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Amphipod stressing out my Zoas


metrokat

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Scuttles about very fast, only saw one, might be 2 more in the tank. They are about 1/4 inch long, clear to tan body with a dark spine. Very fast!

 

It seems the pod likes to meander through the dense zoa coral, i can see the polyps close one by one as the pod scurries at their base. Very irritating. My other zoa branch has polyps that have been closed for over a week! 3 polyps from the same closed branch are on another rock and doing fine.

 

What can I do to get this pod to stop, there is no guarantee dipping the branch in question will get rid of it as it travels from rock to rock.

 

I am also suspecting vermetid snails, based on the mucus strings I see on the zoas and the little do-hickies that look like a gooey pile of #### with an antenna (micro sized of course). How to get rid of those?

 

Thanks

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Scuttles about very fast, only saw one, might be 2 more in the tank. They are about 1/4 inch long, clear to tan body with a dark spine. Very fast!

 

It seems the pod likes to meander through the dense zoa coral, i can see the polyps close one by one as the pod scurries at their base. Very irritating. My other zoa branch has polyps that have been closed for over a week! 3 polyps from the same closed branch are on another rock and doing fine.

 

What can I do to get this pod to stop, there is no guarantee dipping the branch in question will get rid of it as it travels from rock to rock.

 

I am also suspecting vermetid snails, based on the mucus strings I see on the zoas and the little do-hickies that look like a gooey pile of #### with an antenna (micro sized of course). How to get rid of those?

 

Thanks

 

i have the same problem with a colony on my sanded. humongous orange/tan colored pods running around unchecked at nighttime. i also see them gnawing on the skirts as well. these are very large pods.

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Mine look like this:

Amphipod1.jpg

What's a girl to do? :(

 

 

 

i have the same problem with a colony on my sanded. humongous orange/tan colored pods running around unchecked at nighttime. i also see them gnawing on the skirts as well. these are very large pods.
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FW did will put a blow on the number currently residing in the colony. i did this a few months ago and the zoas looked awesome a few days later. without a predatory fish like a wrasse or dragonet, the number will eventually return and the same thing will start happening again. this is my situation. i want a possum wrasse or cryptic six line, although i fear some of these pods would be pretty big even for them lol.

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hmm. anything other than a wrasse like to munch on these?

 

FW did will put a blow on the number currently residing in the colony. i did this a few months ago and the zoas looked awesome a few days later. without a predatory fish like a wrasse or dragonet, the number will eventually return and the same thing will start happening again. this is my situation. i want a possum wrasse or cryptic six line, although i fear some of these pods would be pretty big even for them lol.
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Yeah but given the size of the tank those are more realistic options.

 

And I meant FW dip lol

almost all fish will eat pods, damsels and dwarf angels are a good choice depending on tank size, and I think dottybacks will do a decent job too

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ThePhilosopher

Would small gobies cut down amphipod numbers, too? I'm only saying this because a small goby seems like the only viable fish for the smallest of tanks.

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Would small gobies cut down amphipod numbers, too? I'm only saying this because a small goby seems like the only viable fish for the smallest of tanks.

my trimma goby does nothing but munch pods, though since I added my wrasse she hides during the day.

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Those look to be sickly in general. Mine don't close that tight, only time I see them close that tight is at night and when there is a problem with the coral. Are you running stock lighting? I could never keep eagle eyes or watermelons etc ( the really cool looking zoas and pallys) for more than a couple of months at the most.

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almost all fish will eat pods, damsels and dwarf angels are a good choice depending on tank size, and I think dottybacks will do a decent job too

 

This is true, but they aren't dedicated hunters and they won't be able to really put a dent in them.

 

In my 40b I have a lot of thise "pod eaters" but none of them actively look for the pods. I have been having trouble with the bastards for months, and they have eaten about half of my fruit loop zoas already.

 

IMO wrassses are the best option. I had my trained mandarin in there for a while but the amphpods were just too big for him, and theyre the ones that are doing the damage.

 

I just bought a yellow wrasse to fight them, and will probably switch it out with a more interesting wrasse when one becomes available.

 

OP, you can also limit feeding and target feed your other fish so that there is no excess food for the pods to live in. This will only help a little though.

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OP, you can also limit feeding and target feed your other fish so that there is no excess food for the pods to live in. This will only help a little though.

 

I have no fish..... only corals...... I'm doomed.

 

I just did a FW dip on the pink sickee poo ones and also my other zoa branch which has over 100 polyps. The dense zoas are opening up now (took about an hour) these sickee poos are still the same :(

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Nano sapiens
I have no fish..... only corals...... I'm doomed.

 

I just did a FW dip on the pink sickee poo ones and also my other zoa branch which has over 100 polyps. The dense zoas are opening up now (took about an hour) these sickee poos are still the same :(

 

I had the same issue a while back. Bought a Black Barred Convict Goby (Priolepis nocturnus) and within 2-3 months the Pods were decimated to the point of only seeing one or two small ones at night. After nearly a year I couldn't find any Pods or bristleworms. They are very territorial, so best to keep them alone in a small tank and they hide most of the time.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 11 months later...

Old topic for you, but I've got the same issue with the same man eating size pod. He looks just like the picture you posted. Did anything ever solve your problem? My tank is a 12g with 2 small clowns already. If I get another fish I will be at or above my limit. I also haven't really found a wrasse that I think is pretty. I would want one that I like a lot. I love mandarins but know my tank is too small for one, according what I have read.

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Builder Anthony

Take them out looks like a infection.....it spreadsif it is.u can do a peroxide dip but that eats the outer layer of skin off so u have to blast them with light.looks like early stage of zoa pix to me and if it is and those heads pop like a blister.....well it wont be good 4 yoyr tank.jar them up or something

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Old topic for you, but I've got the same issue with the same man eating size pod. He looks just like the picture you posted. Did anything ever solve your problem? My tank is a 12g with 2 small clowns already. If I get another fish I will be at or above my limit. I also haven't really found a wrasse that I think is pretty. I would want one that I like a lot. I love mandarins but know my tank is too small for one, according what I have read.

 

With such a small tank, I would just freshwater dip your rocks. It only takes a few seconds of shaking in the freshwater to get them out. We had a major infestation of these in our 29g frog fish tank. Finally got so sick of them we decided to just dip every rock and got at least a thousand full size adult pods.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/284723-huge-amphipods-killing-my-zoas/

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