Who is this and what is he doing on my zoa's?

stanger50lx92 · 03/31/2011, 09:22 PM

Found this guy on my zoa's and is making them stay closed. I believe it to be a nudibranch. Not sure cause this is the first time I see him.
How do I get him out. What kind of fish hunts him?

mistaflicksta · 03/31/2011, 09:30 PM

it looks like a AEOLID NUDIBRANCHS
There are lots of aeolids (including the aiptasia-eating berghia - a good guy to have!) but the most common one for us is this guy - a zoanthid predator! They are a pain to get rid of but will mow through your zos if you don't.

we have some links here http://www.starsreefclub.com/#!page-2

The actual website i got it from here http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm

bmw_zoan · 03/31/2011, 09:31 PM

that is an ugly looking thing, dont know what it is, but i know how you feel man it sucks having things pop out all of the sudden and then finding out they are harmful.. you are not alone, and alomost everything can be taken care of haha you just have to find somebody who knows

in this case i have no idea what it is, but somebody here will

jmait769 · 03/31/2011, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanger50lx92

Found this guy on my zoa's and is making them stay closed. I believe it to be a nudibranch. Not sure cause this is the first time I see him.
How do I get him out. What kind of fish hunts him?

Looks like Zoanthid-eating Nudibranch

Jay

mistaflicksta · 03/31/2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanger50lx92

What kind of fish hunts him?

6 line wrasse will more than likely scoop these critters out, or a file fish, I just took my file fish to Charlie cause after eatin all of the aptaisa he turned on all of the invertibates. he mowed down tons of stars and any critter he could fit in its mouth.

chuy marquez · 03/31/2011, 09:50 PM

It is in fact a nudibranch and it will eat all your zoanthids if you don't get rid of them. Yes THEM because they are never alone and they lay eggs in the shape of a curl on the zoas. Dipping in Lugol's iodine will kill them but not the eggs so you will have to dip them for some weeks to kill whatever eggs hatch.

puffin04 · 03/31/2011, 10:24 PM

This is why the PUFFIN dips his corals when they come in!!!

Steffen Sparks

bmw_zoan · 03/31/2011, 10:41 PM

yes Steffen is the one that got me into dipping all of my corals

i thank you for that

stanger50lx92 · 04/01/2011, 05:20 AM

I will be purchasing a 6 line wrasse. I'll just hope for the best that the six line eats them all. If not then I'll have to dip my zoa's which would take time since they are colonies on major parts of the bigger rocks in my tank.
Thanks for your help guys!
Freddy

chuy marquez · 04/01/2011, 10:22 AM

Dipping the zoas will work for sure, the wrasse is a 50-50 shot. The longer you wait the worse it could get.

jtinoco · 04/01/2011, 12:09 PM

Don't mean to hijack the thread but, is there a risk that maybe a Berghia will go for zoas if there is no aiptasia to feed on, or will it just starve?

Lytehouse · 04/01/2011, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuy marquez

It is in fact a nudibranch and it will eat all your zoanthids if you don't get rid of them. Yes THEM because they are never alone and they lay eggs in the shape of a curl on the zoas. Dipping in Lugol's iodine will kill them but not the eggs so you will have to dip them for some weeks to kill whatever eggs hatch.

Important questions:

Where did you find the critter? was it on the glass or on a colony?
If it was on the glass you may have a bigger problem. If on a colony, start localized, dip that colony and those nearby. Rest the colonies/frags in saltwater/tank water after dipping, then while the polyps are closed, inspect the entire colony-- polyp by polyp, for the eggs-- use a good magnifying glass. If you see the eggs, carefully scrape them off with a sharp blade--very tender. Back in the tank. Do this again in a week and every week until you see nothing.

You absolutely cannot afford to be lazy here. They will infest the tank eventually.

Best wishes.

stanger50lx92 · 04/01/2011, 02:00 PM

I found a couple on a colony and not on the glass. I had what looked like cyno bacteria but brown instead of red on that colony so what I did was a water change. I took out that colony of zoas and poured old salt water to flush that brown cyno looking stuff off of the colony which worked. When I looked at the stuff that came off the colony I saw two of those nudibranch guys in the water so I just took a test tube and got them to take pics of.
I'll buy the wrasse and hope he likes those guys. If not he is still a beautiful fish!
I'll start the process of dipping every colony and searching for eggs. What do they look like? I'll end up trying to take off everything that isn't a polyp!
Your right I can't afford to be lazy. It's just that all or most my zoas are part of the bigger rocks in my tank so it will be some work!

Lytehouse · 04/01/2011, 04:08 PM

http://www.zoaid.com/index.php?modul...g2_itemId=5944

It sucks to have to mess with your rock work, so start with the colonies/frags that were closed. Many times, they won't venture far from the original colony, unless they need food or have reproduced to the point the need to spread out.

Dipping those that are easy to get out, seeing what falls off and looking for eggs will give you an idea if they have spread.

