Look at these little jerks!

[bekindtoyurbuds]

I just recently spotted some (sort of alot) of of these little jerks on some of my zoanthids.

A few days before I noticed that some of my zoas started to close for no reason, I then looked closer and saw these guys, I don't know what they are called, all I know is that they are bad.

As soon as I noticed them I did a fresh water dip which got some of them out. Next I went into panic mode and decided to frag the colony while I was fragging I carefully pulled 99% of them off. I know I missed a few and will try to get those out in the next few days

What should I do to get rid of the guys, can removing them manually get rid of them all

I think I pulled off about 25 the other day, everytime I see one i try to pull it, I only saw one little guy today and pulled him out (with tweezers) as fast as i could


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[650-IS350]

Manual removal , combined with dips w/ ( lugols/tmpcc/revive and others ), you can also try wrasses like yellow or green coris.

Check for egg masses at the base of the polyps. just scrape them off.

 

[bekindtoyurbuds]

Hey thanks,

what do they egg sacs look like? Is there a pic online somewhere

I didn't notice anything else on the zoas or rocks but i will double check.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Here's a picture of a single egg sack which can encompass 50 to 60 babies just waiting to hatch.

Take a peek at the thread below. The dip recipe has been update in the middle of the thread. It has worked well for me and many many others over the years. The osmosis pressure/shock will kill the adult and juvi nudis.

The dip will not remove or kill the eggs sacks, you must remove those yourself. They are somewhat sticky so take your time. This sacks can be found on the base, side and crown of your polyps. They will appear as 1/8" white to opaque circles. Nudibranchs will also lay these egg sacks on the glass, so be sure to search there as well.

You must be diligent and dedicated to catching and dipping. Another tip is to go in once your tank and the room it is in has been dark for several hours. Quickly turn on your actinics, which will truly highlight the egg sacks and also afford you the chance to remove as many adult nudis as they will come out in droves at night. You must use a turkey baster and act quickly to suck up as many as you can before the scurry to hide.

Continue to dip every other day. Do not dip P. Grandis as the will begin to die almost instantly. You can defeat them my friend, so don't be discouraged. On the weekend,or when you are home for any length of time, check your tank every hour. If you see only one, remove it ASAP.

Even if you don't see any after a week or so, trust me, you still have nudis. Why? Often adults will lay eggs in the cracks or crevices of a rock, you can't see them to remove them and the dip won't kill them.

Also, google Potassium permanganate, E. Borneman did some studies on this and says it is most effective.

Good luck and continue to share with us your progress, we love to hear stories of how Nudis were and can be defeated.

Good luck, Mucho Reef

 

[Kdocimo90]

cool picture

 

[ksc]

Here's an article from zoamania. I've never tried it but if they get out of control it might be worth a shot...

ZOANTHID-EATING NUDIS 101
This article was originally meant to be a multi-page essay with detailed instructions on how to go through the painful eradication process. Thanks to a fellow reefer and zoanthid enthusiast, we all have much less work now: I only have to write a page or so, and everyone with a nudi problem can get rid of these pests in 5-minute for $20.00. For all those who have some interest in reading more about zoanthid eating nudis, dive right in. If you just want to kill them, skip to the very bottom of this article.
Origin
To the best of our knowledge, our nasty little predators originate in the Pacific, notably the Solomon Islands.


Natural Predators
There are a number of fish that reportedly prey on zoanthid eating nudis, however, we’ve tried many and experienced a limited amount of success. We attribute this to the nudis’ ability to adapt to their predators, which we will discuss in detail later in this section.


All fish supposedly preying on nudis belong to the Halichoeres category of the Wrasses, and the Chaetodon family of the Butterfly Fish. Both have a number of downsides that make them unfit predators for most tanks.


Chaetodon: Too large for most tanks; preys on the same zoanthids you are trying to save; the most vicarious nudi eater, Chaetodon Semilarvatus, is, at $120 and up a pricey option.


