I am new this is my first post. Also this is my husband and I's fist salt tank. Have had no problem thus far water perimeters have been normal no change my husband checks them so I don't know the numbers. We have a pair of clowns, hawkish, basselet, and two recent adds (1month ago) were a yellow golby and wrass. Only thing I have noticed different is my clowns have darkened I'm not sure if it was because of the added fish. I read they can change colors as they mature. So the problem is my neon polyps has been doing great been growing and then was always open for around a week then last 3 days it's not opening and this brown stuff is starting to cover more of it. Not sure if it's algae or if it waste that the polyp is getting rid of or if it's disease. Should I try wiping it off?
Neon green star polyps closed with brown substance spreading
- Thread starter Jclark2148
- Start date
Might just be diatom algae. If tank is just new (less than a half year old) that is normal "nasties" from getting the eco system developing. That should go away by itself to be replaced by cyano (purplish bacteria) and later some green algae. The clowns getting darker is normal as they get older as they start developing their black. Give them star polyps another week or two and see if it opens up again. Very possible that the wrasse is disturbing it. Should get used to it after a while. If not, have your husband keep a close eye on nitrates. Coral is more sensitive to it than fish.
I'll keep an eye thank you that is helpful. Husband said levels were all good again last night. I do have Alot of purple bacteria and still some green. When you say the wrass might be disturbing it what does that mean? Like he's trying to eat it?
No not eat, but depends on what kind of wrasse it is, but I think they all hunt and eat little inverts. They will check out the rocks, check out algae, and coral for hidden inverts. If the star polyp is not used to being touched then it will hide. Our star polyps used to hide every time a hermit crab walks over them. Now that same colony doesn't even retract when a peppermint shrimp sits on it to clean inbetween the polyps.
U know what that could be, anytime a snail would go over it closed too that's reassuring I'm sure it must just need some adjusting time I'll post a pic when it opens up
Yeah, snails can do that too. The only way to really tell if a star polyp is settled in is when it starts spreading and getting bigger. Here is what our pink one looks like - jumped off the rock it came with and growing onto anything it can reach. Wanted to get a pic of the green one as well, but that one stays up late and sleeps in late (all closed up now).
