Green Hydnophora HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

DennisW · 07-09-2001, 12:19 AM

Ok...where do I start...I have about a 7 or so inch green, long tentacle hydnophora. Just below it maybe 1 and 1/2 inch or so is a blue shroom. Also below it is a small yellow sponge like growth. These guys have all been playin' nicely for about a year.

UNTIL TODAY!!!!!!

Today, I see a TON of this white gangaloin like stuff. You know the stuff you see come out the middle of a shroom when its angry. Except....this stuff has completly enveloped the shroom and the small piece of sponge and it seems to be coming out of the base of the hydnophora!!!!!!!! It looks so much like the white stuff from the shroom but I am sure its coming out of the hydnophora!!!!

So....I cut out the shroom and sucked out and blew out some of the white stuff. I have never had anything like this go on in my tank!!!!!!! What do you guys think???? Any help would be awsome!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Dennis

Drew · 07-09-2001, 01:28 AM

OK, I don't know much (anything) about chemical warfare in our tank, since I have never experienced it. However, since it is late I will give you some advice until someone with more experience can help you. First, if the sps isn't attached to any big rock, I would move it to an area of the tank where it isn't exposed to as many soft corals. Next, run lots of carbon. Third, um...well, I really don't know what else to do

Sorry I couldn't be more of a help, but I'm sure somebody who knows more about this will wake up soon. After all, what reefer has time for a job?

Just one tip: Don't put shrooms and stonies next to each other

HTH

Drew

Alice · 07-09-2001, 10:28 AM

Dennis;

It seems that yourHydnophora was on the attack. They are pretty aggressive and don't often come out 2nd best in physical warfare. They can put out sweeper tentacles and mesemtarial filament attacks (the stuff that looks like shrooms puking their guts out.) These filaments can either sort of "pre-digest" coral tissue they come in contact with or just sting the heck out of their opponent, depending on the situation and the coral itself.

Did you add some new corals just lately? Often times, you'll have corals co-existing side-by-side with no ill effects, they seem to have gotten used to the "chemcial footprint" in the tank and don't feel threatened. Adding something new to the mix, though, can put everyone on red alert.

HTH,

~Alice

DennisW · 07-09-2001, 09:30 PM

Alright Alice.......go tell your husband that the classes you are taking online are REALLY paying off!!!!! Thanks a lot for everyones responses. This morning, most of the white filiments were gone. I did see some kinda "piled up" next to the hydnophora. I blew them out with a turkey baster and they went into the overfklow. The hydnophora looks like business as usual. Last night, it had a large blue shroom completly engulfed and the shroom whas basicly total slime! It also had a small yellow ball sponge engulfed. I cut the shroom off the rock last night and discarded what I could of it.

Yes....I have recently added corals. I am always adding something! I think I am going to stop now. Obviously my Wife was right when she said it's getting too crowded! I really hate admiting that! I bought one of those orange sponges at Woody's, a fire sponge I believe. Thats Kinda when my problems started!!! I could not find a good spot for the sponge so I ended up taking it back.

On another note, I have a rock that is completly enveloped with brown polyps. It has been for a year or more. Well recently, they all closed up. A few are out every now and then but most are closed. I also had some larger brown polyps (about the size of a quarter) that formed a little colny kinda "amongst" the smaller brown polyps. One day I noticed all the small polyps were closed and the larger brown polyps were MELTING I endeded up having to cut the larger brown polyps out!!!! Well now it's been about 7 or 8 days and the smaller brown polyps still have not opened up!!! Does anyone have any thouoghts??????

I will be doing a water change this week. The last water change was 06/01/01 and was about 17 gallons. The tank is 100gal and all its contents and equipment came from a 2 year old tank (Alice's new tank!!!!

)

Thanx
Dennis

Alice · 07-10-2001, 01:42 AM

Hmmm...interesting on the polyps. Does the timing coincide with the other warfare going on in the tank? Could all be part of the general ticked-offedness (I just made that word up, lol) going on in the tank. Have you checked for predation?

tdwyatt · 07-16-2001, 07:48 PM

Quote:

On another note, I have a rock that is completly enveloped with brown polyps. It has been for a year or more. Well recently, they all closed up. A few are out every now and then but most are closed. I also had some larger brown polyps (about the size of a quarter) that formed a little colny kinda "amongst" the smaller brown polyps. One day I noticed all the small polyps were closed and the larger brown polyps were MELTING I endeded up having to cut the larger brown polyps out!!!!

These zooanthid mats are prolly responding to either the chemical warfare going on with the hydnophora/shroom battle or may be respoonding to changes in the total water chemistry alone. Either way they will ususally res;ond to improvements in the water chemistry, HOWEVER, if you have to ever cut these mats again, keep in mind that they produce a potent neurotoxin (palyotoxin) that can affect humans as well as the fish/corals in your biotope. I would stongly suggest that you use rubber gloves whenever handling or especially when cutting these mats, and that you run carbon before during and after processing these mats in your system. I would change the carbon and run fres carbon 24/7 along with strong skimming for the next two weeks.