encideought February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 So, I was gazing lovingly into my tank and I saw that a zoa colony I recently got was all closed up. It's been in the tank for a little over a week and it's been open most of the time. I thought I saw some of the skirt sticking out, but it looked kinda weird. I stared a little longer and noticed, it was moving! So...this is what I found: It's pretty darn tiny, but just from a quick web search, it seems like a paly eating nudibranch. Any guesses? I isolated the nudibranch and the frag I found it on from the rest of the tank. Everything else in the tank (including a few other zoas) looks chipper so...hopefully my nerdy staring has saved me from a major headache...hopefully. Should I treat with flatworm exit a few times over the next couple weeks, keep checking the tank, and try not to worry? Thanks, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 So, I was gazing lovingly into my tank and I saw that a zoa colony I recently got was all closed up. It's been in the tank for a little over a week and it's been open most of the time. I thought I saw some of the skirt sticking out, but it looked kinda weird. I stared a little longer and noticed, it was moving! So...this is what I found: It's pretty darn tiny, but just from a quick web search, it seems like a paly eating nudibranch. Any guesses? I isolated the nudibranch and the frag I found it on from the rest of the tank. Everything else in the tank (including a few other zoas) looks chipper so...hopefully my nerdy staring has saved me from a major headache...hopefully. Should I treat with flatworm exit a few times over the next couple weeks, keep checking the tank, and try not to worry? Thanks, Nick I don't know about treatment or anything, but good eye, and great pic! Hopefully you caught it soon enough and it was just one. Chances are there's eggs somewhere though. Are the zoa's in the pic similar in color to the nudibranch? If not, then hopefully the nudibranch climbed on to the frag from another frag/colony in the store and so you arn't infested with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 eww hes pretty how distructive can he be can you like sacrofice cheaper zoos to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 (edited) Glad you found him. These are relatively easy to eliminate if you can remove your zoanthids from the tank for treatment. Eggs are laid on the side of a polyp, and look like a tiny circle of white dots...really tiny. Revive or freshwater dips will knock off any adults, but it won't affect the eggs. One or two won't destroy your zoanthids quickly, but left intreated they'll lay eggs and then their population will explode until all your zoas are gone. There are zillions of threads here and elsewhere on zoanthid eating nudibranchs with example pictures and treatment recommendations. Just remember that most treatments won't affect the eggs, except potassium permangante, which is a pretty harsh chemical. Good luck, Jon Edited February 10, 2010 by Jon Lazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 wanna trade it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encideought February 10, 2010 Author Share February 10, 2010 (edited) wanna trade it? Really!?! you WANT this thing? I'd be happy to find it a new home instead of just killing it. Right now I have it isolated in a testing vial, so I might toss an unimportant polyp in there to keep it happy if you really want it. Are the zoa's in the pic similar in color to the nudibranch? If not, then hopefully the nudibranch climbed on to the frag from another frag/colony in the store and so you arn't infested with them. Good thinking Sam, I'm glad you asked about the color of the zoas because you made me remember something. I bought a few different zoa frags that day and I got one that looked like it had a metallic orange skirt. The polyps never really opened up after I got it home and the polyps totally disappeared within a few days. The weird thing was the polyps didn't just vanish, they looked like they were dying from the base up, and after they were sick I noticed the snails and urchin munching on them. I just thought it was bad luck and didn't really think that they may have looked bad because they were carrying something. The frag that I actually found the nudibranch on was RIGHT NEXT to the original sick frag in my tank, so the nudibranch probably crawled from one frag directly to the adjacent one after there was nothing else to eat. Thankfully these were new to my tank and I had them sitting separate from everything else in one corner of the tank. There are zillions of threads here and elsewhere on zoanthid eating nudibranchs with example pictures and treatment recommendations. Just remember that most treatments won't affect the eggs, except potassium permangante, which is a pretty harsh chemical. Thanks for the advice on how to treat. I have isolated all frags that were in the neighborhood of the nudi and I'll treat them and keep them isolated over the next few weeks to try and make sure I keep the little buggers out of the rest of my tank. Thanks for the advice everyone, please let me know if you've got any other ideas/suggestions! Edited February 10, 2010 by encideought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 Nice photo, Nick. Sorry about the