Unbelievable video shot last night: Open Brain coral eating Azure Damselfish

Discussion in 'Coral' started by aquaticlog, Apr 12, 2012.

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  1. aquaticlog

    aquaticlog Plankton

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    Last night I witnessed one of the strangest events ever to have happened in my saltwater aquarium.
    I've got an Open Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi) that have been in the tank since its beginning. In the last month I had two fish (Royal Gramma and Clown) disappear on me for no apparent reason. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a fish, my Azure Damselfish (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) stuck on the brain coral.

    [​IMG]

    You can view the video of this here:

    Open Brain Coral eating Azure Damselfish

    Here are additional videos of what happened next:











    Brain Coral eating Azure Damselfish Part 2

    Pom-Pom crab joined the party

    Brain Coral eating Azure Damselfish Part 3

    The Finale

    Open Brain Coral eating Azure Damselfish Part 4, the Finale

    Apparently what happened is that I fed the corals first, the damsel must've gone after some leftover food stuck on the brain coral and got stung by the coral. By the time I noticed this it was too late.



    Apparently this is a very rare occurrence. You can find out more about my aquarium here: dtum's JBJ Nanocube
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 12, 2012
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  3. ricoop

    ricoop Skunk Shrimp

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    Sorry about the fish, but that is something you don't see every day. very interesting.
     
  4. HollyG

    HollyG Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    Well, at least it was just a damsel this time. Problem solved! That's a sign not to add anymore damsels! LOL..... I really hate damsels!
    But in all seriousness, sorry about you losing fish :( Sux that a royal gramma had be caught... I love those guys!
     
  5. aquaticlog

    aquaticlog Plankton

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    I feel especially bad for the clown, he was adorable.
     
  6. Gboy66

    Gboy66 Gigas Clam

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    If you had freed the fish, no doubt the fish would have still died, but would the coral have been hurt too? Is that why you didnt go to the rescue?

    Thats pretty sad, and a big bummer for the clown and royal:(
     
  7. Coral_Greef

    Coral_Greef Astrea Snail

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    What happened to your Boxer Crabs' pom poms ?!? haha
     
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  9. aquaticlog

    aquaticlog Plankton

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    That's exactly my thought process. I figured that the damsel was a gonner.
     
  10. aquaticlog

    aquaticlog Plankton

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    Big Als in Vaughn was selling it without pom poms. :(
     
  11. sticksmith23

    sticksmith23 Giant Squid

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    I'm sorry about your loss there, but at least you don't have to guess about what happened. So are you doing to keep the coral?
     
  12. aquaticlog

    aquaticlog Plankton

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    Thanks. I am going to sell it. While it would be an awesome addition to a bigger tank, my 28 gallon is just not enough for his highness. 3 dead fish can attest to that.