New live rock and a silver scat

[intranet]

I put a live rock in my tank about a week ago and it seemed to be doing very well, with a polyp already growing. But I put my silver scat in the tank today ( I was told as they age they should be moved to salt water ) and he seems to be eating everything off the live rock.. can he keep it from becoming populated with polyps and the like?

I really like the life forming on the rock and would prefer to keep it if possible. The first ( and only ) polyp seems to have drawn in on itself since I put the scat in. I just wanted to know if I should move the scat to protect the rock.

thanks,
intranet

 

[reefrunner69]

I don't know much about scats, but it seems to me that if it is constantly picking on the rock and has picked at the polyp....you have a choice to make. IME, once a fish has displayed this type of behavior it doesn't stop.

 

[intranet]

thanks reefrunner, I took him out and put him back in his old home with the puffers. i dont want to ruin my lr, guess i will have to be very careful when selecting fish for my tank that they dont like to munch on those critters?

 

[reefrunner69]

But I put my silver scat in the tank today ( I was told as they age they should be moved to salt water

FWIW, your puffers will be able to withstand full saltwater as well as the scat, just increase the salt slowly over time. And yes, you'll have to be careful, there are many SW fish that will find the stuff on your LR very tasty

 

[intranet]

Thats good to hear, at my lfs they said the figure eight wouldn't survive it but the green spotted would. but their advice.. like seemingly every other lfs .. changes regularly.

I may leave them in the brackish tank though because they are aggressive , there are two of them in a 20 gallon tank and I don't want to threaten my future saltwater residents.

I am thinking of taking the Scat back to the lfs if possible, I don't want to ruin my lr, but he/she is very unhappy in the tank with the 2 puffers ( they got along fine in the tank at the lfs ) . He sits in the corner all the time and rarely moves, if you as much as walk near the tank sometimes he "freaks out" to the point where he literally bounces off the walls, moving gravel and running into the sides of the tank. The puffers seem just great, and the scat eats well enough, but just seems extremely nervous. I have noticed a very little bit of fin nipping , so I am probably going to see if they will take him back, even if they don't give me anything for him, hopefully it will help him relax.