Lynnmw1208
New member
nasty!!!! I'll have to be on the lookout now! Thanks for the great info! I think this will help many people who are having these issues. Did dipping do anything to these guys or did you still have to manually pull them off?
All "zoa eating spiders" must be destroyed!
- Thread starter IridescentLily
- Start date
Hmmm...
Hmmm...
Early on, I lost a number of zoa colonies for no apparent reason (everything else was doing well). Given that zoas are pretty easy to maintain, I was at a loss. Maybe these "spiders" were the culprit. Does anyone know their scientific name? Do they prey on any other corals?
Hmmm...
Early on, I lost a number of zoa colonies for no apparent reason (everything else was doing well). Given that zoas are pretty easy to maintain, I was at a loss. Maybe these "spiders" were the culprit. Does anyone know their scientific name? Do they prey on any other corals?
cool, thanks tetra-tag.
here's a new vid from an hour ago of a big zoa spider i happenef to see just sitting on a branch with red palys on it. and i caught it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnahYPEnRk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here's a general video of my tank that i took a few minutes ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDggS2dxrHE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
You'd never know there were any spiders. I never knew why my zoa colonies were slowly dying no matter what i did. And Yet, MOST of my zoas were growing two to five polyps a DAY.
Then i started really looking at the few polyps that looked funny, at night and stuff. That's when i discovered them. And because i saw what they looked like i was able to spot others. it was like the more i saw, and caught, the easier it was to know when there was another one next time.
From my experience, I have not seen one bite, harm or touch any of my other corals. Only my zoas, and my palys.
here's a new vid from an hour ago of a big zoa spider i happenef to see just sitting on a branch with red palys on it. and i caught it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnahYPEnRk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here's a general video of my tank that i took a few minutes ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDggS2dxrHE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
You'd never know there were any spiders. I never knew why my zoa colonies were slowly dying no matter what i did. And Yet, MOST of my zoas were growing two to five polyps a DAY.
Then i started really looking at the few polyps that looked funny, at night and stuff. That's when i discovered them. And because i saw what they looked like i was able to spot others. it was like the more i saw, and caught, the easier it was to know when there was another one next time.
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philosophile
New member
How manycolonies do you have? Are they big colonies? I see some are puttied onto your LR but it just might be easier(and safer) to pop them off and dip them...
Did you dip your zoas when you got them initially?
I had the nudis and those were a pain. Dipped every purchase religiously since with no problems.
Did you dip your zoas when you got them initially?
I had the nudis and those were a pain. Dipped every purchase religiously since with no problems.
Hi philosophile,
ive got nine colonies. three colonies are 30-50 polyps. one has about 100 or so. We think the spiders came in on a piece of live rocked which wasn't dipped in Lugols. Of course. *hits own head with a blunt instrument*
Ahahahaha...i'msorry, i meant every week, not everyday, lol.
I've caught three nudibranchs as well.
colony over a span of two months. Nudis eat the zoa mats mostly, so that the colony slowly looks worse and worse, kinda as if they were starving.
Zoa spiders start with one polyp in a colony first, and they really mangle the polyp so that the polyp looks very different than the polyp right next to it.
zoa eating nudibranch devestation vs. zoa eating spider devastation
Zoa Eating Spider
In my experience the below photos are how a zoa or paly will look if there is a zoa spider involved.
You know how some chefs at some restaurants make their sauces in little pinwheel designs like the photos below?
That is how a zoa or paly face will look when a zoa eating spider is involved. *All the rest will look great. *Except for one. *Usually the color of the paly or zoa will change so that there is a black swirl of color in the face instead of the usual color it looked like previous.*
Also, the zoa spiders will go inside the zoa and eat it from the inside out, and the entire zoa will disappear from a nub down to nothing left. *You can see the zoa skirts but they are almost turned inside out.*
6]Zoa eating nudibranch
Whereas the nudibranch affected zoa colony will all look like they are shrinking or puckering up. *They will all lose their skirts. *They are not eaten down to nothing like with spiders but will still have their stalks, just thin and dried up stalks.*
*
here's a video from today of me catching one*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnahYPEnRk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
colony over a span of two months. Nudis eat the zoa mats mostly, so that the colony slowly looks worse and worse, kinda as if they were starving.
