'bug' on zoas - is this a nudibranch?

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
yes his 'tail' was facing up between zoas and it looked like a partially open zoa but it didn't seem quite right so I took my baster and sucked at it and it came right off.
 

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
kill it before it lays eggs! :p

Yes, that's a nudibranch, and if it has been feasting on your zoas it will probably fluoresce under blue lighting...which means it's probably time to inspect your corals and dip everything. Are your zoas closing up or disappearing at all? Typically you'll see signs before spotting them
 
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CRW Reef

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#6
Yes that is a zoa eating nudibranch. I recommend removing and dipping all of your zoas and if you can put them all into a quarantine tank. If you do not have a QT and cant set one up, I would plan to do this dip once a week in hopes of slowly eradicating any adults therefore preventing them from producing more eggs. I would also plan to get myself a yellow coris wrasse (I got mine form our sponsor Ambrosio Aquatics). This will be good test of strength on how bad you want to keep zoas but if you hang in there, get a wrasse and keep up with the coral dips you'll surpass this.

* I have included my coral dipping method below, but if you were only going to buy and use 1 coral dip, I would recommend getting Coral Rx - http://www.coralrx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=23

CRW Reef;316095 said:
Well here is how I dip :p

I use the following products all mixed together when I dip coral (do not use this mixture on deep water or smooth skinned acros):p yes I know.....no need to say it

Bayer Advanced - Complete Insect Killer - http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100658...&catalogId=10053&N=5yc1vZbx4wZ3pp&R=100658964
Two Little Fishies - ReVive Coral Cleaner -
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/two-little-fishies-revive-coral-cleaner-1.htmll
Seachem - Reef Dip -
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/ReefDip.html
Reef Pest Solutions - RPS All Out - http://www.reefpestsolutions.com/#!rps-all-out/ctb5 - (Can get from out sponsor Ambrosio Aquatics)

Steps Taken:


  1. INSPECT FRAG FOR PESTS - VISUAL INSPECTION IS KEY!!!!!!!!!!
  2. Use tweezers or scalpel or whatever to remove any easily visible pests
  3. Start with 1 cup of water (using water from bag that coral came in)
  4. Add syringe with 5 mls of Bayer Advanced
  5. Add syringe with 5 mls of ReVive
  6. Add syringe with 5 mls of RPS All Out
  7. Add syringe with 2.5 mls of Reef Dip
  8. Stir Water
  9. Add corals (do not use this mixture on deep water or smooth skinned acros)
  10. Allow zoas to sit for 5-15 mins (10 mins is my average)
  11. Remove coral rinsing and swishing upside down as you remove (shaking all detritus build up and other now dead things off)
  12. Soak in separate container - 1 cup of tank water
  13. Soak 5 mins
  14. Remove coral rinsing and swishing upside down as you remove (hoping to shake off any residual detritus build up and other now dead things)
  15. Soak in separate container (yes a second container) - 1 cup of tank water
  16. Soak 5 mins
  17. Remove coral rinsing and swishing upside down as you remove (hoping to shake off any residual detritus build up and other now dead things)
  18. Soak in separate container (yes a second container) - 1 cup of tank water
  19. Soak 5 mins
  20. Remove coral rinsing and swishing upside down as you remove (hoping to shake off any residual detritus build up and other now dead things)
  21. RE-INSPECT FRAG FOR PESTS - VISUAL INSPECTION IS KEY!!!!!!!!!!
  22. Place coral in qt (quarantine) or dt (display tank) and enjoy :p

* Disclaimer - Do not use this mixture on deep water or smooth skinned acros. i would only use ReVive and Reef Dip on these !!!!!!

Again this is just how I do it and may not be for everyone. I seem to some how acquire several frags monthly from several different sources and no matter who it is I ALWAYS DIP NO MATTER WHAT!!!


Good Luck and let us know if you need help with anything.
 

FinsUp

According to my watch, the time is now.
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
oh lord. I had these, and after much QT and dipping and more QT and more dipping... I finally gave up. Tossed all of my zoas, let the tank sit without them for months, got a coris wrasse and 6 line, and eventually added zoas back to the tank. Had no issues after that. If you have more patience than me, go with Chad's plan as outlined above.
 

Walter White

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
When I had them in my last tank a long while back I had some success with flatworm exit. It killed all my inverts though and pretty much ****ed off everything for the next 6 weeks. I didn't have any more after that though. If you can remove to dip that's much better but if that's not an option for what ever reason FWE might be a way to go.
 

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
Thanks - the nudibranch is in the little cup still - will get rid of him.

I will have to see if I can get all the zoas off the rock. Some of them are on the big rock directly though...

Yes they have been closing up and one group was completely wiped out. (much sadness - they were blue - so my pretty blue zoas are gone gone gone...) The others all seem OK though. I just got home from picking Ethan up from summer camp (gone for 5 whole days/nights!) and l checked my zoas and more were open than before, so just getting that one out was probably a very good thing. I will continue to check them multiple times a day and I will see which ones I can get off the big rock to QT and use CoralRX on.

I do have a yellow coris wrass from Great White from our meeting last month. :) So maybe he already got more of them??? (here's hoping)

If anyone else has any bright blue zoas, I would love to buy a few heads. I got mine from saltwaterfish.com and they were SO beautiful but they don't have anymore now.
 

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
Saw a string of eggs (spiral) so I pulled it out of the tank and started chipping away at my zoa rock. All the ones that were still on a portion of their original base came off easily. I'm hoping the pink ones I got survive because they were actually glued right to the rock along with a small colony of fire and ice... We'll see what happens.

The zoa I saw the eggs on was not doing well so I cut him off the colony, but I have a large colony of the bam bams, so I'm not heartbroken about one. (unlike my blues that are goners)
I will be on the search for CoralRX first thing tomorrow.
Now it's bedtime for Robin
 

FlyrodTodd

Amphipod
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
Holy Crap! I've only been dipping with Seachem - Reef Dip for 10 minutes. missed all the inspect, double dip, triple dip, inspect, scrape, scrub.....I'll be ordering all the stuff on the list this weekend. Chad do you go straight into display tank or quarantine tank...and if quarantine, for how long?
 
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