B. wellsi sudden death

[mothra]

I recently lost several very nice Blasto wellsi's. They had been in my tank for at least a few months, in fact probably closer to 5 months. Always looking great from the day I got them, and laying down baby polyps like crazy. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong, which will be impossible but I'd like to get some input anyway. Here's the sequence of events:

~ 5 months ago acquired 3 B. wellsi specimens, all very healthy.

- 1.5 months ago acquired another B. wellsi looking very sickly, near death, got it for $5.

- After 4 weeks sick blasto is stable and has 3 healthy heads

- 2 weeks ago decided to experiment with other dying wellsi's, found 2 more for total of $30. acclimated them to the tank. Began target feeding cyclopeeze nightly.

- 2 weeks ago echinophyllia frag falls onto 2 healthy blasto colonies, blastos look unhappy but nothing serious

- 1 week ago, blasto colonies that echino fell on are totally dead in the morning, almost no signs of living tissue, note the night prior they looked about 90% which is how they looked ever since the echino fell on them, but nothing like dead skeletons. AND a 3rd wellsi colony that was definitely not in contact with the echino is now dying! It is in proximity to the other dying colonies. ADDITIONALLY the small 3 headed wellsi that I recovered appears to be receeding - it was also never in contact with the echino.

- Today, pretty sure all of the previously healthy colonies are dead and not coming back, but will wait and see. No tissue is visible only white skeleton. I don't know whats going to happen with the small recovered-but now receeding wellsi, BUT Here is the best part - the 2 most recently added dying wellsi's look about how they did when bought them!


I'm trying to figure out what the hell happened. I'm basically looking at a loss of 4 healthy colonies coinciding w/ the addition of 2 dying colonies. Before I post my various hypothesis does anyone else care to take a shot at this?

[witche42]

sorry to hear about your loss. from my experience, usually blasto's make it or not in the first couple weeks they are moved to an aquarium. definately an unusual situation.

[Jus Reefin]

Jacob, check for predators on those dying ones. I'm pretty PO'd myself. Those Red colonies we got well you know the 2 frags died on me now the big colony is almost completely dead. I have looked for predators and found nothing. All other Blasto's, most of what I have had for well over a year are doing great. I tried moving this guy all over the place and nothing helped. I also bought a not so good looking piece about a month ago for $20 it has 2 different colored polyps and is as healthy as a horse now. These corals are a trip. Better stick with Lords ( I have 3 frags coming in next week

[mothra]

I inspected them and didn't see any evidence of predators. The reds we got were doing great for me... well until this happened. I counted a total of 13 new polyps - some pencil eraser sized, on the 2 frags. The other colony I got in that buy had new polyps coming up all around it.

This happened so fast I first thought I had poisoned the tank somehow, everything else is fine though, and water tests revealed nothing that stands out.

My guess is either disease, pathogen, or predators from the newly added dying blastos. The fact that they are the only ones still alive is odd when 4 healthy separate individuals are now dead.

[mothra]

I'd switch to acans but not at the going price. Just watch, 6 mos from now my tank is gonna be full of em ('budget acans') while everyone else is scrambling for 'challice!'

[Jus Reefin]

LOL, Well I will be growing them like tomatoes shortly. My prop system is up and running now