Elizzy Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Remember awhile back, when my xenia just mysteriously died (see sig). I chalked it up to beginner’s unluck… Over the past few months, I noticed my little zoa plugs were disappearing…Again, I figured bad lighting, asterinas, something was killing them. Now, however, my beautiful large leather corals aren't opening anymore and there are bite marks around their edges. I believe I have a Coral-eating nudibranch (or 5 million) Obviously, I've had it for some time now, considering when the xenia died. I’m going to dip my leathers in a solution similar to lugols (can’t recall the name, but it’s iodine based and was recommended when the store was out of lugols). Will pick up a wrasse too. I kind of wanted to stay away from wrasses because I’ve heard some horror stories about them – does anyone have a recommendation of a nice wrasse? Yellow coris? (Other inhabitants: yellow watchman goby, firefish, 2 clowns, cleaner shrimp, emerald crab, 2 hermit crabs, large snail). Since this nudi appears to be attacking all my soft corals, if I remove the leathers to a QT, should I be worried about the myriad of mushrooms, frogspawn, acan, or even plate? Any other thoughts? Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua-Dome Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Generally pest nudibranchs feed on particular species of coral, so my guess is that something else is going on. However I would do the dip and see if anything falls off. The nudis that feed on xenia, as well as the ones that feed on leathers, zoas, etc should be visible and up to 1". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Thanks Aqua-Dome I dipped the corals last night and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Checking the tank this morning, noticed big bite marks up the stalk of my leather coral…then I see IT. O.M.G. The king daddy of all nudibranchs. This sucker was 3.5” (yes, inches) long and 1.5” wide. I ran to grab my extra long forceps, but then I hesitated to find something big enough to put it in. By the time I got back to the tank, it was out of sight. It’s dark grey with blue spots and a dark brownish black line running down it’s back. It doesn’t have any frills, very smooth. Small antennae. It moves quickly over the rock work. Has anyone heard of anything like this? I am so freaked out. I’ve got to remove it, but how? Just pull an all nighter and try to catch it with tweezers? Set some kind of trap? Will a wrasse even touch something this big? TGIF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 How the heck can you miss a 3.5" anything... At least you have a legitimate nemesis. You need to catch this thing so we can see it. Set a fish trap with some leather coral in it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 It looks a lot like these. It's very flat and moves fast!! I remember when this guy came in...I misidentified it as a stomatella because it had a half shell. AGGGGHHHHHH. --- Further update... Well...after further research I might have a polyclad flatworm (which probably ate the stomatella, lol). It would explain all the snail deaths (which I attributed to having an unseen predator like oenone worm). It looks exactly like this and moves like . I'm wondering now if it's what caused the hole in goby or even the bite marks on the coral.Whatever it is, I will try to trap it. Will post pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civais Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 If you do not want to mess with a wrasse I have used an arrow crab which was easy to catch once the job is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Those are crazy. I don't think I'd know what to do if I found that either. They look exactly like nudi's at first. I just read about an 8" one in a nano tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 If you do not want to mess with a wrasse I have used an arrow crab which was easy to catch once the job is done. Ah thanks, but those arrow crabs scare me so much. (I have a huge fear of spiders, and anything that looks like them) Those are crazy. I don't think I'd know what to do if I found that either. They look exactly like nudi's at first. I just read about an 8" one in a nano tank. Well it's a good thing I didn't use tweezers as they are built like smoke and fall apart easily - and the parts live - agggghhhhh. They reproduce by splitting... Aggghhhhhh. So either I net it, trap it, or try to suck it up in a turkey baster. If all those methods fail, I'll remove the rock and dip it in FW. Also I did a search on these worms here at ARC, NOT ONE POST. Maybe this is the first one in Austin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Did it only eat xenia? I would love to have something eat mine. If yours died just be happy that your not dealing with them taking over your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 Hey Bige, I don't know what is eating what in my tank of late. Supposedly the polyclad flatworm doesn't eat corals, but then I saw a post where a bunch of them were attacking fish... I'm going to remove the