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Reef safe, Maybe

post #1 of 15
1/6/12 at 9:52am
Thread Starter 

Many a reef keeper has had the misfortune of introducing a coral into their tanks only to be greeted with the dreaded rapid tissue necrosis (RTN). Is it really RTN caused by bacteria or could it be something else. And could that something else be one of our “reef safe fish”? Allow me to convey my resent experience. My LFS ran a sale of 25% off all corals. How can a hobbyist resist that? So I picked up a small challis. I introduced the coral and returned after a few minutes to observe multiple white areas on the coral. RTN I thought. Off I went to get a vessel to put the coral in to see if I could save it with treatment. When I returned I was greeted with more white areas. Rapid is one thing but this was ridiculous. Then I saw the reason for the loss of flesh on the challis. My Jewel damsel  the supposed reef safe fish was actually eating the flesh of my coral.  I wondered how many other corals I have introduced since placing the damsel in my tank have been subject to the same treatment. Well the damsel had to go using a home make trap of egg create and dumb luck I removed the damsel rather easily. I post this as a lesson to other reefers monitor their reef safe fish if they are losing corals or when introducing a new coral.     Reef safe, maybe not.

Below is a picture I just took 10 days after the removal of the damsel. It is actually coming back very quickly

 

d0024.JPG


Edited by florida joe - 1/6/12 at 10:30am
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post #2 of 15
1/6/12 at 10:15am

Darn damsel can live with cant eat them (too small). I just got some new snails place them on top of algae covered rocks, to come back later to find them all knocked off them. Put them all back, two min later same thing, this went for a while. It was my yellow tail damsel, he would go around a knock each one off. Some dumb animals never learn, so I put them all back up again and went to bed. lol

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post #3 of 15
1/6/12 at 10:44am

Well that just sux. I remember the hassle you had getting that Damsel, and how beautiful it is, last chronicled here:

 

http://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/380333/thank-you-kim

 

Where is the Jewel Damsel now?

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post #4 of 15
1/6/12 at 10:57am

WOW...sorry Joe....I too remember what you went thru ti get that fish

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post #5 of 15
1/6/12 at 10:58am

That stinks!

I know the feeling :-( I had an Ocellaris clownfish that was eating my LPS. I watched her literally rip polyps off my goniopora that I had owned for years. I wanted to kill the little fish!

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post #6 of 15
1/6/12 at 11:13am

WOW Joe I had to take a look at that jewel, because I knew if it was going in your tank it would be stunning and it is. I never saw a jewel like that b4. And now I'm sorry to here that it wasn't getting along with your new coral, Ship her to Chicago I have room.

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post #7 of 15
1/6/12 at 11:28am

glad you found the problem!

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post #8 of 15
1/6/12 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 

gave him to my brother will take a pic of him soon and post it

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice View Post

Well that just sux. I remember the hassle you had getting that Damsel, and how beautiful it is, last chronicled here:

 

http://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/380333/thank-you-kim

 

Where is the Jewel Damsel now?



 

 

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post #9 of 15
1/6/12 at 3:03pm

LOL, I experienced a similar incident last night.  Wednesday by purple Stylopora was looking beautiful when I turned the lights out.  Thursday morning it had a bare spot on it when I turned the lights on in the morning.  Last night before I went to bed, I looked in the tank to see how everything was doing and there were 2 peppermint shrimp on that Stylopora ripping polyps out.  I scared them away but the damage was already done.  It is currently about 75% bare and dead.  I'm hoping it recovers.  I have never experienced something that was "reef safe" do so much damage until last night.

 

 

John 

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post #10 of 15
1/6/12 at 8:30pm

can you say "live fish baite?"

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post #11 of 15
1/7/12 at 6:22am

Is everyone making sure they are feeding their critters enough to keep them from looking for other foods?

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post #12 of 15
1/7/12 at 8:53am

I know I am.

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post #13 of 15
1/7/12 at 11:55am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko View Post

Is everyone making sure they are feeding their critters enough to keep them from looking for other foods?



In my case I don’t think it was a lack of food that caused the damsel to pick at the coral, IMO it looked more like a reaction to something new added to the tank.

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post #14 of 15
1/7/12 at 12:13pm

If anything, I over feed.

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post #15 of 15
1/7/12 at 6:17pm

I'm glad you found the culprit. It bites that it would not cooperate in your system. I am thinking my lemon peel is causing the demise of some SPS in my system. I was ill this past week and when I was finally able to crawl out of bed, I found my blue stag frag with RTN. 

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