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Need an ID


DChemist

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OK, I have to say that THIS:

Looks like a zoanthid eating nudi. Got any zoanthids?

..is maybe THE biggest bummer thing I could imagine reading.

 

It's like "Looks like a reef cancer. Got a reef?" (scary)

 

HOLY NUDIBRANCH BATMAN!!! ***PANIC*** I mean, I'm sure it's true and a good diagnosis, but holy geezuz! Good luck! I hope it's just a helpful algae-eating alien slug... **crossing fingers**

 

I'm sooo not dissing Dennis. <3 Dennis <3. :D I'm just saying that's a bummer of a diagnosis, is all :(

 

Did I just say "diagnosis?" ...Oh crap.. I'm watching House. Dang-it, THIS is what happens when we get too into your shows... DOH!

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Actually, I think it's worse than that...

 

I think it is a monti eating nudi. I've had mysterious damage to my idaho grape monti- Now I think this is the cause.

 

Now, I've found a second little guy on my purple rim plate.

 

Unless I find a reef safe treatment- my Monti tank may slowly turn into a softy tank. Or an acro tank. Or an anemone tank. Or something other than the tank I want.

 

This is honestly depressing me.

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I did some research and it looks like you might have a juvenile berghia nudibranch--an aiptasia-eating slug (and worth about $15 as a juvenie). I'd do some more research before you kill it, cuz it might be a Gift from the Gods....

 

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&client=safari&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rls=en&q=berghia

 

http://www.berghia.net/

 

Holly could be right, but either way I would contain it until your sure, i've seen a 7" polyp colony disapear in under 48 hours. If you have polyps take an eye loop or a magnifying glass to see if there are any more. The bad ones will have a greenish tint to them.

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Holly could be right' date=' but either way I would contain it until your sure, i've seen a 7" polyp colony disapear in under 48 hours. If you have polyps take an eye loop or a magnifying glass to see if there are any more. The bad ones will have a greenish tint to them.[/quote']

 

I totally agree. It won't hurt to contain it for now. I just wouldn't kill it until you've done more research, though, in case you have something useful. :D

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In all honesty, I don't think I'll be doing much to treat this... Short of removing them or their eggs (which I haven't seen yet, don't know what to look for) as I find them.

 

I do not keep a QT tank; nor do I have the time or energy to maintain one, right now. I can't really remove the monti's because they're all pretty much grown onto the live rock. If I were to remove them- I have not read how long they need to be out of the display tank to guarantee that the nudis and their eggs starve and die.

 

The Oomed isn't sold anymore. I'm not familiar with the other treatments. None of them sound reef safe to be used in the display tank.

 

I hate to sound too pessimistic; but I'm feeling alittle defeated on this one. I'm resigning myself to the fact that I may not be able to keep monti's (at least for a long time).

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Not time to give up!

 

Darren,

ok so you did get the bad boys and I guess you do not know if you have eggs or not right?

So how about you inspect the monti for eggs. If you do no see eggs wait to see if you have more damage on the one that showed damage first. I guess a week or so?

 

If you see eggs or damage continue, I am not sure you need to treat very long based on the thread you linked, and you might be able to do it just in big container filled with solution decsribed in the Borneman thread.

 

If that is not an option I have an QT completely ready with just a few snails and crabs that I'll be happy to use for your Caps. We can just treat the entire tank it's only 10 GAL. I think the Borneman thread listed an alternate treatment using solution X + Lugol blabla.. and it seemed like they were just treating a few times 10-15 minutes and then shaking the nudis dead. They were also saying that they were treating only the Nudis though (not the eggs) I think.. but maybe we can experiment.worth trying.

 

Other solution; if eggs are obvious, I have a dremel and we could just cut off the piece with eggs and discard and hope that is the only spot...

 

There might also be other solutions out there, not time to give up yet!

 

You can wait and see, decide later.

Up to you!

don't let the bed bug bite, but if they bite....!;)

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I would take Phillipe up on his offer! If you were closer i would take them as well. If you don't, you will need to remove the ones you find obviously. The eggs will be on the under side of branches, at the base of the coral, or in between the branches where dead skeleton is showing. Just take a small tube of superglue and cover the eggs. It will help at least! The brand i use is easy to apply underwater and sets up in a few seconds. Its Duro superglue gel, i get it at walmart 2 tubes for 1.87

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If you are looking for super glue. I just saw SG gel at Dollar Tree. 3 tubes for... I think it was $1. They were each the 0.07 oz size.

