Trachyphyllia

[Nordy]

Hello,
I’ve had had this Trachyphyllia for two weeks. Just noticed it looks like it has been eaten on, and there is a lesion on it. Only fish I have that is reef safe with caution is a Copperband butterfly fish. I doubt it is him. I do have a peppermint shrimp, and maybe that is the culprit? I think lighting and flow are good. Do I need to feed it anything special and how often? Appreciate any feedback or thoughts.
Scott

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Those are pretty big bites, kind of hard to blame a shrimp for that lol

 

[Nordy]

Agreed!

 

[Nordy]

Maybe it needs extra sustenance in a coral food, more specifically a certain type of food, maybe a little chunk of krill or Mysis?

 

[Nordy]

So after 10 months with this current reef tank, 2 days ago I found a single aiptasia growing on some chaeto in my refugium. I was kinda stoked about it, because my Copperband is way too finicky of an eater, spits out almost every food offering I give, and decides to poke at snails or nip something when I can’t sate his appetite. I work relentlessly to satisfy this fish. So I kinda hope he likes aiptaisa and if so, I get more.

 

[Nordy]

Off track, hope to get Trachyphyllia help, but funny thing about my copperband, is he usually will only take Brine, Mysis, or Bloodworms from feeder. I now have an automatic frozen food feeder which I love for feeding when at work, but here’s the catch, if the auto feeder spits out Mysis, my copperband just watches it float by. So are there any fish whispers out there, or copperband dieticians that are licensed fish mental health counselors that can get my rogue copperband to eat, get fat and be happy. Honestly ready to get him a plane ticket to the Indo Pacific and set him free!

 

[Miami Reef]

Only fish I have that is reef safe with caution is a Copperband butterfly fish

What “reef safe” fish do you have? I’d like a full list of every fish in the tank.

I have a lot of experience with these corals.

 

[Hairyteeth]

The coral is for sure stressed as well, the color is pretty bleached out so any little knock could turn south

 

[BryanM]

My filefish got a taste for softies..... It could be anything.

 

[promotheus2070]

It does look very stressed indeed .
i had a similar issue with a "wound" in my trachy , this was due to a aiptasia on his skeleton that was bothering him .

it did not look good but to be honnest its the strongest coral is my system right now .
low flow and low light keeps them very happy in mys system , and yeah he likes to be on the sandbed for sure !
Ill add some pics as well before and after .

 

[promotheus2070]

It does look very stressed indeed .
i had a similar issue with a "wound" in my trachy , this was due to a aiptasia on his skeleton that was bothering him .

it did not look good but to be honnest its the strongest coral is my system right now .
low flow and low light keeps them very happy in mys system , and yeah he likes to be on the sandbed for sure !
Ill add some pics as well before and after .

Last picture is few weeks ago .

 

[RabidDragon]

I spent ~6 months looking for a Trach that I like enought to spend the $$ on it. It was awesume. Two weeks in my tank and the hippo Tang I had tore sheets of flesh off it and ate the entire thing.

Did I mention I *had* a hippo tang?

 

[Nordy]

What “reef safe” fish do you have? I’d like a full list of every fish in the tank.

I have a lot of experience with these corals.

Hi,
Fish list:
1 Darwin Clown
1 Picasso Percula Clown.
1 Red Mandrin Dragonette
1 Yellow Fin Flasher Wrasse
1 Pintail Fairy Wrasse
1 Chalk Bass
1 Blackcap Basslet (most recent edition)
1 Copperband Butterflyfish
1 Purple Tang
1 Flame Angel
1 Six Spot Sleeper Goby
1 Blue Spotted Jawfish
2 Springer Dottybacks
1 Evansi Anthia

 

[Nordy]

I spent ~6 months looking for a Trach that I like enought to spend the $$ on it. It was awesume. Two weeks in my tank and the hippo Tang I had tore sheets of flesh off it and ate the entire thing.

Did I mention I *had* a hippo tang?

