PROBLEM! amphidpods eating my zoanthids

[mr funktastic]

i took out my clwon fish and my royal gramma for an ich issue i am battling. but in the last 2 days i noticed my zoanthids closed up around the edge and tons of amphipods and small white bugs eating at them. the main center of the colony is still ok but they are working there way in. i dont have anything to eat them so it appears that they are overrunning my tank right now. what can i do to stop this? i cant put any fish in the tank for atleast a month

 

[paul87]

When u can put in fish check out erasers and dragonets. Dragonets live off of the. And the mandarines are quite stunning but you need a constant supply of pods for them. My wrasse eats them up too. What size is the tank?

 

[mr funktastic]

Its a 30 gal. But my issue is now. They will have consumed the coral by the time I can get a fish back in. I was planning on adding a 6 line wrasse to the tank. But I really want to stop them before they get to far.

 

[Godfrey]

You could try trapping them and put them in your qt to be eaten. May be try pod condos or my lfs floats a filter sock with some food in it , lets it sit for an hour or two then pulls it out. That's how he harvested them for me when I need them.

 

[Wy Renegade]

How many zoas are we talking about here? The most likely explaination is that the zoas are deteriorating and the pods are working their way through the decaying tissue. True cases of amphipods attacking and eating healthy zoanthids are extremely rare, as they are detrivores, not carnivores. It is not likely that your going to remove all the pods from your aquarium, you can't treat them with anything as the corals are invertebrates as well, and you likely can't move the zoas to the sump area as it is likely full of pods as well. I'd check the zoanthids for decaying polyps/tissue and remove those that are infected.

 

[Sniperhank]

If you are having ich issues, then I would assume there is a parameter issue and also causing health issues with your zoas. Pods won't eat anything healthy, they are part of a CUC.

 

[mr funktastic]

I recently added the royal gramma and it had ich. I wasn't aware untill after I put it in. All levels are good. No nitrates or phosphates. Tank is crystal clear. Nothing else is affected. The zoas were perfectly fine untill the day after I moved the fish out.

 

[mr_X]

you have a parameter problem. Amphipods/copepods do not eat healthy corals. they are eating dying coral tissue. the same problem that killed your fish.

 

[mr funktastic]

Non of my fish died. All are very healthy and happy in the quarantine tank currently. With the ich already cleared up. What level should I look at specifically.

 

[Crystal A]

Can you post any pics? Might help

 

[irving91]

I must agree with everybody that they will not eat zoas if they are healthy. Zoas have one of the most deadly toxins known. They let out a slime to protect themselves so anything eating them will die. So maybe test your water and do a series of water changes maybe that will help your zoas out and keep anything from eatin its dieoff.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I must agree with everybody that they will not eat zoas if they are healthy. Zoas have one of the most deadly toxins known. They let out a slime to protect themselves so anything eating them will die. So maybe test your water and do a series of water changes maybe that will help your zoas out and keep anything from eatin its dieoff.

Yes and no. While certain groups of zoanthids, particular the palythoa group are know to contain and extrude the potentially deadly palytoxin, most cases of proposed poisoning are not clear-cut enough to make these types of generalized statements. Here's a link to a very informative discussion and group of articles on the subject.

Palytoxin Poisoning and its Potential Dangers

Further the statement that anything consuming zoanthids is going to die is also inaccurate. The amphipods consuming those damaged or decaying polyps are not going to be affected, and I've personally observed fish (particularly tangs) consume zoa polyps and while they may have had a period of hyperactivity after doing so, they certainly didn't die from consuming them.

 

[irving91]

Interesting article to read. I learned a bit from it. Okay you say my post is inaccurate, but in the wild there are plenty of animals immune to poisoning From other animinals. So my "anything eating them will die" should have been more accurate I apologize! Alhough if they are eating them it is the die off which I would assume they dont leach out their chemicals on die off.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think the point is that some fish and inverts *can* eat zoas without problem... healthy or not. There are some nudibranches that will decimate healthy zoa colonies.

 

[mr_X]

Non of my fish died. All are very healthy and happy in the quarantine tank currently. With the ich already cleared up. What level should I look at specifically.

Then it may be the same problem that's stressing your fish. I can't tell you what the problem is. You are going to have to test everything with quality test kits to be sure.

 

[sanderson417]

Are you sure they are pods and not flatworms smothering your corals? Just a thought.