reefkeeper59
In Memoriam
Here's something any zoo keeper should fear.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=75455&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=75453&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500
When I found out what this was I was very unhappy. Zoo eating nudibranch. They are 1/16 to 1/4 inch in length (small).
It was on a Saterday night when I figured it out. No store's open. Sunday I tried researching to find how to get rid of them. No one seem to be able to tell me what to do. All anybody said was "those are nasty". It was now 10pm Sunday night.
Out of anger watching my zoo's dieing of a slow death, I thought "there has to be something I can do". I thought very hard and said, if the zoo's close themselfs up to protect themselfs, I can use that to my advantage. The nudibranchs are on the outside of the zoo's, not on the closed in portion. I took 4 large zoo colonies out of the tank that are closed up protecting themselfs from the burning/stinging of the nudi's. I could see the nudibranch's hanging on the sides of them eating there tissue. Knowing that zoo are great begginer/ starter corals, I thought they are very hardy. They can take a beating. If I can sacrifice a little damage to them on the outside to kill the nudi's but the inside is protected, they may servive. So I took a 5 gall bucket to the faucet and filled it half way with hot water (hot bath water). Not steaming. I'd quess 125-150 degree's. I put the four corals in the hot water and watched the nudi'd fall off (dead) after 15 to 20 seconds. I left them in there for about 30-40 second's total. I put them back in the tank and noticed one opening up about two hours later. This was the first time it was open in a week. I have about 150 zoo colonies and frag's. I dipped them all. I noticed that as the water got cooler (90-100), it didn't kill them as well. So I kept re-heating the water with a few cups very hot water every now and then. By the time I got done (2hours later) I noticed a couple others looked like they opened as well. The bottom of the bucket must have had 1000 dead nudi's in it. Next day all zoo's are open fully and thriving for first time in a couple weeks.
Since, I have found that you can use lugol's dip. It said to put 40 drops in a gallon of water (for dip). I tried 4 drops in a glass with 8-10 ounce's water. It didn't phase them. Watched them crawl on the inside of the glass for an hour or so. I put 10 more drop's in, nothing. So I put 20 more drop's in. That killed them. Forty drops in 10 ounce's. I dipped a couple zoo's that had missed with the hot dip. I left those in there about 30 minutes (tank temp). I put those in the tank and noticed they opened but very slowly.
Interesting how fast the heat killed the nudi'd but didn't hurt the zoo's.
It was risky but it worked.
Check your zoo's and leather corals once a month for these guys. Take a glass of warm water, shake a zoo in it and see if they fall off. You could have these for month's and not know it untill it's a population boom. I noticed that my zoo's didn't open much, but the water quality was perfect and 90 sps and 150 ricordea are doing great. I noticed something on the glass one day. Within a week, I had 50 of them on the glass when lights out.
There are still a few on the glass. I bought three differnet types of wrasses and they won't eat them. I'll keep them in there and some scooter blenny's, maybe some other copod eaters for other bugs.
I'm going to do the logul's dip in the entire tank. That way it get's any that are in the overflows and wet/dry etc.. I took the sand out and pitched it. There was no live rock in the tank or it would have to be pitched, dipped or scortched as well. It is a farm/propogation tank. Fortunatly the tank (120) is plumbed with a larger tank (240) that has giant skimmer, chiller and refugium's and 400+ lbs LR. When I plumbed them I made them with inline valves that allow me to cycle them seperatly. Also put uv between tanks to minimize disease spread from one to other. So I'll seperate, treat, change 100% water (120), then open valves and cycle together for the filtration needs.
Prey you don't get these scum bags. I'll dip everything I buy from now on in water or dip before going in tank.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=75455&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=75453&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500
When I found out what this was I was very unhappy. Zoo eating nudibranch. They are 1/16 to 1/4 inch in length (small).
It was on a Saterday night when I figured it out. No store's open. Sunday I tried researching to find how to get rid of them. No one seem to be able to tell me what to do. All anybody said was "those are nasty". It was now 10pm Sunday night.
Out of anger watching my zoo's dieing of a slow death, I thought "there has to be something I can do". I thought very hard and said, if the zoo's close themselfs up to protect themselfs, I can use that to my advantage. The nudibranchs are on the outside of the zoo's, not on the closed in portion. I took 4 large zoo colonies out of the tank that are closed up protecting themselfs from the burning/stinging of the nudi's. I could see the nudibranch's hanging on the sides of them eating there tissue. Knowing that zoo are great begginer/ starter corals, I thought they are very hardy. They can take a beating. If I can sacrifice a little damage to them on the outside to kill the nudi's but the inside is protected, they may servive. So I took a 5 gall bucket to the faucet and filled it half way with hot water (hot bath water). Not steaming. I'd quess 125-150 degree's. I put the four corals in the hot water and watched the nudi'd fall off (dead) after 15 to 20 seconds. I left them in there for about 30-40 second's total. I put them back in the tank and noticed one opening up about two hours later. This was the first time it was open in a week. I have about 150 zoo colonies and frag's. I dipped them all. I noticed that as the water got cooler (90-100), it didn't kill them as well. So I kept re-heating the water with a few cups very hot water every now and then. By the time I got done (2hours later) I noticed a couple others looked like they opened as well. The bottom of the bucket must have had 1000 dead nudi's in it. Next day all zoo's are open fully and thriving for first time in a couple weeks.
Since, I have found that you can use lugol's dip. It said to put 40 drops in a gallon of water (for dip). I tried 4 drops in a glass with 8-10 ounce's water. It didn't phase them. Watched them crawl on the inside of the glass for an hour or so. I put 10 more drop's in, nothing. So I put 20 more drop's in. That killed them. Forty drops in 10 ounce's. I dipped a couple zoo's that had missed with the hot dip. I left those in there about 30 minutes (tank temp). I put those in the tank and noticed they opened but very slowly.
Interesting how fast the heat killed the nudi'd but didn't hurt the zoo's.
It was risky but it worked.
Check your zoo's and leather corals once a month for these guys. Take a glass of warm water, shake a zoo in it and see if they fall off. You could have these for month's and not know it untill it's a population boom. I noticed that my zoo's didn't open much, but the water quality was perfect and 90 sps and 150 ricordea are doing great. I noticed something on the glass one day. Within a week, I had 50 of them on the glass when lights out.
There are still a few on the glass. I bought three differnet types of wrasses and they won't eat them. I'll keep them in there and some scooter blenny's, maybe some other copod eaters for other bugs.
I'm going to do the logul's dip in the entire tank. That way it get's any that are in the overflows and wet/dry etc.. I took the sand out and pitched it. There was no live rock in the tank or it would have to be pitched, dipped or scortched as well. It is a farm/propogation tank. Fortunatly the tank (120) is plumbed with a larger tank (240) that has giant skimmer, chiller and refugium's and 400+ lbs LR. When I plumbed them I made them with inline valves that allow me to cycle them seperatly. Also put uv between tanks to minimize disease spread from one to other. So I'll seperate, treat, change 100% water (120), then open valves and cycle together for the filtration needs.
Prey you don't get these scum bags. I'll dip everything I buy from now on in water or dip before going in tank.
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