I found what is killing my zoas! Pics and report included...and I need your help!!

[RedAnt78]

Ok so my Tubs Blues were closed for about a month (all of them are gone now) and then my kiwi's have been closed for I think around 2 weeks or so. I couldn't figure out what was happening because all of my params have been fine. Then I noticed that on the kiwi's the "skin" around the plug looked like it had been kinda chewed or something. So I started thinking that I better start looking for a preditor feeding on my zoas. I immediately put the zoa colony in my 10gal nano and about 10min later saw 3 Nassarius snails right on the "damaged" skin! And YES they were EATING IT! I took them out and put them in the fuge and decided to do a night watch on my display tank and that's when I saw them. HUGE amphipods!! I saw around 6-7 of them, they are huge (for pods ), like a quarter of an inch! I watched them eat almost a whole zoa polyp on my ring of fire zoas and eating the base of some red zoas that I have! Below is a pic of my ring of fire zoas where 2 polyps have now been eaten and another pic of that night when they were eating at the base of the red zoas, which are now barely hanging onto the plug that they've been on for over a year. I'm now wondering if they might be chewing on a couple of my SPS's they have some "skin" pulled off the tips of a couple branches.
The reason I think the Nassarius snails were eating the "skin" is because I think the amphipods do the initial damage which probably causes algae or something in which the nassarius snails then go to work, but end up eating the skin too!

HELP! What will eat big pods??? They are definately to big for any dragonettes. Maybe something that will hunt them at night when they are out?
I hope this helps any of you that might be losing zoas and don't know why!

 

[karmaz]

Hey Bud well it seems like you have a case of sundial snails, and those are known eaters of zoas and palys and for the amphipods I know them to agitate the polyps but never had a case personally, but have heard of them doing damage before. The only way of getting rid of the snails is manual removal and a wrasse might help you take care of those large amphipods

Hope this helps

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I'm no expert with those snails either but a dip may kill them too.

 

[stevensun]

My melanurus wrasse took care of the big amphipods in my tank. It's actually fun to watch him "aim & shoot" at the amphipods. I believe coris wrasse will eat them too but do not have any first hand experience. Several people on this forum have brought this up to viewers' attention but not every one believed it. All I can say is we didn't make it up and you have the right to choose what to believe.

 

[romsoccer12]

how about a sixline? do they eat those pig amphipods? im having the same problem with them disturbing the zoas

 

[karmaz]

Ya as far as I know a Sixline should be able to do the job also.

 

[CrazyZoa]

I had a crazy pod problem too. I bought a yellow tailed blue damsel and he, my daughter named him "Spike" because he's a stone cold killer took care of them in a hurry!

Later,
Tim

 

[RedAnt78]

Thanks guys! I also posted this on the local Tampa section and it was unanimous from everyone that responded that I should get a H. chrysus (aka. yellow coris, canary wrass). I'll be picking one up tomorrow. I still can't get over how big the amphepods were, I thought I had seen them full grown until I saw these! :hmm5:

 

[MoNsTeR_LoVeR]

wow pods get that big .. i always see little ones in my tank

 

[firebirdcrzy]

Do you have any asternia stars in your tank? I have some palys that are starting to look just like yours in the pics. I aslo have some mutant size pods running around after lights out. The only thing I have seen on my paly/zoos is the stars. I have been trying to pluck them out but there is just to many.

 

[RedAnt78]

Do you have any asternia stars in your tank? I have some palys that are starting to look just like yours in the pics. I aslo have some mutant size pods running around after lights out. The only thing I have seen on my paly/zoos is the stars. I have been trying to pluck them out but there is just to many.

Yes, I have tons of those too. I've seen them sitting on some of my zoas for over an hour, but haven't seen damage from them. I used a red light to watch the pods eat my zoas and then I was able to use a white light to take a quick picture.

 

[SIR PATRICK]

A Pajama Cardinal will make short work of your isopod population IME.

 

[scuba guy ron]

I've had the same issue with pods about a monthago. real wierd thing is they only ate the radioactive dragons eyes off the rock and didn't touch the eagle eyes that were mixed in. decimated the colony of about 60-70 polyps. now I've been left with therest of the eagle eyes (about 30 polyps).


I was unable to locate any preditor or irritator. I also dint notice any tell tale pox or anyother disease

My synopsis is as follows:

- the zoas became ill with some unidentified illness
- the large amphipods did what they do, disposed of the dying animals ie zoas in this case

From what I watched, the pods didnt create the problem but merely cleaned it up. all the other colonys are fine to date.

 

[Korrine]

That stub like in the second picture are what a small colony of mine looks like. Had 10+ polyps on it and now about 4 or 5.

 

[xlayedoutx]

I've got the same problem. Been losing Zoa after zoa. Once one is completely gone it seems to move on to a different colony, one colony at a time. Today I noticed a huge pod picking at the bottom of a stalk with 2 very damaged zoas on each side.

After seeing this thread I've got no doubt in my mind that these pods are the cause.

 

[RedAnt78]

That's a good point, it does seem like they are doing it one colony at a time. I really can't see anything wrong with the zoas before the pods start picking at them. I'm gonna keep studying them though. I need to get a magnifying glass!

 

[peteyp923]

WOW, pods eating zoas... never heard of that before. this is nutz!

 

[stevensun]

WOW, pods eating zoas... never heard of that before. this is nutz!

It's amphipods to be specific.

 

[xlayedoutx]

Came home today with 3 pods working on the same colony of zoas. I bought a sixline to see if this helps get the pod pop in check and maybe kill the trouble makers. If I see any tomorrow I'll take some pics.

 

[puter]

No question in my mind that some of these amphipods consume some palys/zoas.