Zoa Pest Webbing Up My Tank!

[gcpowers]

I'm looking for some help identifying a small pest that is living in my Zoas. I tried to take a picture but he hides inside them in a hole in the rock. Most of the time I just see two small black antennas poking out of my Zoas. I haven’t seen him eating on them, but it is irritated them at the very least. He also spins some kind of spider like web. I tried the freshwater dip for 10 min but it did not faze him. What is it and how do I rid my tank of it?


BTW, this site is awesome! I’ve been a silent observer for the last 6 months but this site has proven to be a wealth of information and my favorite resource for reefing!

My current project is a 46g bowfront with a 10g sump

 

[Pazazz]

Superglue the hole shut!!!

 

[jjmcat]

I use an icepick on them.

 

[gcpowers]

Funny you should say that. I already tried a needle and I didn’t get him. There must be an intricate network of tunnels inside this colony of Zoas. I’ve been thinking about a stick of dynamite next but I'm not sure if that would be enough!

Greg

 

[xxtriggermanxx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9501779#post9501779 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gcpowers
Funny you should say that. I already tried a needle and I didn’t get him. There must be an intricate network of tunnels inside this colony of Zoas. I’ve been thinking about a stick of dynamite next but I'm not sure if that would be enough!

Greg

thats a new way to frag something:lol:

 

[cutnup]

fresh water dip??? lol my friend had these on a rock so he bleached it and they are still alive

 

[ToddG]

They are vermitid snails.. (? spelling)

you can crush the tubes which are made from calcium so they are pretty hard. But you have to crush the bases as well. Otherwise if you just break off the top of the tubes the snail is still living in the coiled base.

Or you could plug the opening of the tube with epoxy, super glue, etc..... They do spread. And feed off nutrients in the water by putting out the webbing which catches their food....

 

[ficklefins]

I had the same thing in my tank. I couldn't believe how far those things would cast their web. I ended up flipping the hole upside down so that it was in the sand. If possible try and glue the hole shut, or frag the zoas off.

 

[gcpowers]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm give the super glue a shot if he is still alive after the dynomite blast!!

-Greg

 

[Peter Eichler]

I have a big one that's in the center of a nice Monti colony. Usually I just leave them alone but this one is obnoxious with how far he spreads out. Still trying to decide how I want to get rid of him. The glue scares me because of his location plus the monti is fused to a huge piece of live rock. I need to get some dental tools and try and dig him out