Amphipods devoured Halymenia durvillei frag

[ClownWrangler]

I have had the worst luck with dragons breath (Halymenia durvillei). My first attempt melted in the mail, then I got a nice frag from someone else and one day I found this in its place. It was in a hang on fry box. There were a couple dwarf ceriths, but I'm fairly certain these amphipods did it. Literally caught them red handed and red inside. There were some bigger ones that were green inside, so they must have been snacking on the caulerpa.



So this brings up an interesting question. How much of a threat are amphipods to a macro tank? What natural predators can be introduced that do well in small tanks? (5 gallon).

 

[taricha]

although, in my experience things like jawfish, cardinals, watchman gobies, and a wide variety of fish really love to eat those, those fish don't really hunt.
For that, I'd go with a wrasse or similar. Something that swims around scouring the tank 24/7 looking for little critters to snack.

 

[WheatToast]

@Tigahboy what have you experienced?

 

[Tigahboy]

I have a ton of amphipods in all of my macroalgae tanks and they seem to go for macroalgae that may be in bad shape like nibbling on areas of the macroalgae that appear to be dying off already, but I haven't seen them munch on healthy pieces. Not to say it's not possible though (maybe I just haven't caught them in the act).

 

[PhilSD211]

I used to like seeing amphipods in my filter socks.. thought they are good for the tank... Now, they are thriving and I have probably hundreds! some are huge! Pretty sure they have eaten a nice purple monster zoa colony, a huge nirvana zoa colony and big blasto colony! =/ They were all very healthy and started to fade for no reason. Confused till I flipped over the frag tile that the nirvanas were on! All different sizes of amphipods scurried away from under there! There must have been like 20+!

Took a flashlight to spot check at night, and they were chilling on the frag tiles. Not seeing them actively eating the zoa but 99% sure they ate them.

I used to intentionally leave gaps under the tiles so pods can thrive... HUGE mistake! Now I'm trying to make sure they have no place to hide but every time I pull a frag out of frag rack, there are a few that scurry away.

I used to have a red coris wrasse that always flipped my stuff over and driving me nuts! Now I know why. Had to sell him as he was getting big fast! Got a melanurus wrasse but it's not doing much. Had a pod flow right by her nose and no response.

I run bare bottom which really limits my choice of predators.

But yeah, while copepods are probably beneficial, amphipods must die!

Getting back to your dragon's breath... I have a ton in my fuge and they are doing well. Never actually seen any pods in them. *shrug*

 

[WheatToast]

I used to like seeing amphipods in my filter socks.. thought they are good for the tank... Now, they are thriving and I have probably hundreds! some are huge! Pretty sure they have eaten a nice purple monster zoa colony, a huge nirvana zoa colony and big blasto colony! =/ They were all very healthy and started to fade for no reason. Confused till I flipped over the frag tile that the nirvanas were on! All different sizes of amphipods scurried away from under there! There must have been like 20+!

Took a flashlight to spot check at night, and they were chilling on the frag tiles. Not seeing them actively eating the zoa but 99% sure they ate them.

I used to intentionally leave gaps under the tiles so pods can thrive... HUGE mistake! Now I'm trying to make sure they have no place to hide but every time I pull a frag out of frag rack, there are a few that scurry away.

I used to have a red coris wrasse that always flipped my stuff over and driving me nuts! Now I know why. Had to sell him as he was getting big fast! Got a melanurus wrasse but it's not doing much. Had a pod flow right by her nose and no response.

I run bare bottom which really limits my choice of predators.

But yeah, while copepods are probably beneficial, amphipods must die!

Getting back to your dragon's breath... I have a ton in my fuge and they are doing well. Never actually seen any pods in them. *shrug*

I have only come across instances of Amphipods eating healthy corals incredibly rarely. Are you sure those corals weren’t weakened to begin with?
I know Sixline wrasses eat Amphipods. Stingrays too, but they do not belong in standard reef tanks.

 

[Duncan62]

I have had the worst luck with dragons breath (Halymenia durvillei). My first attempt melted in the mail, then I got a nice frag from someone else and one day I found this in its place. It was in a hang on fry box. There were a couple dwarf ceriths, but I'm fairly certain these amphipods did it. Literally caught them red handed and red inside. There were some bigger ones that were green inside, so they must have been snacking on the caulerpa.



So this brings up an interesting question. How much of a threat are amphipods to a macro tank? What natural predators can be introduced that do well in small tanks? (5 gallon).

I've got those guys. So far they just clean up for me.

 

[TCoach]

Would a Scooter Blenny work in this situation? Mine is constantly scooting around the tank picking at small "bugs" and other things. Non-aggressive as far as I've seen.

 

[WheatToast]

My experience: I recently purchased some Halymenia durvillei (this was after I made my previous posts on this thread), and my amphipods have left it untouched so far.

Would a Scooter Blenny work in this situation? Mine is constantly scooting around the tank picking at small "bugs" and other things. Non-aggressive as far as I've seen.

I have read that amphipods are too large for Dragonets to consume (instead feeding on much smaller copepods), so I would doubt it.

 

[Duncan62]

My experience: I recently purchased some Halymenia durvillei (this was after I made my previous posts on this thread), and my amphipods have left it untouched so far.

I have read that amphipods are too large for Dragonets to consume (instead feeding on much smaller copepods), so I would doubt it.

5280 pods from algeabarn. Money well spent.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

After I introduced my copperband in my old tank. I never saw a amphipod, aptasia again.