I noticed when I turned the flow off of my frag tank that there were these little buggers scurrying around all over the frag plugs. They are very small amd move fast. I tried to get a picture buthttp://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/mfindell/Frag%20Problem/IMG_2227.jpg not sure if it will help. Any body??? Please help!
What are these pests on my Zoo frags.
- Thread starter mfindell
- Start date
Don't thank me!!!!!!! Its not necessarily a good thing... There has been a big debate whether or not pods eat zoas/palys... If you search this forum, there have been a few threads about it... I used to be of the opinion that pods didn't eat zoas/palys... However, I've had some problems with a few palys in one of my systems, and everyone that was closed up, had what I think was a type of Isopod underneath... This has happened too many times now for me to think it a coincidence... But again, its just a theory...
Mandarin gobies might be a good solution if you've had your tank established for some time... They are very specific as to what they eat, and if you don't have a good size pod population, they'll starve... You might be equally served by a sixline wrasse (agressive) or some other wrasse... I know a lot of people like to keep yellow coris wrasses as well... They'll pick off nudis and pods... And aren't quite as aggressive as sixlines...
LeslieH
Premium Member
Suck off a few with a turkey baster so you can photograph them on a contrasting background. Use water in the dish otherwise the reflection will hide the animal.
Nudis that eat sessile prey like cnidarians, sponges & tunicates don't move fast. Why bother? It's a waste of energy for them. Their food doesn't move & there aren't that many animals that will eat them. That pretty eliminates nudis as a possibility since you said your unknowns move fast.
Pods are the most likely. One problem - without a decent pic there's no way to get even a preliminary id. Another problem is that the wide variety of microcrustacea known as pods have a wide variety of eating habits. It would be hard to know if pods swarming a coral are eating it, eating other smaller things on the coral, grazing, or eating the coral's mucus & dead cells.
Nudis that eat sessile prey like cnidarians, sponges & tunicates don't move fast. Why bother? It's a waste of energy for them. Their food doesn't move & there aren't that many animals that will eat them. That pretty eliminates nudis as a possibility since you said your unknowns move fast.
Pods are the most likely. One problem - without a decent pic there's no way to get even a preliminary id. Another problem is that the wide variety of microcrustacea known as pods have a wide variety of eating habits. It would be hard to know if pods swarming a coral are eating it, eating other smaller things on the coral, grazing, or eating the coral's mucus & dead cells.
dtownkennel
New member
I had the same thing....they polyps didnt open up b/c of them....added more flow and baaaammm...they open. HTH
650-IS350
Active member
as with any living thing once food supply runs out.. they turn to the next thing easy to eat... meaning zoo's.. I am with the group the does believe thes and have seen this presonally and have lost $$$$ and several whole colonies from this scourge..
6line, mandarin and a flasher, a couple of weeks later, no more swarming at night time... now more healthier looking zoos.. and they attacked new and healthy zoo's...
6line, mandarin and a flasher, a couple of weeks later, no more swarming at night time... now more healthier looking zoos.. and they attacked new and healthy zoo's...
I am a big fan of in your face evidence in these instances..... however I would suspect that just like fish and other animals, copes and amps come in a variety of species and appetites. Some in one mans tank may not eat them, while others in someone elses tank will.
If nothing else, the swarming (if its them eating the zoos or just crawling over them to get at something in between or under) if it causes a problem, its best to eliminate the source of that problem.
It should not be taken as a rule of thumb though.... copes and amps are the least likely sources of problems than almost anything else in our tanks.
If nothing else, the swarming (if its them eating the zoos or just crawling over them to get at something in between or under) if it causes a problem, its best to eliminate the source of that problem.
It should not be taken as a rule of thumb though.... copes and amps are the least likely sources of problems than almost anything else in our tanks.
650-IS350
Active member
I've witnessed them countless times at night, digging and trying to TEAR into the zoo's.. they litterally putting there whole arm and claws in the zoo's mouths and skirts...
Ive read of countless people noticing the large silver ones or the ones with stripes... Unfortunately for me, I have all the types for some damm reason... had or have... since the tag team of mandarin , 6line with a fairy wrasse has really made a monster dent in the large ampipod population..
Ive read of countless people noticing the large silver ones or the ones with stripes... Unfortunately for me, I have all the types for some damm reason... had or have... since the tag team of mandarin , 6line with a fairy wrasse has really made a monster dent in the large ampipod population..
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