one of my fish is eating my zoas.. who's the culprit?

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 09:11 AM

I've been finding random small zoas missing chunks... never happened to my bigger zoa colonies. Always the 1-2 polyp babies... first my rasta, now the utter chaos.. usually i find 1/5 chunk missing. By next day, almost all gone. Perfectly healthy zoas dead

I have 2 clowns, a mckoster flasher wrasse, royal gramma, ywg, foxface lo and firefish..

I would think its the foxface but hes huge.. and i never see him around zoas. My royal gramma always hang by those zoas. I think i saw it pecking once on my rasta and it died soon after.

Anyone elses royal gramma eat zoas?

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 09:42 AM

my poor baby

yesterday he had 1 bite mark.. today he has 1 piece left.. the baby is gone already

Sk8r · 09/27/2014, 10:05 AM

I don't think your fish are to blame. I've never known those species to bother corals. My guess is you have a crawling pest, be it nudibranchs, maybe some asterina starfish---there is one species of those alleged to be a problem. The rule is 'hitch-hikers ride in on what they eat.' And eggs may hatch after a few days. This makes it not too bad an idea to qt zoas for a little while to be absolutely sure. Many corals don't need this, just a dip, but zoa pests seem to pose a special problem. So can sps turn up some hidden hitchhikers.

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 10:14 AM

Thanks. What do you suggest i do now? Stay up late to look for it? Must be small if it only touches my tiny zoas.

ca1ore · 09/27/2014, 10:17 AM

Sk8r is probably right, however, years ago I did have a breeding pair of clowns who tried to 'clear off' a frag tile, presumably because they liked the look of it as a place to lay their eggs.

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 10:36 AM

I have asterina starfish but not many. They are being eaten by something else. I have seen a few snails without shells. Or a flat oval shell cover? Not sure what they are.

Are nudibranch all so colorful? Google image shows some crazy looking ones

Sk8r · 09/27/2014, 10:55 AM

Stomatellas are your shellless snails: good guys and valuable. Nudis can come brown and hard to spot. And small. My advice is use a magnifying glass to watch your specimen---and getting up at night with a flashlight is good too. But if it were mine, I think I'd move it to a small qt, and observe it (in the theory the predator might hide on the base. And leave the tank coral-less for a while, which might let the predator starve out of the tank. If the asterinas are your problem, they're easy to spot, though they will also feed on other things. Some others, not so much.

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 11:18 AM

Removing all corals in my 100gal is going to be so much work.. since this zoa is mostly gone already, ill keep it in tonight and check all night.

Ill set up a qt if i dont catch anything this weekend.

Do i need to removal the lps and few sps also?

shesacharmer · 09/27/2014, 11:25 AM

If only ZOAS are being bothered those are what I'd QT.

m0nkie · 09/27/2014, 11:45 AM

If i dont catch anything, would it be ok to use some salifert flatworm exit? I read a few reviews that it kills nudibranchs. And there shouldnt be too much die off effects

Sk8r · 09/27/2014, 12:24 PM

REad the instructions and disclaimers, and test often over the next 48 hours. It should be safe. I'd recommend the isolation protocol for any new zoas. They're prone to pests that dip doesn't always seem to take care of.

m0nkie · 09/28/2014, 11:23 AM

hi guys.. well I stayed up all night with a flashlight and a 12 pack beer... boy am I tired..

no sign of any nudibranch... no movements around my zoas at all. found this little asterina star next to one of my zoa. it's not touching the zoa yet, but it was on the frag plug. no zoas were lost or damaged.. I think I might have to do this a few more times

do you think this might be the culprit?

whiteshark · 09/28/2014, 11:44 AM

Could be

Apparently that site is a no no. But they can. Not all do so I wouldn't be sure, but it is a possibility.

reelredfish · 09/28/2014, 11:51 AM

I had to remove all of my zoa's from one tank due to a fox face. I no longer have that fox face and while I love those fish will not get another one cause I could watch him set there and eat the zoa's

