errand Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 I haven't paid much attention as they looked like a bit of fuzz around 2 of my zoa frags, but when i had a closer look they are ghastly looking - I don't know how to describe them, like jellyfish with no legs? they are tiny and translucent, and have an opening at the top, one of them appears to have 2 'eyes', there must be 2 dozen crowded around these zoa frags. The zoas dont like them, they have been closed up for a while. Are these tunicates? Closest things I could find but I'm worried they are a plague of some horrid ghostly bug. The pictures are not good but they are all more or less the same. I have epoxied these frags in place and will have to get a chisel out to get them out/dip them. Does anyone know what they are?? 2 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 They look a lot like tunicates to me. Do they scrunch up when you touch them? If so they are definitely tunicates, and if not they are more likely some sort of sponge or something along those lines. Tunicates are generally considered harmless and a sign of good system health, but if they become a nuisance you should be able to scrape them off the rock without too much trouble, or perhaps remove them by suctioning them off with a siphon. 3 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 6 hours ago, errand said: I haven't paid much attention as they looked like a bit of fuzz around 2 of my zoa frags, but when i had a closer look they are ghastly looking - I don't know how to describe them, like jellyfish with no legs? they are tiny and translucent, and have an opening at the top, one of them appears to have 2 'eyes', there must be 2 dozen crowded around these zoa frags. The zoas dont like them, they have been closed up for a while. Are these tunicates? Closest things I could find but I'm worried they are a plague of some horrid ghostly bug. The pictures are not good but they are all more or less the same. I have epoxied these frags in place and will have to get a chisel out to get them out/dip them. Does anyone know what they are?? Yep! I have some pretty yellow ones that showed up in my tank. Quote Link to comment
errand Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 They are so tiny I will try to touch them with something suitable - i have videoed ampipods crawling all over them and they didn't move, they just sway in the current. I hope they are harmless - its incredibly hard to describe something you've never seen before by the way, it took me over an hour on google trying different variations of 'translucent' 'pest' 'clear' 'tiny egg sac' 'zoa predator' etc. thankyou for the comment i feel a bit better - they seem to be growing down onto the rock off the frag plug. for reference the part of the zoa stalk there is less than a quarter inch long. Quote Link to comment
errand Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 Oh I hope they color up! that would be amazing, at the moment they are so small they look like blobs of clear snot stuck between the zoas. I pulled the phone camera out when I couldn't siphon them off. 1 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 I don't think those are why your zoas are closed up. They don't sting or anything, so your zoas should have gotten used to them by now. It might be something else bothering them. Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 Here’s a pic of mine: Mine don’t bother the corals at all.....they just grow around them. If you watch them closely you can see them open and close. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.