Zoa spiders start with one polyp in a colony first, and they really mangle the polyp so that the polyp looks very different than the polyp right next to it.
zoa eating nudibranch devestation vs. zoa eating spider devastation
Zoa Eating Spider
In my experience the below photos are how a zoa or paly will look if there is a zoa spider involved.
You know how some chefs at some restaurants make their sauces in little pinwheel designs like the photos below?
That is how a zoa or paly face will look when a zoa eating spider is involved. *All the rest will look great. *Except for one. *Usually the color of the paly or zoa will change so that there is a black swirl of color in the face instead of the usual color it looked like previous.*
Also, the zoa spiders will go inside the zoa and eat it from the inside out, and the entire zoa will disappear from a nub down to nothing left. *You can see the zoa skirts but they are almost turned inside out.*
6]Zoa eating nudibranch
Whereas the nudibranch affected zoa colony will all look like they are shrinking or puckering up. *They will all lose their skirts. *They are not eaten down to nothing like with spiders but will still have their stalks, just thin and dried up stalks.*
*
here's a video from today of me catching one*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnahYPEnRk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
SIR PATRICK
New member
I have always wondered when I would see some good coverage of spiders, and looks like I have finally found it! Great job Abril! Very well documented and put together. The videos are great!
Is there anything more you can add? Have you found any dips to be more effective than others? Any dips that have no effect? Are you still finding spiders?
Have you tried doing an all polyp dip, all the same day, on every polyp you have yet? I have found this a very effective method, along with manual removal, for Nudis. 2 rounds, and I was done....even though I continued the dip cycle, weekly, for 2 more weeks- just in case.
Hows that lobo? I saw some tissue recession....please tell me its not following the recession around the rest of it? Happened to me.....no clue why.
Looking forward to more updates on the spiders.
Is there anything more you can add? Have you found any dips to be more effective than others? Any dips that have no effect? Are you still finding spiders?
Have you tried doing an all polyp dip, all the same day, on every polyp you have yet? I have found this a very effective method, along with manual removal, for Nudis. 2 rounds, and I was done....even though I continued the dip cycle, weekly, for 2 more weeks- just in case.
Hows that lobo? I saw some tissue recession....please tell me its not following the recession around the rest of it? Happened to me.....no clue why.
Looking forward to more updates on the spiders.
Thank you Sir
No, ive not tried the every colony every day course yet.
That would indeed be the next step.
I now believe manual removal couple with Lugols to be making the most difference.
You're right, in the pic the lobo is all pinched in that area even more than it usually is, because a turbo snail just got through cleaning on it. It's had it's skeletal area visible in that area since it was at the lfs. Most of the time the tissue is puffed up so its harder to tell. My goal is to help it fill in that area. *crosses fingers*
I've caught a grand total of 23 since i started seeing them ten days ago.
My zoas and palys are looking noticeably better. All the ones that have been messed with, They're all starting to open their skirts.
If this continues for a couple hours it'll be the first time that i've not seen any ALL DAY.
:-0 <-------shock
This may just be the "first wave" of the cycle but i
I think i may have gotten on top of the problem of sheer numbers, and am perhaps even decreasing their life cycle. *crosses fingers*
I'll keep you all updated on this issue though.
By the way, i found one on my acan colony yesterday. That's the first time i've seen these on another coral beside zoas/palys.
I'll update as things change.
Thanks Sir Patrick.
This is why i feel we've crossed some kind of eradicating threshhold with the spiders.
This is why i feel we've crossed some kind of eradicating threshhold with the spiders.
This is why i think i'm getting ahead of these spiders
SIR PATRICK
New member
Keep up the great work! I applaud your diligence! Looks like it is working very well for you.
Thanks Sir Patrick!
Here's a video i took of the tank today, after i dipped them all in Lugols.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0R5N066ZbQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here's a video i took of the tank today, after i dipped them all in Lugols.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0R5N066ZbQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Thought i'd take a photo of zoas/palys on the mend *squee*
It's been 48 hours...with 0 spiders.
*is whispering, trying not to jinx it*
*quiet squee*
*is whispering, trying not to jinx it*
*quiet squee*
