Getting Desperate About Nudis!!!!!

[reefshadow]

Hey, All-

Been battling nudis for a few months now, and I am getting sick of the endless rounds of fw dipping and scraping off egg masses! My zoas are doing ok because the population is kept low by my efforts, but I can't seem to get rid of them once and for all, and can't sell or trade any frags (don't want to pass it on). It's embarassing, like a venereal disease

I am thinking of adding some wrasses to my reef to hopefully help. I added a six line a couple of weeks ago but he's a tiny guy and only seems interested in pods. The tank is a 240 gallon and so I have lots of options. I only have 8 small docile fish (all under 4 inches)

The problem is local availability. We only have a petco here (i know, i know). Otherwise I have to drive halfway across the state for anything. So here in town, right now i can get a lunare wrasse (under 2 inches) or a yellow coris, or both. I have had a lunare in the past (early on) and he got big and aggressive, also wasn't very good on all the microfauna. Never had a coris.

I read in Muchos thread that some folks are using lunares and coris. I'm about ready to try anything. Any ideas or opinions?

Thanks!

 

[mbunaman]

Try the yellow coris if you have fish under 4 inches sometimes lunares are a little aggresive. I tried Muchos suggestion on the sea grass wrasse and it did wonders until he went carpet surfing

 

[Mchava]

Best bet is a yellow coris, when I had the monti nudis, my yellow coris took care of them. Another option would be a Hardwick wrasse but not sure if you can get one.

 

[TWallace]

In Mucho's thread about the wrasse that eats the nudis, someone suggested that multiple kinds of Halichoeres wrasses will all eat the nudi. Given that the Yellow Coris Wrasse is not actually a Coris wrasse (it's a Halichoeres), I'd go with that. It won't get big and mean like the lunare's will. Real Coris wrasses are not reef safe, they'll munch on shrimp and crabs (too bad too, Coris gaimard is such a gorgeous fish).

I went around to LFS in search of any Halichoeres wrasses a week ago and found a juvenille Neon Wrasse (Halichoeres Garnoti) for $11. I haven't seen him actually eat a nudi, but I have seen him several times inspect a zoanthid frag and peck at something. He's always on the hunt too, must have a bottomless stomach. I have not FW dipped any zoanthids in several days and haven't seen any nudis either. My zoanthids are all opening up more than they have been in the past, too. I wish one of the LFS had a yellow coris, they're much prettier than neons.

 

[reefshadow]

Thanks, all-

I guess I will go with the coris. I'm still a bit hesitant, as I have many small to tiny snails I really don't want to lose. I currently have a breeding population of stomatella and collonistas, also tons of mini brittles and spaghetti worms. Are these typically on the coris menu? I guess though I have to weigh the value of my zoas against my microfauna.

Anyone have a coris that doesn't present a problem?

Thanks, Becca

 

[TWallace]

I'm pretty sure the Yellow Coris would eat those worms, but I'm not sure on the snails. I know they eat pyramidellid snails, but that's a good thing. My Halichoeres garnoti does not bother any shrimp, snails or crabs. He occasionally flips over zoanthid frags in search of food, though.