rock I think it lives in and try to get it out today. If that fails, I'll make a bottle trap... I really, really wish I had started off with dead rock. Yesterday I saw a brittle star arm pulling pieces off the leather coral - sigh.. Now I understand why people give up (if it's not one thing, it's 400,012). I promptly grabbed my forceps and removed said arm, but as I was exacting my anger on the long, skinny arm, one of my fat clownfish attacked me. Already being on edge about the flatworm, I nearly had a coronary. The noise I made startled my boyfriend awake who was napping on the couch. I loved the xenia...the way it pulsed and moved like fields of wheat...well minus the pulsing part, but that would be cool if fields of wheat did that. If you'd like to get rid of some, please let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua-Dome Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Some of the coolest animals I've come across in the hobby have been hitchhikers, I definitely remember my first white lacy colt leather eating slug. And sometimes xenia just melt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 You really want xenia? I have plenty. I have a rock about the size of your fist you are welcome to. Do you have any lr with nothing on it you might trade to replace the that rock? My wife loves her "flopian tubes". But I really have plenty. I have less if you want less. Could you pick them up? A chance to go to the aquadome if you don't get to go very often. The have more fish and coral than I have ever seen at a store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Heck yeah I want the Xenia! At the moment, you do not want anything out of my tank. I've got mysterious leather coral eaters I'm still trying to identify. So let's hold for the moment. If you need any hardware, I've got a fluval, and a couple of hob filters (emperor, and double something) from my freshwater days. I also have cash...but we can talk about it later after I catch this (these?!?) dang flatworms. Bottle trap set tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 just pm me when your ready. I will hold it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonHoff Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 i had zoa eating nudi's once in my tank and got rid of them by dosing my tank with salifert flatworm exit at a x3 stregnth dose every week for 4 weeks. the faltworm exit kills adult nudis and repeat to kill eggs that have hatched. now my zoas are nice and happy and that pic was a month ago! they have grown a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Bought some snails yesterday, so far, all are alive. I *think* I found remains of the 4" polyclad flatworm stuck on my powerhead a few weeks ago. Here's hoping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 . . . don't know what is eating what . . . Sounds like a successful reef tank to me! I'd be tempted to keep buying the little monster corals to feed it. . . . Yesterday I saw a brittle star arm pulling pieces off the leather coral - sigh.. Now I understand why people give up (if it's not one thing, it's 400,012). I promptly grabbed my forceps and removed said arm, but as I was exacting my anger on the long, skinny arm, one of my fat clownfish attacked me. Well, I think your count is a little low but the visual of the clown attack is funny their sense of timing suggests a very devious nature. Regarding the brittle star, having wrestled with big ones I'm not impressed with their strength and having tried to pull leathers/softies off rocks and their ability to pinch off a piece of themselves I'm inclined to think the brittle star either grabbed something that settled on or was unattached to the leather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 Last night I saw the polyclad flatworm eating a turbo. I raced to the kitchen to grab my turkey baster and net -- I’ve been on a mission to capture this thing for months. Raced back to tank and tried to suck the worm up in the baster, it wasn’t working, the worm was retreating into a rock. [insert expletive here] So I just took the whole rock out. I brushed at the worm and poured club soda on it. This resulted in pieces of it falling off... Since most of it fell off, I put the rock back in the tank (after pouring rodi over it)… But then I saw the pieces moving around. Like perfect little flatworms. My God, what had I done. I sucked up all the pieces and pulled the rock out… The rock now sits in an empty bucket, drying in my garage. My question – would it be ok to return the rock to my tank after some time has passed (ensuring everything is dead)? I thought if I scrubbed it real good, it would be like introducing a mostly dead rock. It’s a large rock, it –was- covered in coralline and a few zoas I was willing to take the hit on the zoas to rid my tank of this pest. I definitely don’t want to do anything that would cause a major upset to my tank’s balance…I’d expect a smallish cycle, but maybe the best route to go is with a sledgehammer… Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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