it’s very possible I believe (no proof) that if a low food supply maybe they have no choice but to attack corals ?

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

Interesting conversation, I have a ton of pods and pod eating fish but have seen amphipods running through my corals and have had a few pieces lose heads without explanation. I figured something was eating them but did not suspect pods.

Copepods I have maybe a thousand I never see them near my coral they’re always seen on my glass at night but these isopods as soon as they see light they jet they’re extremely fast

 

[tymo92]

still dealing with this issue… I now have a leopard wrasse AND a mandarin and no real change. I suspected bacterial infection for a while, but aquabiomics test didn’t come up with any coral pathogens. I’m stumped.

worth noting I don’t have any amphipods, and its munnid isopods that I see on my corals.

 

[frizzayyyyreef]

still dealing with this issue… I now have a leopard wrasse AND a mandarin and no real change. I suspected bacterial infection for a while, but aquabiomics test didn’t come up with any coral pathogens. I’m stumped.

worth noting I don’t have any amphipods, and its munnid isopods that I see on my corals.

Like this or no