ficklefins
New member
A buddy of mine got a harlequin for just that purpose. He mentioned that it was working pretty well for him.
Zoa's and Amphipods
- Thread starter Stanton
- Start date
A buddy of mine got a harlequin for just that purpose. He mentioned that it was working pretty well for him.
GreenPuffers
Premium Member
Oh man I have a TON of those in my 20!! Can I even put a wrasse in my tank??
GreenPuffers
Premium Member
Awsome, Ill be keeping my eyes peeled for one. Hopefully my zoos will be safe for a bit!!!
650-IS350
Active member
I think it really varies with the larger ampipods... some you might have some, but might not go after zoos, mine are different... went straight after them, even the new ones that I get ( did not matter wether it was a frag or colony )...
They also went after copepods and 3 bottles worth of tigerpods...
They also went after copepods and 3 bottles worth of tigerpods...
LoudProudNPunk
New member
why dont you guys just do fresh water dips?
aquarius77
In Memoriam
They live in the rocks and everywhere, dips will do nothing. Up until roughly six months ago these amphipods were considered reef safe, people now are speaking out and its not rare. Amphipods eat zoos, you need something to eat the amphipods. I added a sixline and never lost another zoo. My sump is loaded with them but i never see even one in my tank anymore, they used to munch down pricey zoos as fast as i could buy them.
Letmegrow
New member
I strongly disagree.
Of the several thousand zoas I have right this second and just as many large amphipods no zoas are unaccounted for or are being eaten by the pods. I see 100+ new colonies of zoas each month and spend 40+ hours a week observing them. Not once have I seen a amphipod eating a zoanthid. Zoanthids barely flinch when a amphipod walks across them. If they were a predator the zoas would react to them and be closed all the time then die from not being able to absorb light and feed.
The picture in the first page is not proof either. That zoanthid is healed on the top it looks like a bud from the other adjoining zoanthids. It looks like growth not recession. Maybe if you provided another pic showing a once healthy zoa in its place or a current picture with the zoanthid totally gone it would help make your case.
I think this is a bad case of passing unsubstantiated information and creating a unnecessary threat and confusion.
Of the several thousand zoas I have right this second and just as many large amphipods no zoas are unaccounted for or are being eaten by the pods. I see 100+ new colonies of zoas each month and spend 40+ hours a week observing them. Not once have I seen a amphipod eating a zoanthid. Zoanthids barely flinch when a amphipod walks across them. If they were a predator the zoas would react to them and be closed all the time then die from not being able to absorb light and feed.
The picture in the first page is not proof either. That zoanthid is healed on the top it looks like a bud from the other adjoining zoanthids. It looks like growth not recession. Maybe if you provided another pic showing a once healthy zoa in its place or a current picture with the zoanthid totally gone it would help make your case.
I think this is a bad case of passing unsubstantiated information and creating a unnecessary threat and confusion.
Stanton
New member
Letmegrow
So me seeing the skirts on my monster lips being eaten by 5 to 10 large amphipods is unsubstantiated evidence? Go back and re read the post. After loosing my wrasse....is it coincidence they started right back eating the vary same colony for which I bought the wrasse to save? Maybe that colony just plain taste good.lol They don't bother any of the other 10 colonies I have.
So me seeing the skirts on my monster lips being eaten by 5 to 10 large amphipods is unsubstantiated evidence? Go back and re read the post. After loosing my wrasse....is it coincidence they started right back eating the vary same colony for which I bought the wrasse to save? Maybe that colony just plain taste good.lol They don't bother any of the other 10 colonies I have.
thecichlidpleco
New member
I have a large colony of amphipods, used to have a ton of copepods and now none. At night, when my 6line sleeps, I seen the pods all over, but I have not really seen any decrease or descruction of my zoas. Should I go insane and get a mandarin or some larger wrasse in my 40 gallon?
Stanton
New member
The cichlidpleco
I wouldn't worry unless your losing polyps or colonies. They only seem to eat the monster lips I have.
