What is this?

kchristensen8064 · Mar 23, 2013

So I have what I believe is cyno growing on my Birdsnest. I clean it off and within hours it's covered again. It has pretty much killed my Birdsnest at this point. Can anyone confirm that it is cyno and how can I keep it from covering my sps and killing them. The rest of the tank has very little problems with it so I don't understand why it keeps coming back on my poor Birdsnest corals.

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fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

So I assume you do not have a emerald crab? If I'm not mistaken one of them would make short work of this problem.

My first attempt to any problem is to try to figure out what the natural solve is. Then make a change towards that as near as is reasonable thus building a long term fix in the eco system.

kchristensen8064 · Mar 23, 2013

No I don't have one. So an emerald crab would take care of this? Just curious if a strawberry crab would too? In your opinion is it cyno?

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fragmatic · Mar 23, 2013

I'm not sure if is cyro or a maybe a similar growth. I have a couple of emerald crabs and I only get a quick peek of such things and they vanish over night, so that is what I have to offer. I'm a bit afraid not to have at least one in my 90 display. I have no clue whatever on the strawberry. ... but now I'll have to google one up....LOL

EDIT: I on the fence with the strawberry.. they aren't always reef safe...

kchristensen8064 · Mar 23, 2013

Thank you for your help. I just spent all day transferring everything from my 30 gal into my 70. It's been running for 3.5 months now and has had fish for about half that so pretty sure it is ready. I'm hoping this system is a much better setup so maybe it will prevent it from coming back. I will probably get an emerald crab anyway though, just in case. There kinda cool.

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OurReef · Mar 23, 2013

72 hours of complete dark. That isn't cyno it looks like something much worse, http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned

This is what I had to do, it's no joke.

bline6476 · Mar 23, 2013

Okay so I'm scared... Are strawberry crabs not to be trusted in reef tanks? I just put a male and a female in my reef tank,,,,,,,

kchristensen8064 · Mar 24, 2013

I've read that their reef safe. I've never had one but have wanted one.

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kchristensen8064 · Mar 24, 2013

OurReef said:
72 hours of complete dark. That isn't cyno it looks like something much worse, http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned

This is what I had to do, it's no joke.

It's been in the tank for months and it's only really appeared on the Birdsnest? I haven't seen it on the rocks or anywhere else.

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kchristensen8064 · Mar 24, 2013

bline6476 said:
Okay so I'm scared... Are strawberry crabs not to be trusted in reef tanks? I just put a male and a female in my reef tank,,,,,,,

Sounds to me like there safer than emerald crabs...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+1907&pcatid=1907
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OurReef · Mar 24, 2013

You say that you can brush it off and within hours it's back? If so I'm 99% positive that its the Dino crap. I lost a Hawkins echinata, several chalices and almost lost several other acros. Mine popped up after a red bug treatment (mass die off lots of nutrients). It's actually eating the birds nest as it kills it. I guess just be careful and be ready.

Looking back at the picture I'll say 100% positive. Your corals will be fine for 3 days without light. Clams, anemones, everything handled it all just fine with little to no color loss. I'm not going to say it will take over the tank but it is possible. If you decide to follow the advice from the link, follow through with the full treatment.

Side note, that strawberry crab looks more the predator when compared to an emerald. Never had an emerald kill anything in my tank, I have plenty of little fish it could over power.

kchristensen8064 · Mar 24, 2013

Thank you for your advice, I'll keep a close eye on it. I just took the birdsnest out of that tank today. I cleaned all that junk off of it then put it in my new tank, the new setup didn't keep hardly anything from the other. Its a much better setup so hopefully I won't see it again but if I do I at least know what I can do. I put what I did on the strawberry crab because when reading about the emerald crabs it gives a warning that they will eat your corals if not well fed and the strawberry didn't have that warning, at least on liveaquaria's description. I personally don't have any experience with either but am wanting one of the two? I just don't want trouble with whatever one I go with.

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OurReef · Mar 24, 2013

Lol, your always going to have the odd ball with any species, we had a blue striped rabbit fish that decided he like the tips of one of my acros at one point.

I have had emerald crabs for years with no issues, currently I have just one in my 180, but now that I think about I have seen it take bites out of my sps every once in a while. How ever I don't feel that it is targeting them, more along the lines of that just happens to be where it grabbed at the time. I have no experience with the strawberry crab but a google search showed several forums with them eating fish. Good thing is if it does become a problem a crab trap should catch it fairly easy.

And good luck with the booger sauce,

kchristensen8064 · Mar 24, 2013

Thanks for all the help, I'll just have to do some reading on the crab thing and 16 hours later since moving the birdsnest into the new tank and still no booger junk on it so I'm hopeful that I won't have any more issues.

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