Somethings eating my coralline algae?

DmMax7 · 08/21/2008, 12:57 PM

I'm attaching two photos - one is the picture of the smalls circles of the coralline algae being eaten away and the other is who I think may be the culprit?questionable??
Someone with a little more experience please give me their opinion whether they have seen coralline algae disappear like this and what this little guy is in the photo and whether he is dangerous to my setup.
Thanks for any advice

widmer · 08/21/2008, 01:04 PM

I was really interested in keeping those cute little 1/2 inch long asterina stars which normally come in tanks as hitchhikers, until I read that they eat coralline. Could be those...

Flightpipe · 08/21/2008, 01:04 PM

I don't believe that bristle worms eat coralline algae. What are your water params?

DmMax7 · 08/21/2008, 01:07 PM

1.023
8.3
calcium 400
nitrates nearly zero

DamnPepShrimp · 08/21/2008, 01:13 PM

Urchins eat coralline. I've never heard of asterina starfish eating coralline? I know there are some bad ones that eat corals though, I think they are the blue ones. The white ones are reef safe.

flashyleopard · 08/21/2008, 01:38 PM

What fish do you have in there? An urchin would leave tracks of grazeing. I would guess a star would to. I suppose certain snails may slide along, eat, slide along, eat, and cause those marks, but it looks more like a fish with scraping mouth parts is nipping the algae from the rock.

matthewscars · 08/21/2008, 01:43 PM

Urchins also knock everything down and eat coral (LSU and Pencil)

DmMax7 · 08/21/2008, 01:46 PM

I have no fish and the few turbo snails I have stay on the glass

bues0022 · 08/21/2008, 01:53 PM

is 8.3 your ph or alk? I had problems of low alk recently, and that's the pattern my coraline bleached in. You could also up your salinity a bit (is this reef or fowler?). reef should be 1.025-1.026 for proper health. Your picture is a bristleworm - reef safe and a good detrivore. If they reach plauge proportions they can be become bad, but they're eas to thin out.

reeftreasure · 08/21/2008, 01:56 PM

How about an emerald crab, do you have any of these? Could be a hitch hiker crab of some sort.
If i didn't add calk to my tank I would have the same issue. These little guys are pretty good at scrapping coralline off my live rock in search of algae.
Bristle worms wouldn't be doing this....to the best of my knowledge.

flyyyguy · 08/21/2008, 02:09 PM

Get a second opinion/test on your alk and calcium

it doesnt appear to me like its being eaten....its dying

easily fixed and will come back quick when you get it back in check

reeftreasure · 08/21/2008, 02:17 PM

When I first tarted this hobby I had some coralline die off due to lack of calc/alk but the coralline on my live rock looked as if it were peeling off shedding it's skin in some fashion, of course correcting the calc fixed this.
Does you coralline seem as if it's flaking off like after a severe sunburn?
The pictures to me look like the coralline is being gouged out?

DmMax7 · 08/21/2008, 02:18 PM

No crabs its a rather new tank - I do need to up my salinity a little but I don't think that is the problem. 8.3 is the pH. Thanks for the id on the bristleworm that eliminates that. I'll keep yall updated if I find anything else. Thanks for the replies any
ideas are appreciated.

footbagger311 · 08/21/2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by matthewscars
Urchins also knock everything down and eat coral (LSU and Pencil)

Is your quote from The Twilight Zone?

08/21/2008, 12:57 PM	#1
DmMax7 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 4	Somethings eating my coralline algae? I'm attaching two photos - one is the picture of the smalls circles of the coralline algae being eaten away and the other is who I think may be the culprit?questionable?? Someone with a little more experience please give me their opinion whether they have seen coralline algae disappear like this and what this little guy is in the photo and whether he is dangerous to my setup. Thanks for any advice

08/21/2008, 01:04 PM	#3
Flightpipe Sea Turtles Love Me...... Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pensacola, FL. Posts: 745	I don't believe that bristle worms eat coralline algae. What are your water params? __________________ "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." Current Tank Info: 29 BC Reef

08/21/2008, 01:38 PM	#6
flashyleopard Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Central Pa Posts: 253	What fish do you have in there? An urchin would leave tracks of grazeing. I would guess a star would to. I suppose certain snails may slide along, eat, slide along, eat, and cause those marks, but it looks more like a fish with scraping mouth parts is nipping the algae from the rock. __________________ Never have I been a blue calm sea, but I have always been a storm. -Stevie Nicks- Current Tank Info: gearing up for a 150g mixed reef

08/21/2008, 01:43 PM	#7
matthewscars Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Astoria, NY Posts: 657	Urchins also knock everything down and eat coral (LSU and Pencil) __________________ A plane passed silently overhead, the streetlights, and the buds on the trees and the night, were still. Current Tank Info: 90g Reef/35g Sump with Foam Rock Wall. 10g Propagation Reef. 55g Goldfish Tank.

08/21/2008, 02:09 PM	#11
flyyyguy King of the white corals Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,239	Get a second opinion/test on your alk and calcium it doesnt appear to me like its being eaten....its dying easily fixed and will come back quick when you get it back in check __________________ I like holding hands, snuggling, and long walks on the beach

08/21/2008, 01:04 PM	#2
widmer Drug Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 2,958	I was really interested in keeping those cute little 1/2 inch long asterina stars which normally come in tanks as hitchhikers, until I read that they eat coralline. Could be those...

08/21/2008, 01:07 PM	#4
DmMax7 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 4	1.023 8.3 calcium 400 nitrates nearly zero

08/21/2008, 01:13 PM	#5
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Urchins eat coralline. I've never heard of asterina starfish eating coralline? I know there are some bad ones that eat corals though, I think they are the blue ones. The white ones are reef safe.

08/21/2008, 01:46 PM	#8
DmMax7 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 4	I have no fish and the few turbo snails I have stay on the glass

08/21/2008, 01:53 PM	#9
bues0022 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,230	is 8.3 your ph or alk? I had problems of low alk recently, and that's the pattern my coraline bleached in. You could also up your salinity a bit (is this reef or fowler?). reef should be 1.025-1.026 for proper health. Your picture is a bristleworm - reef safe and a good detrivore. If they reach plauge proportions they can be become bad, but they're eas to thin out.

08/21/2008, 01:56 PM	#10
reeftreasure Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Algonquin, IL Posts: 53	How about an emerald crab, do you have any of these? Could be a hitch hiker crab of some sort. If i didn't add calk to my tank I would have the same issue. These little guys are pretty good at scrapping coralline off my live rock in search of algae. Bristle worms wouldn't be doing this....to the best of my knowledge.

08/21/2008, 02:17 PM	#12
reeftreasure Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Algonquin, IL Posts: 53	When I first tarted this hobby I had some coralline die off due to lack of calc/alk but the coralline on my live rock looked as if it were peeling off shedding it's skin in some fashion, of course correcting the calc fixed this. Does you coralline seem as if it's flaking off like after a severe sunburn? The pictures to me look like the coralline is being gouged out?

08/21/2008, 02:18 PM	#13
DmMax7 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 4	No crabs its a rather new tank - I do need to up my salinity a little but I don't think that is the problem. 8.3 is the pH. Thanks for the id on the bristleworm that eliminates that. I'll keep yall updated if I find anything else. Thanks for the replies any ideas are appreciated.