Can clownfish kill coral?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Had an elephant ear-type, very large mushroom coral close up over my eating-frzn mysis mandarin goby about 8 years ago. One minute the goby was sitting on the coral, then next the coral was closed over the "stupid" fish, (I thought it was smart enough to swim away), and a few minutes later, when I looked again, the coral was slowly opening up with the goby dead in the middle. Mandarin gobies are poisonous I believe, so the coral didn't "eat" and digest it, but it certainly killed it.

[daniella3d]

What do you mean a few minutes later?? you did not pull the fish out?!!??

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Had an elephant ear-type, very large mushroom coral close up over my eating-frzn mysis mandarin goby about 8 years ago. One minute the goby was sitting on the coral, then next the coral was closed over the "stupid" fish, (I thought it was smart enough to swim away), and a few minutes later, when I looked again, the coral was slowly opening up with the goby dead in the middle. Mandarin gobies are poisonous I believe, so the coral didn't "eat" and digest it, but it certainly killed it.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

What do you mean a few minutes later?? you did not pull the fish out?!!??

I didn't see the fish inside the coral. I thought it was smart enough to swim away when the coral closed up. I just noticed it sitting there. A couple minutes later, saw the coral closed up. A few minutes later saw the coral open up with the dead mandarin sitting on it. I was working on my computer at the time and glancing over sporadically, not sitting right at the tank staring at it.