Ghosts in the tank ?!

[David Burton]

All,

Well I have just come away from the tank bewildered by what I have just
seen. I was watching TV and all the sudden lots of white transparent and
opague silk like pieces were floating around in the tank, I can only
describe it to be like pieces of skin in the water.

I have a hermit crab which has been smoking, due to it eating the substrate,
a lionfish, a regal tang and a clown fish. I can only think these weird
pieces of 'skin like' bits have come from the lionfish although there was
none on or around it or failiing that from within the living rock? The tank
is newly matured so aside from these there are no other corals or livestock
in the tank.

Can anyone help me work out what happened?

David

[Anthony Pruitt]

"David Burton" > wrote in message
. uk...
> All,
>
> Well I have just come away from the tank bewildered by what I have just
> seen. I was watching TV and all the sudden lots of white transparent and
> opague silk like pieces were floating around in the tank, I can only
> describe it to be like pieces of skin in the water.
>
> I have a hermit crab which has been smoking, due to it eating the
substrate,
> a lionfish, a regal tang and a clown fish. I can only think these weird
> pieces of 'skin like' bits have come from the lionfish although there was
> none on or around it or failiing that from within the living rock? The
tank
> is newly matured so aside from these there are no other corals or
livestock
> in the tank.
>
> Can anyone help me work out what happened?
>
> David
>



A lionfish has a fairly heavy slime coat all over it's body to help protect
it from fungus and bacteria. All fish have it. When the skin is stressed due
to water quality, Ph especially seems to trigger it, they tend to produce
alot more of the slime to help protect the skin's surface, causing some of
it to break loose and float around the tank. It's not usually a problem as
long as the reason for the water being out of whack is corrected. Check your
Ph and the lion should be ok, they are very hardy fish.