Amphipod take over!

[tidus10]

How do I get rid of these? They are all over the place! I think they are eating my Zoas... These are big and I can see them crawling all over my rock at night... my sump is full of them ((which I think is fine)) and now they are taking over my DT... I just got a fairy wrasse to help but I read they have to be trained on eating them?! Please help

 

[tidus10]

They hide under frag plugs and when I pulled the plug from my tank they literally crawled around the plug outside the water looking for water.. kind of creepy things..

 

[Betta132]

What makes you think they're eating the zoas?

 

[sanchezdamin]

They don't eat Zoas. They're actually beneficial to your tank as they help to breakdown waste. This is a good thing if you've ever considered a dragonet. Look into mandarin or a scooter dragonet care.

 

[tidus10]

Ive been having zoas come up missing (just, gone..) my LFS said that if they see some zoas that are weaker they will go after them...I seen then crawling all over the zoas the other day and I looked today and seen where it looks like the zoa mat is being eaten

Before you ask about parameters im not 100% sure as my new test kit is getting ordered this weekend...

 

[Betta132]

If they're eating zoas, the zoas are already sick and/or dying. Amphipods are scavengers.

 

[tidus10]

What do you think?

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

This is actually a good thing. Most fish will relish these as a treat. your wrasse should not have to be trained to go after pods. But like the above guy said, adding a mandarin will take care of the pod overpopulation. Or a scooter blenny. Or a pipefish. Pick one compatible with your present inhabitants and go for it. Those big pods do irritate Zoas into dying. I had this happen too. Oh and if your Fairy isn't getting the job done, try a yellow Coris.

 

[tidus10]

... these are literally ALL over the tank.. like MILLIONS and they are HUGE... I don't think I have enough junk in my tank to keep them from eating corals...

 

[Miguelh1302]

... these are literally ALL over the tank.. like MILLIONS and they are HUGE... I don't think I have enough junk in my tank to keep them from eating corals...

Get a mandarin i have one and they take care of the pods, get a mature pair since you have big pods in your tank, whithing weeks you will notice the change

 

[Miz40B]

Get a mandarin i have one and they take care of the pods, get a mature pair since you have big pods in your tank, whithing weeks you will notice the change

Mandarins will only eat the very very small Amphipods and only during lights on.
Amphipods are not eating your zoas. If anything they are eating the dead/dying flesh off the zoa.

 

[tidus10]

Im alright if they are eating the small amphipods that means that they hopefully will not get to maturity.. hes really gorgeous though.. hes a red dragonet I was told hes not a blenny? But he looks like a scooter blenny to me..

stock pic.. mines pretty identical

 

[Calappidae]

Like other's have said, they're benefical and will not hurt your zoas. They are very reef safe, harmless scavengers. Berghia nudibranch eggs are the only thing threatened by them.

So what is my hypothesis for the zoanthids disappearing? Well, how new is the tank? Lighting? etc, as your coral could just be doing poorly on their own. The possibility of a predator is there two like certain nudibranch which unlike amphipods will eat zoanthids and frequently hitchhike on them.

It's also normal for them to cover the back glass at night. They do overpopulate but not in a particularly bad way.

 

[Miguelh1302]

Im alright if they are eating the small amphipods that means that they hopefully will not get to maturity.. hes really gorgeous though.. hes a red dragonet I was told hes not a blenny? But he looks like a scooter blenny to me..

stock pic.. mines pretty identical

Like everybody says they are beneficial, and your zoas are not dying because of them, but I do understand your point on been crazy huge and too many of them, I bet it does not look pretty, however get a pair mandarin and it will help, get some big ones not a baby, and yes this does look like s blenny

 

[tidus10]

I have a radion g3, tank is about 2 years old, other corals are good. Other zoas are alright. I did have a manjano(sp?) in there that I got rid of that may of been doing it too..

How can I find and identify a nudibranch?

 

[Betta132]

A scooter 'blenny' is actually a dragonet, not a blenny. This is a ruby dragonet, a close relative of scooter dragonets, and he may end up starving to death if he can't find enough baby pods. This is a dragonet, and dragonets need a few food items per minute, all day long. He probably has too small of a mouth to eat adults. Just keep a close eye on him... the one in the stock pic already looks a bit underweight. You want them to look kind of chubby.

Nudibranch? Just closely search your live rock for a thing that looks like a bit of moving stuff. It'll probably be on or near the zoas.

 

[Calappidae]

A nudibranch (Flatworm actually is more common) well be difficult to see. Just look around the coral frags and see if there is anything odd shaped on it moving.

 

[Fredericks]

I had an arrow crab love eating the jumbo amphipods.

 

[Betta132]

Arrow crabs are fairly likely to kill shrimp and small fish. They're a bad choice for reef tanks.