Fricking anthelia, part II

[Anonymous]

A few months ago I bitched and moaned about how my anthelia was overtaking everything. Now, strangly, it is dieing back. It is melting away. Although I am sort of happy to be rid of the plague, I am worried that this means something is wrong in the tank, although everything else appears ok. ammonia=nitrate=nitrate=0, pH=8.3, alk and calcium are good, etc. Everything I can think to test, inlcuding oxygen concentration, is ok. I added carbon just in case, and changed 40% of the water in case of mineral buildup or depletion. Still no change (after a week). Am I heading to disaster?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Anemone...
Has anything at all changed? Did you try to eradicate them at their plague peak? If so, how? I wouldn't be too worried as of yet. This sounds analogous to what goes on inthe Caribbean with several plague Palythoa sp., often popping up in plague proportions, only to die back a month to a year later as mysteriously as they had profliferated. Have you changed the nutrient budget in your system at all? It could be that demands for certain nutrients are changing. Lots of evidence to show photosynthetic anthozoans regress when readjusting to a different source. Do you have algae that could be outcompeting for certain organic or inorganic nutrients? Perhaps some other recent (or not so recent, ecologically, cause and effect can be far down the road) change that shifted the balance of food availability? ...Personally, I would wait to see what effect your carbon/water change has before jumping on another hypothesis.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[XXX]

I have heard that anthelia is prone to crash. Isn't it related to xenia? Which tends to be a mystery as to why it so often crashes after doing well. Usually with no signs of any problem with the tank or any other life.

 

[fishfarmer]

I have anthelia as well as xenia in my tank. I've never had a problem with my anthelia. I usually chop what I can and the remaining tissue restarts in a day of two. But recently I gave my mother colony a large haircut, which I've done a few times before. A couple days later the stumps that I cut were rotting. The uncut polyps weren't affected. I agressively thin out my xenia and anthelia monthly just so they don't crash or overtake my tank.

 

[Bobzarry]

I had the same thing happen a few months back. I thoughtit was all gone, then I saw a single Polip in a crevice on a rock, this is now a new colony and is growing fine. Nothing else in the tank had changed then or now. At the time it had reached plague proportions, then suddenly it started dieing back.


bob

 

[Anonymous]

Nothing changed. I didn't do more than swear at it and tried to hack it back a little. But other colonies in the tank are regressing, ones I did not touch. Clones in other tanks are fine, so it must be some nutrient depleted or toxin accumulated. Lighting, etc. is all the same. As long as this is not a prognosticator for other stuff that I value more, I am not too worried. A little would be nice, but I stil have a little.