Preditor problems, 1 year and counting

[bearfan2ooo]

I need help! Please read!!!! I have been battling a couple of problems for about a year now. I can't keep Xenia's or leathers in my tank, something eats them. I also have some of my snails come up dead, and eat'n. I first thought is was one peditor, but now I think I may have two things going on. I have tried everything from a video camera, to traps. I have never seen anything unusual in my tank. I know that the Xenias are not melting, I can isolate them and they do fine. I have 240 lbs. of rock. I now have the rock split in four differant tanks to try to isolate the problem. My Xenias are still being chewed on, but at a much slower rate. One thing I have now noticed is that the large rock that has the biggest part of my Xenias and leather corals, is infested with what I thought was bristle worms, they are kind of grey in color with a orange to red end at the head, and they apear to be picking at both corals. Is this a bad worm to have? Has anyone had something like this? I am most interested in fixing the problem with my softies first, snails are cheap! Any help or feedback would be a life saver to me. Thanks!

 

[bearfan2ooo]

I indicated that I have tried everything, thats is that I can think of. I have had the tank completely empty, but the rock and corals. So I have been led to believe that what ever it is, it is in the rock.

 

[M. Python]

What fish do you have? The worms donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t sound like your problem. Do you add any additives?

 

[bearfan2ooo]

I have a Sailfin tang, Yellow tang, Both small, I have a clownfish maited with a large anemones. One goby and one blood shrimp. I have a six line wrasse, being held for me at my local lfs.

 

[bearfan2ooo]

I only ad kalkwasser in my top off water. I know the Xenias are healthy, if they get chewed on within a day you can see them start to come back from the stump that is left. and if it is not touched, it will grow back.

 

[Salamander]

I have some predatory worms in my tank that I have been battling for a while. I thought I had finally removed them 6 months ago, but know I have seen two more. I believe its in the genus Oenome and possibly the fulgida species. I catch them occasionaly at night eating my snails. Seems like they cover it with some mucus ball an then go to town. I have no softies that are missing but have noticed zoas dissapearing.

Check out this article:

www.reefkeeping.com/.../rs/images/Figure-5.jpg

Good luck. Let me know if you find a way to purge the predators...

Mark

 

[Tava176]

Try dipping the rocks in fresh water. i red a thread somewhere about a guy who did it and a pistol shrimp came flying out of the rock almost immediately......well, so did all the copepods and amphipods.......

May be a good idea.... my not be....

Depends on how desperate you are to get the preditor out.

 

[Salamander]

I would have dipped or inject seltzer water into their rock burrows but my rocks are on the bottom of a bunch of others and covered in corals that likely couldn't handle such treatment. Could be an option for some...especially when you know where the pest is hiding.

 

[bearfan2ooo]

I have posted many threads on this, and can't believe that I am the only one that has had this problem. I can see the leather coral being ate like a catapilar eats a leaf. Its starts in spots and gets bigger, it looks to be tore or pealed off the rock. I have most of my softies in a 30 gal. and I know some of my problem is in that tank. I have not had a snail come up dead to tell me what tank that problem is in. Would a mantis or a pistol eat soft coral? I think I am going to atempt to frag that big rock and try to peal some of my Xenia away and replace it on something else. I am not sure what to do with my leather, I don't know if I could peal off pieces and place them on other rocks, I need to find that out before it gone. I could then dip all the rock in that tank, about 50 lbs.