Nudibranch hitchhiker?

[alex101]

Well this morning I come out to turn my tanks lights on and I see something on one of my zoos. At a closer glimpse it was moving and looked to be a nudibranch of some sort. This "sea slug" was a redish orange color with funky spikes all over it. Does anyone know what kind it may be? and if so is it beneficial? I wouldn't mind keeping him in there, it's been there without me knowing for months already but I've read that they can secrete toxins that will ruin my tank. All comments or advice are apreciated

[Weetabix7]

Sounds like a zoa eating nudi.

Does it look like the 2nd pic in this link?

http://www.zoaid.com/index.php?module=Gall...p;g2_itemId=384

 

If so, it is very bad. I would recommend a 3-4 minute dip in FW that has had the PH & temp adjusted to match your tank. It would also be good if you could add either Lugol's Iodine, Kent Marine's TechD or Salifert's Flatworm Exit to the dip according to the instructions. You will need to remove all eggs as well. They look like a small white gel-like spiral near the top of the polyp. I find them easiest to remove with a paper towel over my fingertips.

Check out this thread as well:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...8915&hl=FWE

[Uhuru]

interesting, that site says spionid worms and spaghetti worms are irritators but they don't seem to bother my zoas at all

[alex101]

Ok so I sucked out 2 of the bastards....there seem to be some white rings on a few zoos...bad? and a few of my zoos are puffing out inthe center. how do the nudibranches harm them? do they lay eggs in them? And asfor the freshwater dip.....do youmean just the zoos?

[Weetabix7]

The white rings are probably eggs, you need to get them off. I found that they stick to a paper towel, so I put a paper towel over my fingertips and then pick them off. You'll have to take them out of the water to do this of course, but don't worry, they can handle being out of the water for a few minutes.

You should only need to dip the zoos, but keep an eye out to make sure they don't show up somewhere else in the tank. Usually they just stick around the zoos since that's their food source.

Oh, to answer your question, they eat them.

Not sure what you mean by the zoos puffing out in the middle, would have to see a picture.

Also, when you do the dip, make sure to swish the zoos around in it fairly vigorously for a minute or so. It helps to dislodge the nudis and any other bad guys.