I have a small 10 gallon and I have added a number of rock flowers to the tank. I saw that I had a number of amphipods in the tank but thought they were good for the system. However, I have recently seen my rock flowers close up and amphipods travelling in and out of the mouth. They have already killed one and destroyed another that survived. Now, they are going after another one. I'm assuming I need a predator but not sure what to get. Any suggestions would help. My LFS suggested a coral banded shrimp so I bought one. He's pretty lazy and seems to be eating sparingly.
Help! Amphipods destroying my rock flowers!
- Thread starter mbixler1537
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Tired
2500 Club Member
CBS won't eat pods. You need a fish. Any fish that has a large enough mouth to engulf pods will definitely eat them, but the king of pod eating is probably a circus goby. Small goby, large mouth, nocturnally active (so, out when they are), and pretty cool-looking. I have a trimma goby to keep the amphipods down in my tank.
I would return that shrimp. It'll pose a threat to any fish that are suitable for a 10-gallon, won't eat many pods, and will get large enough to look pretty out of place in a 10gal.
I had amphipods harass a RFA to death and chew some tentacles off a couple of others. The one they killed, they would crawl all over it until it closed up, crawl in and out of its closed-up shape, and generally use it as a place to hide. They'll go after stressed corals and coral-like organisms, so check that your parameters are all good.
Is it a new tank? A new tank can be stressful for anemones, even if parameters read OK. Make sure you have enough nutrients to keep the anemones fed, and are feeding the anemones meaty foods at least once every couple weeks. Preferably more. Also, how much algae and whatnot do you have, and how much are you feeding? Starving pods will go after anything that won't run away.
I would return that shrimp. It'll pose a threat to any fish that are suitable for a 10-gallon, won't eat many pods, and will get large enough to look pretty out of place in a 10gal.
I had amphipods harass a RFA to death and chew some tentacles off a couple of others. The one they killed, they would crawl all over it until it closed up, crawl in and out of its closed-up shape, and generally use it as a place to hide. They'll go after stressed corals and coral-like organisms, so check that your parameters are all good.
Is it a new tank? A new tank can be stressful for anemones, even if parameters read OK. Make sure you have enough nutrients to keep the anemones fed, and are feeding the anemones meaty foods at least once every couple weeks. Preferably more. Also, how much algae and whatnot do you have, and how much are you feeding? Starving pods will go after anything that won't run away.
LacViet
Active Member
My 13.5gal tank has plenty of amphipods with rock flower anemones. Never seen amphipods bother RFA, but the opposite is true, if any amphipods swim around and touch the RFA, then that amphipod become meals for RFA. When I seed my tank 6 or so months ago with 1,000s amphipods, lots of them become food when they swim to the RFA. Maybe the RFA is dying and amphipods just do their things, clean up the death.
Tired
2500 Club Member
Amphipods will eat dying and very stressed things. Some very large ones are known to eat healthy zoas. They can also crawl on something until it accidentally becomes stressed, then eat it. It's worth looking into what's stressing the rock flowers, because they are very likely stressed, but amphipods do eat things that aren't dead yet. So do many other scavengers.
I've never seen a rock flower kill an amphipod. Mine crawl on the rock flowers without being affected.
I've never seen a rock flower kill an amphipod. Mine crawl on the rock flowers without being affected.
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