09/27/2014, 09:11 AM	#1
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	one of my fish is eating my zoas.. who's the culprit? I've been finding random small zoas missing chunks... never happened to my bigger zoa colonies. Always the 1-2 polyp babies... first my rasta, now the utter chaos.. usually i find 1/5 chunk missing. By next day, almost all gone. Perfectly healthy zoas dead I have 2 clowns, a mckoster flasher wrasse, royal gramma, ywg, foxface lo and firefish.. I would think its the foxface but hes huge.. and i never see him around zoas. My royal gramma always hang by those zoas. I think i saw it pecking once on my rasta and it died soon after. Anyone elses royal gramma eat zoas? __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 09:42 AM	#2
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	my poor baby yesterday he had 1 bite mark.. today he has 1 piece left.. the baby is gone already __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 10:05 AM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I don't think your fish are to blame. I've never known those species to bother corals. My guess is you have a crawling pest, be it nudibranchs, maybe some asterina starfish---there is one species of those alleged to be a problem. The rule is 'hitch-hikers ride in on what they eat.' And eggs may hatch after a few days. This makes it not too bad an idea to qt zoas for a little while to be absolutely sure. Many corals don't need this, just a dip, but zoa pests seem to pose a special problem. So can sps turn up some hidden hitchhikers. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/27/2014, 10:14 AM	#4
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	Thanks. What do you suggest i do now? Stay up late to look for it? Must be small if it only touches my tiny zoas. __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 10:17 AM	#5
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Sk8r is probably right, however, years ago I did have a breeding pair of clowns who tried to 'clear off' a frag tile, presumably because they liked the look of it as a place to lay their eggs. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

09/27/2014, 10:36 AM	#6
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	I have asterina starfish but not many. They are being eaten by something else. I have seen a few snails without shells. Or a flat oval shell cover? Not sure what they are. Are nudibranch all so colorful? Google image shows some crazy looking ones __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 10:55 AM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Stomatellas are your shellless snails: good guys and valuable. Nudis can come brown and hard to spot. And small. My advice is use a magnifying glass to watch your specimen---and getting up at night with a flashlight is good too. But if it were mine, I think I'd move it to a small qt, and observe it (in the theory the predator might hide on the base. And leave the tank coral-less for a while, which might let the predator starve out of the tank. If the asterinas are your problem, they're easy to spot, though they will also feed on other things. Some others, not so much. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/27/2014, 11:18 AM	#8
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	Removing all corals in my 100gal is going to be so much work.. since this zoa is mostly gone already, ill keep it in tonight and check all night. Ill set up a qt if i dont catch anything this weekend. Do i need to removal the lps and few sps also? __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 11:25 AM	#9
shesacharmer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Central NH Posts: 1,241	If only ZOAS are being bothered those are what I'd QT. __________________ 75 gal, LR w/refugium, 79 deg, PH 8.0, sg 1.025, amm 0/nit 0/nit 0, Calcium 420, dKH 8.3, mag 1300, Phos 0 Current Tank Info: A work in progress...

09/27/2014, 11:45 AM	#10
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	If i dont catch anything, would it be ok to use some salifert flatworm exit? I read a few reviews that it kills nudibranchs. And there shouldnt be too much die off effects __________________ 560gal in the making

09/27/2014, 12:24 PM	#11
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	REad the instructions and disclaimers, and test often over the next 48 hours. It should be safe. I'd recommend the isolation protocol for any new zoas. They're prone to pests that dip doesn't always seem to take care of. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/28/2014, 11:23 AM	#12
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	hi guys.. well I stayed up all night with a flashlight and a 12 pack beer... boy am I tired.. no sign of any nudibranch... no movements around my zoas at all. found this little asterina star next to one of my zoa. it's not touching the zoa yet, but it was on the frag plug. no zoas were lost or damaged.. I think I might have to do this a few more times do you think this might be the culprit? __________________ 560gal in the making

09/28/2014, 11:44 AM	#13
whiteshark Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 3,024	Could be Apparently that site is a no no. But they can. Not all do so I wouldn't be sure, but it is a possibility. __________________ Deep Blue 60 gallon cube: Setup in progress.

09/28/2014, 11:51 AM	#14
reelredfish Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: DFW,Area Posts: 798	I had to remove all of my zoa's from one tank due to a fox face. I no longer have that fox face and while I love those fish will not get another one cause I could watch him set there and eat the zoa's