nudi, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Camaron February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 That ducks man, I had those long ago and it was a few months battle to syphon most out at night and dip the rest in iodine for 5-10 minutes, brush of the eggs off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoozilla February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 +1. Also, TMPCC and CoralRx. That ducks man, I had those long ago and it was a few months battle to syphon most out at night and dip the rest in iodine for 5-10 minutes, brush of the eggs off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 I got zoa eating nudis on a piece of live rock that had some zoas on it a while back. When I first saw one, it had those pretty red feather looking appendages and left it alone. Pretty soon I had at least 20, with tons of eggs all over my zoas. They quickly reproduce and can be tough to kill if you let them get out of hand. And if you do, they will eat all of your zoas. I got a product called Wardley Parasite Sweep when Aquaco was still open. I'm sure you can find it somewhere locally or on the web. I took the rocks and dipped them in a bucket with tank water and the recommended dose. It kills the adults immediately, but you have to take tweezers and pick off all of the eggs one by one. You will find them on the undersides of zoas usually, and occasionally attached to rocks. Looks like a tiny ring of pearls. It was about a month-long process for me with several dips and almost daily removal of the egg sacs. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 If you are going to the meeting, bring it and I'll try to breed it and see what its' lifecycle is like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 Do you have the zoos to feed it:) SACROFISE SACROFISE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 Do you have the zoos to feed it:) SACROFISE SACROFISE! I have some sacrificial Tubs Blues. It can eat in style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 You wouldn't would you! Thats a style if I ever heard one they sell for a ton... anyway SACROFISE TAKE VIDEOS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encideought February 10, 2010 Author Share February 10, 2010 You wouldn't would you! Thats a style if I ever heard one they sell for a ton... anyway SACROFISE TAKE VIDEOS! Ha! You guys are pretty funny. Thanks for all the suggestions, I feel a little better that I can comisserate with some other people that have had to deal with a similar situation. Since my office was closed today, I spent a pretty long time looking at all the polyps/rocks in my tank and didn't see any evidence of eggs, which is hopefully not just a trick... To be on the safe side I've been treating all zoas that were near the slug with iodine dips and I'll be keeping them separate for a while...and I'll probably be scrutinizing the tank for a while till I'm satisfied. The polyps that had the nudi crawling on them have opened all the way back up and they seem pretty happy again at least. The nudi has been relocated to a more modest living space (inside a test tube) and I have provided some subpar polyps for snacking purposes for the time being. I'll plan on bringing it to the meeting so hopefully the world will benefit through research Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan February 10, 2010 Share February 10, 2010 (edited) I'd dip them in fresh water too. Zoas can handle fresh water dip just fine and it will kill the nudis instantly. You should look in between the zoa polyps for egg mass. In most cases they appear as a "C" shaped gelatinous cluster of tiny white eggs. http://www.reeflounge.com/showthread.php?t=14735 Ha! You guys are pretty funny. Thanks for all the suggestions, I feel a little better that I can comisserate with some other people that have had to deal with a similar situation. Since my office was closed today, I spent a pretty long time looking at all the polyps/rocks in my tank and didn't see any evidence of eggs, which is hopefully not just a trick... To be on the safe side I've been treating all zoas that were near the slug with iodine dips and I'll be keeping them separate for a while...and I'll probably be scrutinizing the tank for a while till I'm satisfied. The polyps that had the nudi crawling on them have opened all the way back up and they seem pretty happy again at least. The nudi has been relocated to a more modest living space (inside a test tube) and I have provided some subpar polyps for snacking purposes for the time being. I'll plan on bringing it to the meeting so hopefully the world will benefit through research Edited February 10, 2010 by Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 11, 2010 Share February 11, 2010 I'd dip them in fresh water too. Zoas can handle fresh water dip just fine and it will kill the nudis instantly. You should look in between the zoa polyps for egg mass. In most cases they appear as a "C" shaped gelatinous cluster of tiny white eggs. http://www.reeflounge.com/showthread.php?t=14735 I have more trouble with diseases and hitch hikers with zoa's than anything else. As soon as I get one I rinse it in straight tap water for 30-60 seconds and then iodine dip it before putting it in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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