Whats Going On With My Zoa's???

[mankc]

On Saturday I went out and purchased the Lugols Solution for my Zoas. I did some research in fear that my Zoas were being slowly killed by a fungus. I found out the Lugols dip was a good dipping solution for this problem. I first suspected they had fungus but after hours of staring at the frags I noticed little snail-looking critters and some shrimp looking pods. So is it fungus? or are they being eaten by little critters? I’m upset because I don’t know for sure what it is, or what to do to control it. They got to a small colony of my Fire & Ice and got very bad with white spots and bumby looking stems, I had to toss those in fear that it was a fungus and might pass it on to my other colonies .Yesterday I went and bought a six-line wrasse to help control the parasites along with 6 bumble bee snails, which were sold to me as prey-eating snails of smaller snails. What else can I do?! I did a fresh RO dip on one of my Jolly-Green Giant Zoa’s and found about 10 tiny snails fall off (pretty much naked to the eye). Could it be these guys? I’ve introduced some frags from other tanks in the last 2 weeks. Up until then everything looked healthy and now look! What do you guys recommend?

 

[grisha]

snail looking critters could be nudis..thats very bad... do they look like this ?


white spots is bad , frag and trow away.. i tried tropical marine dip on this once, but it didnt work..i just throw the whole thing away
pods are harmless

 

[jhale]

you want to get Furan 2.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4827

most local pet stores carry it.

read this thread on RC it has all the info,

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=691978&perpage=25&pagenumber=20

the bugs and snails you described do not sound like anything that eats zoas.

 

[mankc]

snail looking critters could be nudis..thats very bad... do they look like this ?



pods are harmless

Grisha, thanks for the quick reply... No the guys did not look like this, they look like reugular baby snails... I dont have a camera available right now, but will try to get a pic up asap...

 

[jhale]

I always give my zoa's a RO dip, that will kill any pests and the zoas will be fine.

nudis will come flying off the zoas in RO water, you will know if it's them very quickly.

 

[Deanos]

Sundial snails eat zoanthids.

 

[mankc]

you want to get Furan 2.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4827

most local pet stores carry it.

read this thread on RC it has all the info,

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=691978&perpage=25&pagenumber=20

the bugs and snails you described do not sound like anything that eats zoas.

Hey J... I know they dont look like their harmful, but its the only thing i can see for now ... It sucks that i cant figure out what it is, and to see its doing harm to some of my nicest collections.

 

[mankc]

Sundial snails eat zoanthids.

DING DING DING We got a match! Looks like these little bastards... What do i do? Thanks Dean!

 

[jhale]

from live aquaria,

Box Snails
Identification
A snail that is regularly encountered in the aquaculture and aquarium industry is commonly referred to as a Box or Sundial Snail of the genus Heliacus. They have a classic shaped shell that is round at the base and twists upward into a point. Tan and brown colorations alternate within the striations of the shell, giving it a rather beautiful appearance.
Signs & Symptoms
The Box Snails are guilty of consuming many different types of colony polyps within the Zoanthus, Palythoa and Protopalythoa genus. Many times the snail will be found within the colony itself, where they puncture the base of the polyp, and feed upon its tissue and fluids. The polyp is then basically left as an empty shell, which quickly falls off of the rock and decomposes.
Treatment
The best method for controlling the populations of these snails is to physically remove them from the aquarium when discovered. These pests will not typically reproduce in a rapid manner, and physical removal should be sufficient.

 

[DevIouS]

Yesterday I went and bought a six-line wrasse to help control the parasites along with 6 bumble bee snails, which were sold to me as prey-eating snails of smaller snails.

General notes: The Bumble Bee Snail is an attractive choice but is rarely seen as they are nocturnal. Like Nassarius snails, they will eat any uneaten food, and decaying matter. May eat some hair algae but not as much as many of the other snails we offer to choose from. Some hobbyists have reported them eating zooanthids and polyps.

 

[mankc]

General notes: The Bumble Bee Snail is an attractive choice but is rarely seen as they are nocturnal. Like Nassarius snails, they will eat any uneaten food, and decaying matter. May eat some hair algae but not as much as many of the other snails we offer to choose from. Some hobbyists have reported them eating zooanthids and polyps.

Hey D is this a fact? Bumble Bee Snails eat zoas... The guy at the LFS knew i had Zoas and mentioned nothing about them eating zoas... He sound like he knew what he was talking about, or maybe he just wanted to add to the sale :irked:

 

[grisha]

oh man .... if it is a sandals that is a problem easy to get rid of... white spots is more difficalt but in the good whater you should get rid of it by fragging ....BTW palys are more resistant to it then zoa .. i dont think you ever get it on your PD

 

[mankc]

oh man .... if it is a sandals that is a problem easy to get rid of... white spots is more difficalt but in the good whater you should get rid of it by fragging ....BTW palys are more resistant to it then zoa .. i dont think you ever get it on your PD

Thanks for sharing that Grisha... I got some serious reasearching to do, i have to get rid of these little bastards... It sucks to see this happening.

 

[grisha]

see man , some times the most damage you get is from dipping ......

 

[DevIouS]

Some sites I have checked in the past listed Bumble Bee snails as "not reef safe."

 

[jhale]

see man , some times the most damage you get is from dipping ......

what do you mean? the snails are better than dipping

 

[pnoyreefer]

I say inspect all your zoas and get rid of it manually. Either dip it in RO or get the Furan2 as J recommended.... Wish you luck ...Atleast you know your problem mine is worst after I frag a zoa it melts ....


keep us updated

 

[Deanos]

DING DING DING We got a match! Looks like these little bastards... What do i do? Thanks Dean!

You need to check ALL your zoanthids and manually remove the snails. There are probably egg sacs lurking around, so those will need to be carefully scraped off the zoanthid. Check back regularly for any you may have missed.

Sundials

 

[mankc]

I say inspect all your zoas and get rid of it manually. Either dip it in RO or get the Furan2 as J recommended.... Wish you luck ...Atleast you know your problem mine is worst after I frag a zoa it melts ....


keep us updated

Thanks steve, and good luck with your problem.

 

[mankc]

Dean.. im defs gonna be on top of it, as soon as i get home.... Thanks!