Letmegrow
I'll try to get you a pic of the amph's causing the damage. If it is some other problem then I would love to know why they just eat my one healthy colony.
I wouldn't worry unless your losing polyps or colonies. They only seem to eat the monster lips I have.
Letmegrow
I'll try to get you a pic of the amph's causing the damage. If it is some other problem then I would love to know why they just eat my one healthy colony.
650-IS350
Active member
its alright man, let them think its a figment of our imagination... til it bites them in the *** some day..
I've lost several COLONIES, and personally witnessed these large 1CM ampipods litereally tear zoa's apart. were talking about like a swarm of bees on a colony.
Search RC, you'll see. More and more people are starting to see the same thing being mentioned here.
I've lost several COLONIES, and personally witnessed these large 1CM ampipods litereally tear zoa's apart. were talking about like a swarm of bees on a colony.
Search RC, you'll see. More and more people are starting to see the same thing being mentioned here.
Peter Eichler
New member
Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong by dismissing these claims. I once thought it was crazy as well til I saw it with my own eyes. This last week alone I added a small zoanthid colony to my prop tank only to watch it be slowly munched away by Amphipods. I added a Peudchromis to the tank a few days ago and the small colony is making a full recovery. I don't have any particularly good shots of how the progression happened, but this will give you an idea...
Here is a partial colony shot of Zoanthus gigantus shortly after being added last year I believe in late Sept.
Here they are some weeks later after I had watched a different once thriving Zoanthus gigantus frag be decimated in a few weeks time. Notice some of the skirts looking ragged.
At this point the colony was recovering after being nearly wiped out.
That was a few months ago and they have continued to grow/spread and show no sings of predation since a Mandarin and Pseudochromis were added to my display tank. The only thing I observed during the decline of this and other zoanthids was the presence of large Amphipods. They seemed selective in their predation and other colonies of zoanthids and various other corals thrived during this time period.
I don't know if these claims of amphipods eating zoa's are true or not, but I know for a fact I have a ton of amphipods in my tank and I just recently started collecting zoa's. So far my zoanthids are doing OK, but it is kind of early to tell if they are going to thrive or not. However, since my tank is mainly an sps tank I have very high flow and the zoa's don't seem to like this very much so their well being might be affected by this also.
If you are looking for a good natural predator of amphipods and you don't want to go with a wrasse try a pipefish. I have a banded pipefish in my tank and he is an amphipod vaccum. Now since their mouths are so small they can only eat the smaller amphipods, however they do an amazing job at keeping the population in check and preventing the huge swarms of giant amphipods that everyone is talking about. Plus, they are the coolest fish I've ever kept and very interesting to watch hunt. They are completely reef safe, they are basically oblivious to anything else in the tank other than small crustaceans and none of my other fish seem to mind it. I wouldn't get one if you already have a wrasse or any other very agressive fish. I have 3 different tangs and two clownfish and everyone gets along just fine.
If you are looking for a good natural predator of amphipods and you don't want to go with a wrasse try a pipefish. I have a banded pipefish in my tank and he is an amphipod vaccum. Now since their mouths are so small they can only eat the smaller amphipods, however they do an amazing job at keeping the population in check and preventing the huge swarms of giant amphipods that everyone is talking about. Plus, they are the coolest fish I've ever kept and very interesting to watch hunt. They are completely reef safe, they are basically oblivious to anything else in the tank other than small crustaceans and none of my other fish seem to mind it. I wouldn't get one if you already have a wrasse or any other very agressive fish. I have 3 different tangs and two clownfish and everyone gets along just fine.
650-IS350
Active member
It just depends on the amount of food available for these ampipods, if they have enough to eat and scrounge from in your tank then they will leave your zoos and palys.. but if food is scarce and nothing else to eat, then they go after what's available... its like any animal if there is no longer the usual food source, animals will adapt to the next available food source to SURVIVE. nature adaptation... Just because a pod is known as a food source in the aquaria doesn't necessarily mean its the bottom of the pecking order in the wild.
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