I got a purple tang, once had a hippo in my first tank and it was super shy. This purple tang is fat, very well fed and Nori seaweed on a clip every single day.

 

[Miami Reef]

Hi,
Fish list:
1 Darwin Clown
1 Picasso Percula Clown.
1 Red Mandrin Dragonette
1 Yellow Fin Flasher Wrasse
1 Pintail Fairy Wrasse
1 Chalk Bass
1 Blackcap Basslet (most recent edition)
1 Copperband Butterflyfish
1 Purple Tang
1 Flame Angel
1 Six Spot Sleeper Goby
1 Blue Spotted Jawfish
2 Springer Dottybacks
1 Evansi Anthia

It has to be the purple tang or flame angle.

I have a lot of experience with trachyphyllia, and tangs are the 2nd highest culprit. I had to rehome 5-8 tangs that resorted to picking.

 

[Nordy]

It has to be the purple tang or flame angle.

I have a lot of experience with trachyphyllia, and tangs are the 2nd highest culprit. I had to rehome 5-8 tangs that resorted to picking.

I get you, so I was feeding my LPS tonight, and the purple tang was after the food I target fed. Guess I’ll have to make sure it is more well fed, or do some distraction feeding when I intend to feed the corals. Definitely attached to all my fish, don’t want to rehome. Also noticed a Halloween crab going after LPS food given to corals. That’s expected, but my hermit crab days are about through. I used to love them and was visually appreciative to there CUC tasks, now I’m more annoyed by them and sometimes will knock them off a coral or aquascape because there doings are creating extra work for me. Recently thought I had a Crocea clam attached to my rock work with it’s byssal threads, but I’m more than sure a Halloween crab knocked it over, and now it’s unrecoverable in my rock scape. More my fault, just a troubling nuisance,

 

[Nordy]

And dang the tang, mine is such a piggy!!

 

[Reeferbadness]

Hi,
Fish list:
1 Darwin Clown
1 Picasso Percula Clown.
1 Red Mandrin Dragonette
1 Yellow Fin Flasher Wrasse
1 Pintail Fairy Wrasse
1 Chalk Bass
1 Blackcap Basslet (most recent edition)
1 Copperband Butterflyfish
1 Purple Tang
1 Flame Angel
1 Six Spot Sleeper Goby
1 Blue Spotted Jawfish
2 Springer Dottybacks
1 Evansi Anthia

My flame angel nipps at LPS, SPS etc - gotta watch those mfers

 

[Nordy]

I think I’ll do some testing today. I sent away an ICP last Monday, but probably won’t be seeing the results until next week. It’s on the sand bed, so I believe it is under 100 PAR, ( assumption, can’t give a real value that is bonafide). I kinda think it might be something else, maybe parameter related. There is another tear, doubt it was a bite from the fishes. Any invertebrates that would do harm? What water parameters are Trachyphyllia most sensitive to? My magnesium is over 1500, haven’t been able to drop it, done 3 water changes in the course of 2 weeks comprising a 50% change in total water volume. My skimmate foam has been over the top literally, and that’s been my fault to over feeding corals and filter feeders. Normally a 10% weekly water change is my weekend chore. Been using a Red Sea 4 pump doser for 3 weeks. Last Sundays tests:
Calcium 400
Magnesium 1510
Alk 10.304 dkh
I’m Sure my calcium is on the rise, I’ll know later, my target value I’d like it to hold would be around 460. Just going to get it there slowly, but I think my magnesium numbers are never going to drop, and maybe that’s ok. I’ve read a few threads on people keeping it over 1500 for good reason. Idk, I probably messed something up, but everything else seems to be doing well.

 

[Goaway]

I think it's over. Shes starting to peel off the skeleton. There are several factors. Water flow, nippers, light acclimation. A lot of people under estimate the stress of bad water flow.

You don't want to blame the fish. I understand.

Between the flame angel and tang.... I would put money on the flame, if there is a nipper. Inverts? You'd have to watch for at night. Crabs, shrimps usually go for the guts.