Halichoeres: Not nearly as efficient as the Butterflies; suicidal jumpers; nudis seem to be an acquired taste that varies from individual fish to fish, many are not reef safe.


Zoanthid Hit List
Just like any other animal, nudis have preferences when it comes to food. Some polyps are much more likely to become infested than others. In general, your Paythoa and Protopalythoa (People Eater Varieties) will remain nudi free, even in case of serious infestations. Palythoa have too hard of a skin to eat or lay eggs in, Protopalythoa have on occasion found stray nudis getting too close to their tentacles to be a nice treat.


Next on the list of least likely to be affected zoanthids are Caribbean morphs of the zoanthus sociatus family. While closely related to Pacific zoanthids, we have observed very little infestation. This may simply be due to the absence of zoanthid eating nudis in Caribbean waters.


Extermination
As promised above, this solution will take 5 minutes and cost all of $20.00. First, get yourself enough Salifert Flatworm Exit to treat your tank two times. Each Package contains enough solution for 300 gallons of water. Then dose your tank according to instructions and watch the nudis turn inside out and die. Since the process does not kill eggs, you will have to repeat the process a week later. Since no adults are left to lay more eggs and eggs hatch within 3-4 days, you will have a 100% success rate. Additionally, since there are only few nudis in a system at a time, you won’t have to do any water changes to dilute toxins. (even a few hundred in a large tank is considered little compared to the number of flatworms you could have)


I’ve tried this method myself and seen others use it. It works! Grab a beer, lay back and savor victory.

 

[flyyyguy]

In general, your Paythoa and Protopalythoa (People Eater Varieties) will remain nudi free, even in case of serious infestations. Palythoa have too hard of a skin to eat or lay eggs in,

besides being inaccurate information as "people eaters" are simply large zoanthus and not palythoa has anyone ever seen any nudis eat them??

or any of the other countless large zoanthids misidentified as palys for that matter??

I have went out of my way to collect the nudis for pics but have only once had them in my tank and it was a long time ago. I cant say I ever did notice them on any of the larger zoanthids

I have never actually read anyone claim so conclusively that the FWE does in fact work quite that well in a in tank treatment. I have heard of it being used at super stro0ng doses outside of the tank though

good news for sure

 

[MUCHO REEF]

I caught that as well Fly and you're so correct.

Also, FWE is NOT EFFECTIVE at killing all nudibranch. I have actually tested this, even at double and triple strength, it won't kill all/some nudibranch. Proactive prevention such natural predation, dipping, manual removal and QTing are the most effective means of prevention and eradication. Just my 2 cents.

Mucho Reef

 

[650-IS350]

Don't know about that mooch. I've seen it here on the web where it was tested, FWE on nudis. ( zoanthid eating ones ).. after the FWE, the nudis started to fall apart and Die. I gotta find that posting on the web somewhere and post the link here.

 

[bekindtoyurbuds]

Thanks for all the info guys ,

Mucho--- good tip on turning on the actinics to find these guys at night, it made it way easier to find them, never knew they had flourescent green tips before.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15194778#post15194778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 650-IS350
Don't know about that mooch. I've seen it here on the web where it was tested, FWE on nudis. ( zoanthid eating ones ).. after the FWE, the nudis started to fall apart and Die. I gotta find that posting on the web somewhere and post the link here.

I've already seen it. I didn't say it wasn't affective, what I am saying is that is doesn't kill all types of nudis. I have seen that with me own eyes and others have as well. Yes, I'm speaking of zoanthid eating nudis BTW. Ron S, if you are out there, please share your experience with those nudis that survive double and triple strenght doses of FWE that weren't affective at killing some nudis.


Mucho

 

[MUCHO REEF]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15198641#post15198641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bekindtoyurbuds
Thanks for all the info guys ,

Mucho--- good tip on turning on the actinics to find these guys at night, it made it way easier to find them, never knew they had flourescent green tips before.

Glad it helped, just hang tough and remain diligent. Good luck.