Remember, dipping, wrasses, absolutely nothing will take care of eggs except manual removal.

I was farming for a guy 2 years ago and took a wild colony. Watched him dip it till I thought it might be dead. Infected a 48 x 48 frag tank with spiders and nudi's. I was dipping and removing eggs for 2 months.

But, if you have zoas/palys you like, its really worth it.

And while dipping frags/colonies you get is wise. Dipping won't do a thing to eggs. You really have to inspect every single polyp.

Really, best of luck.

03/31/2011, 09:30 PM	#2
mistaflicksta Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 1,212	it looks like a AEOLID NUDIBRANCHS There are lots of aeolids (including the aiptasia-eating berghia - a good guy to have!) but the most common one for us is this guy - a zoanthid predator! They are a pain to get rid of but will mow through your zos if you don't. we have some links here http://www.starsreefclub.com/#!page-2 The actual website i got it from here http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm __________________ Erik G. Current Tank Info: 150H(48LX24WX30H), 302 Aquatics sump w/ATS, NWB 200 reef octopus skimmer w/DC pump, 2× MP40W, Varios 6 return pump, RKE, Avast Marine Kalk reactor, Kessil AP700

03/31/2011, 09:50 PM	#6
chuy marquez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Santa Teresa Posts: 300	It is in fact a nudibranch and it will eat all your zoanthids if you don't get rid of them. Yes THEM because they are never alone and they lay eggs in the shape of a curl on the zoas. Dipping in Lugol's iodine will kill them but not the eggs so you will have to dip them for some weeks to kill whatever eggs hatch. __________________ hooked

04/01/2011, 10:22 AM	#10
chuy marquez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Santa Teresa Posts: 300	Dipping the zoas will work for sure, the wrasse is a 50-50 shot. The longer you wait the worse it could get. __________________ hooked

04/01/2011, 12:09 PM	#11
jtinoco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 682	Don't mean to hijack the thread but, is there a risk that maybe a Berghia will go for zoas if there is no aiptasia to feed on, or will it just starve? __________________ Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else. Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon Mixed Reef

04/01/2011, 04:08 PM	#14
Lytehouse seeker of knowledge Join Date: May 2007 Location: NW OKC Posts: 3,276	eggs http://www.zoaid.com/index.php?modul...g2_itemId=5944 It sucks to have to mess with your rock work, so start with the colonies/frags that were closed. Many times, they won't venture far from the original colony, unless they need food or have reproduced to the point the need to spread out. Dipping those that are easy to get out, seeing what falls off and looking for eggs will give you an idea if they have spread. Remember, dipping, wrasses, absolutely nothing will take care of eggs except manual removal. I was farming for a guy 2 years ago and took a wild colony. Watched him dip it till I thought it might be dead. Infected a 48 x 48 frag tank with spiders and nudi's. I was dipping and removing eggs for 2 months. But, if you have zoas/palys you like, its really worth it. And while dipping frags/colonies you get is wise. Dipping won't do a thing to eggs. You really have to inspect every single polyp. Really, best of luck. __________________ --Lynn The challenge is the fun.

03/31/2011, 09:31 PM	#3
bmw_zoan Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: El Paso Posts: 185	that is an ugly looking thing, dont know what it is, but i know how you feel man it sucks having things pop out all of the sudden and then finding out they are harmful.. you are not alone, and alomost everything can be taken care of haha you just have to find somebody who knows in this case i have no idea what it is, but somebody here will

03/31/2011, 10:24 PM	#7
puffin04 S.T.A.R.S VICE P Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Las Cruces, NM Posts: 1,398	This is why the PUFFIN dips his corals when they come in!!! Steffen Sparks

03/31/2011, 10:41 PM	#8
bmw_zoan Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: El Paso Posts: 185	yes Steffen is the one that got me into dipping all of my corals i thank you for that

04/01/2011, 05:20 AM	#9
stanger50lx92 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: El Paso, Tx. Posts: 129	I will be purchasing a 6 line wrasse. I'll just hope for the best that the six line eats them all. If not then I'll have to dip my zoa's which would take time since they are colonies on major parts of the bigger rocks in my tank. Thanks for your help guys! Freddy

04/01/2011, 02:00 PM	#13
stanger50lx92 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: El Paso, Tx. Posts: 129	I found a couple on a colony and not on the glass. I had what looked like cyno bacteria but brown instead of red on that colony so what I did was a water change. I took out that colony of zoas and poured old salt water to flush that brown cyno looking stuff off of the colony which worked. When I looked at the stuff that came off the colony I saw two of those nudibranch guys in the water so I just took a test tube and got them to take pics of. I'll buy the wrasse and hope he likes those guys. If not he is still a beautiful fish! I'll start the process of dipping every colony and searching for eggs. What do they look like? I'll end up trying to take off everything that isn't a polyp! Your right I can't afford to be lazy. It's just that all or most my zoas are part of the bigger rocks in my tank so it will be some work!