zoa eating copepod claims

[flyyyguy]

ok.........I have never believed the claims of this I have heard.

I just always assumed people were blaiming them much in the same way that people blame bristleworms for doing nothing more than their job of cleaning up.

I have this one colony that I swear they ARE indeed eating and kjilling. Ive been watching it for months....im unfortunately experienced with all pests and have been doing the standard observation and puling out to dip and inspect for the usual.....have found nothing...but these dang monster sized copepods are constantly chipping away at said colony....

Im thinking of dosing entire system with interceptor just to stunt them some. I know it wont erradicate these things and they will return, but killing 95% of them is ok at this point.

thoughts???

 

[650-IS350]

I've erradicated 90% of the large ampipods that destroyed tons of my nicer zoos/palys. I had a bunch of wrasses in my 100gal large and small.. but after trading and selling my 2 lineatus, 1 mystery, and 2 other clown and carpenter deaths... My predators have lessened so now I need more predators since the pods are growing again and they just took down a RPE frag.

 

[flyyyguy]

ya know.....DUH.

I didnt even think about that. I lost my 6 line this summer. Never had the problem with him

 

[Echidna09]

I found some yellow pods on my PPE and a couple other palys a couple of days ago. Should I be worried?

 

[650-IS350]

if they start closing up more than usuall and start looking irritated, start watching them.

 

[DurTBear]

I lost multiple zoas (especially the green and red people eaters) to large pods. Ever since I got my six line wrasse, I haven't had this problem...

 

[650-IS350]

Nice to know Durwin, just lost most of my RPE's to stupid large ampipods, I moved them up to a frag tray up in the walls of the tank, the frag is now recovering without being bothered.

 

[flyyyguy]

incidentally.......the colony in question that they are bothering in my tank is rpe's as well

i just ordered a couple of yellow coris..hoepfully they will help(2 tanks)

 

[MUCHO REEF]

I'm inclined to believe that it's a specific type of copepod that is the culprit. For a long time I didn't believe it, but with close observation, think is was very early this year or late last year, that I saw it with my own eyes. The colony was sick, dead or dying, it was perfectly healthy. I have but one wrasse in my tank and I still see tones of copes run for cover when my actinics come on. I haven't seen any signs of pod damage or consumption since early this year. Don't know why, can't explain why, yet as with everything else we deal with in reefing, there's a reason.

just my 2 cents.


Mucho Reef

 

[650-IS350]

Just as an advice, any frag that comes under attack can be place in frag racks away from the main rocks. Ampipods don't want to really stray away from the main rocks and sandbed in fear of being taken out. I've saved a bunch of frags that were being taken out by ampipods. I've recently done that to my RPE frag and its slowly recovering.

 

[DurTBear]

I totally agree with Charles and use the same practice. Any new frags that I get through the mail are immediately placed on the frag rack to avoid attack while they are recovering from any stress from shipping. In addition, any new frags that I make are always routinely put up on the frag rack to avoid getting irritated and eaten by pods. Finally, I also move any frags on the main rockwork that look irritated or are being eaten by pods up on to the frag rack and they seem to recover.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

I meant to say, "the colony WASN'T sick, dead or dying".

 

[650-IS350]

I just wanted to add, after selling a couple of the larger wrasses ( pair of lineatus ) , 2 1/2" mystery and a couple of jumpers ( before my screen was installed ). the absence of predators have quickly helped in adding a lot more larger pods that have recently demolished 3 frags of more common zoos. besides the RPE they tried to decimate... I just added a carpenter flasher and a exquisite wrasse hopefully they make up for what the previous wrasses did.

the leopard, yellow coris and blue sided are doing their job, hopefully the 2 new additions ramp up the ampipod eradication.

And which is why my 37cube I'm building is being started with base rock only and coral frags are going there.. ( thoroughly dipped ) to prevent any ampipods from getting in to the new tank that replaces my 100gal.

Marvin, I knew what you were talking about, that happened to me roughly a dozen times now. Wrasses are THE best natural way of control.

 

[mfinn]

I experienced the same with large ampipods attacking healthy colonies, and some of the ones that came under attack were rpe's.
Used a green coris wrasse at one time and a melenarus wrasse another time.

 

[stoneroller]

RPEs and PPRPE both under attack, PPEs seem to be fine (today...). I have a XMAS and a blue-sided wrasse but I am going to get my zoas pulled off the rocks and up into racks. Thanks for the idea, Delsol650.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Never hurts to have a wrasse in your tank.

Jerome

 

[flyyyguy]

oops

 

[flyyyguy]

I put the yellopw coris in last night..........if he survives the beating he is getting he might live long enough to eat some of these monster pods.......... : (

 

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11336890#post11336890 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flyyyguy
I put the yellopw coris in last night..........if he survives the beating he is getting he might live long enough to eat some of these monster pods.......... : (

Beating from what?

 

[DivaMan]

Just for consideration, as anyone traced teh lineage of their RPE's PPRPE's etc back and checked to see how far back this pod p-redator goes, it may have originated with someone, or it may have snuck in from the wild.