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-   -   Something is eating my coralline algae! (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=89486)

fresh 09-06-2012 05:06 PM
Something is eating my coralline algae!
 
I don't know what it is, but my coralline algae is being eaten by something in the tank. I do not have any urchins.

I started noticing that it was small random trails just like a snail's trail of disappearing coralline algae on the back wall. Now I notice that some rocks are also missing small patches. The trail is very thin (1 mm or less).

I do have MANY small white snails (less than 1 mm round) which I don't know what they are called. Could they be the culprit? I also have one small chiton (or what looks like a chiton) that is only 0.5 cm long. The chiton I have had for a long time and hasn't grown at all.

What is eating my coralline and how can I stop it? If you can help with your experience, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

Proteus 09-06-2012 05:15 PM
Got a urchin?

Also red that emerald crabs will eat it to

Mandosh 09-06-2012 05:18 PM
Chitons do actively eat coraline. The only way I see of stopping your coraline from being eaten, is by removing whatever is eating it. I'd start with the chiton.

noirsphynx 09-06-2012 05:24 PM
Any asterina star fish? I had some in one of my tanks that were eating the coraline.

reefwars 09-06-2012 05:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandosh (Post 743465)
Chitons do actively eat coraline. The only way I see of stopping your coraline from being eaten, is by removing whatever is eating it. I'd start with the chiton.

its the chitons for sure i have about 50 of them they breed easily , im not sure eating your coraline is a bad thing is it??

i know im glad they eat mine , less to scrape and clean lol :P

anytime i find one in my 90 i add it to my bonsai tank , i find them beneficial and since i cant see rock anyways its awesome:P

fresh 09-06-2012 05:44 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus99 (Post 743463)
Got a urchin?

Also red that emerald crabs will eat it to
No urchins as the post states, and I don't have any crabs (not even hermits).

Quote:
Originally Posted by noirsphynx (Post 743467)
Any asterina star fish? I had some in one of my tanks that were eating the coraline.
Come to think of it, I have many of those! Could they be the culprit? How to get rid of them, and should I?

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefwars (Post 743470)
its the chitons for sure i have about 50 of them they breed easily , im not sure eating your coraline is a bad thing is it??
It is when you do see rocks :) I am not as lucky as you where my rocks are hidden by my corals (at least not yet) :)

So then based on this, it could be the single chiton I have, or the asterina starfish. It might be the starfish as I have started to notice their population going up recently.

I don't want to remove something beneficial that doesn't need to be removed. And now after what reefwars said, I am even leaning towards leaving whatever is eating the coralline alone.

I am not too worried about it, but I like the coralline look and just thought to mention it to get some thoughts from the experts.

reefwars 09-06-2012 05:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fresh (Post 743474)
No urchins as the post states, and I don't have any crabs (not even hermits).



Come to think of it, I have many of those! Could they be the culprit? How to get rid of them, and should I?



It is when you do see rocks :) I am not as lucky as you where my rocks are hidden by my corals (at least not yet) :)

So then based on this, it could be the single chiton I have, or the asterina starfish. It might be the starfish as I have started to notice their population going up recently.

I don't want to remove something beneficial that doesn't need to be removed. And now after what reefwars said, I am even leaning towards leaving whatever is eating the coralline alone.

I am not too worried about it, but I like the coralline look and just thought to mention it to get some thoughts from the experts.

the coraline will out grow the chitons easily its just a matter of time;)

MKLKT 09-06-2012 06:05 PM
Odds are that whatever is eating it is also "returning" it to the tank and spreading coralline even more.

fresh 09-06-2012 06:24 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefwars (Post 743476)
the coraline will out grow the chitons easily its just a matter of time;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MKLKT (Post 743478)
Odds are that whatever is eating it is also "returning" it to the tank and spreading coralline even more.
I must say that my coralline has been growing in the last year or so, so you both are probably correct.

Ok, nothing to remove here, and I will leave what ever is eating (I mean spreading) coralline to continue doing whatever they are doing ;) lol

noirsphynx 09-06-2012 06:26 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fresh (Post 743474)
Come to think of it, I have many of those! Could they be the culprit? How to get rid of them, and should I?
I hate the little buggers! Once they're in your system good luck getting them all out :neutral: Some turn in to coral munchers. They're not all destructive but now I don't take any chances. Harlequin shrimp will sometimes eat them.

reefwars 09-06-2012 06:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirsphynx (Post 743481)
I hate the little buggers! Once they're in your system good luck getting them all out :neutral: Some turn in to coral munchers. They're not all destructive but now I don't take any chances. Harlequin shrimp will sometimes eat them.

mine love them , i have no more to feed them lol

fresh 09-06-2012 06:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirsphynx (Post 743481)
I hate the little buggers! Once they're in your system good luck getting them all out :neutral: Some turn in to coral munchers. They're not all destructive but now I don't take any chances. Harlequin shrimp will sometimes eat them.
On WetWebMedia, they are listed as good and beneficial as they eat algae and decaying matter, and never advised against them.

reefwars 09-06-2012 06:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fresh (Post 743489)
On WetWebMedia, they are listed as good and beneficial as they eat algae and decaying matter, and never advised against them.

decaying matter as in when something is dying or on its way out the asterina's finish the job.

if a polyp is ripped from fragging the asterina's are on it , same if theyre starting to melt, they go after the easy meals.

i dont keep them, i find them a pest, theres alot better cleaners then stars:)


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