Green citron gobies killing my acropora

[danlu_gt]

I just brought a nice size acropora (5" diameter) last week. Two days ago, my two green Citron gobies decide they want to nest in the acropora branches. Today, they have ripped off 50% of the tissue mass from the entire acropora!! Do these gobies require that much space to nest? I have removed those two gobies and place them in a separate tank. I don't think I'll trust them in my main tank anymore. Anyone else have nesting Citron goby problems?

Daniel

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
I doubt that the goby is the culpit. I bet that if you did not get any fish, the coral would have look the same way today.... I guess you can't repeat it to prove me wrong, can you?

 

[wade1]

I know that the goby is probably the culrpti, I have seen that same behavior in a pair I had kept. It seems to be more specific to the citron than the yellow, black, or green variety of clown goby though. I would not put them in my tank (expecting some tomorrow actually) until its fairly mature and your acros can handle some of the picking.

I had a single citron devour to 2" frags even. But, that said, if they are nesting, they will likely only keep that area clear. One way to prevent that is to have commensal acro crabs in the colony as well. They tend to get pinchy when something starts messing with their homes.

Best bet is that if you don't have alot of acro colonies, remove the goby if possible. Otherwise, hope it stops chewing and settles into the hole its made.

Wade

 

[Len]

I will also vouch for Gobiodon's destructive behaviour. It's primarily rooted in the fact that they clear out areas of Acropora colonies for a roosting site. Every now and then, you'll get a pair that goes nuts. And then there are some individual specimens that seemingly enjoy munching on Acropora sp. Additionally, this behavior in bacteria-rich captive waters elevates the possibility of infection.