 

I saw them 10 minutes after I bought 3 tubes for $3 at a different store... ARGH!!!

 

I agree with impur. Bluecheese is a great guy, and his offer to let you QT at his house it very generous. Phileppe is the man!

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Thank you for the offer, Fromage Bleu. If you want to experiment, perhaps discover something, I'll give you some frags. I just don't want to risk spreading this around. I'd rather leave it quarantined within my display. As I've inspected each of the monti caps I've discovered the damage is more extensive than I thought.

 

Each day is worse than the previous. This morning I sucked out more than six of the little guys before work. Each time I look I discover more. I haven't seen any eggs, but I'm sure it's because I don't recognize them.

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Darren, I agree they are monti eatting bastards,,,, get a 6line or similar and you might get lucky.

 

when I had a battle with them I could see "tracks" across the montis, like a snail through algae they were wiping up polyps across my caps.

 

Wish I had more info, sounds like you know what the scoop is, just a matter of deciding what to do or not do.

 

sorry man, I feel for ya.

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Darren, I agree they are monti eatting bastards,,,, get a 6line or similar and you might get lucky.

 

when I had a battle with them I could see "tracks" across the montis, like a snail through algae they were wiping up polyps across my caps.

 

Wish I had more info, sounds like you know what the scoop is, just a matter of deciding what to do or not do.

 

sorry man, I feel for ya.

 

I'll get the sixline- I read on another forum that they may work.

 

I was shocked when I looked underneath the plates- large dead patches with several nudis in each one. When I try to siphon them they hunker down and latch on. While the tops of the coral are relatively damage free, underneath it's like a war zone.

 

When you battled them- did you beat them? I'm not finding many success stories.

 

Thanks for the symapathy. While most pests; alagae, aiptasia, acoel flatworms, etc., never really bothered me- this is really getting me down. Mostly because I like the varied colors and growth forms, ease of care, and fast growth of the montis.

 

My plan is still to let the tank go fallow (with respect to montipora) and change my focus a little.

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Darren - I would at least frag off pieces of the montis, dip them, and have someone hold them for a few months until your tank is free of the nudis. Then you at least can regrow the montis. Use TMPCC for dipping and inspect for eggs. If you are clipping areas that have not been eaten they will probably be egg free. At least you can salvage something from this, don't just resign your montis to death.

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+1 what impur said.

 

Try to salvage what you can. I am sure that bluecheese would also help out with the opperation. I have a dremmel that you can use to chop what you can. Get a cheep 10-20 g to use as a QT. PC lights would probably work for the short term. Or get a used light setup and MAKE IT WORK. Don't give up on it. I would be willing to help you out on Sunday.

 

Powdertang has some individual T5 for $30 each. Or all 8 for $240. If you get them, you could set up a small tank and keep chopping and dipping until the pest is beat into submission.

 

http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4138

 

Before you give up and throw them all away, give them to someone that is willing to work to see if they can be saved (I would be willing). I have the space, and soon I will have the time. All I would need is a light setup and a couple of powerheads. Maybe you can get some of them (or parts of them) back someday.

 

dsoz

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Maybe you could remove any M.capricornis you have? I was reading the following online, which says that's their favorite...

 

"Hosting Behavior on Montipora Species Description

The Montipora eating nudibranchs naturally prefer to host in corals with ample hiding spaces. Plating Montipora species such as M. capricornis seem to be a favorite as the whirling growth forms of the coral provides numerous crevices where the Nudibranchs can take refuge. Massive encrusting Montipora, however, seem to be less popular as most colonies are smooth and lack the crevices in which the Nudibranchs prefer to hide. ...It is not yet known how long the nudibranchs can survive without a host coral present but there have been several cases of them surviving in a tank for over two months without any Montipora."

 

Navanax inermis, another slug, is supposed to be a voracious eater of the little buggers. Unfortunately, I can't find any available for purchase online or otherwise, so maybe they aren't readily available to aquarists..? I'm still googling around to see if I can find a site that sells them.

 

Here's a video of N. inermis eating: http://www.life.uiuc.edu/slugcity/movies.html

 

I've attached a pic I found online of the monti-eaters' eggs.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the whole thing. :( ..I agree with the others that you should try to salvage what you can and QT it. Good luck

post-266-141867736236_thumb.jpg

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