Zoanthid eating nudibranch...

[footbag]

I just pulled a little (1/4") porcupine looking nudi out of my nano tank. I've been noticing zonthids dissapearing and this may be my culprit. Is it likely I have more of these?

 

[bang guy]

Yep.

 

[schneidts]

can you get a pic?

 

[footbag]

I found a similar pic posted by someone else. Mine is too small to photograph.

 

[footbag]

Is there any fish or animal that will eat them? If they're in my nano, It is likely there in my 90g.

 

[schneidts]

Well, it's very hard to say exactly what you have, but it definitely has the cerata of an aeolid nudibranch. That paricular family has a specific diet ranging from palythoa, anemones, hard and soft corals. How much (if any) damage has it done? Have you noticed others? I would let him be for now and see if there are others. (If it's not doing to much damage). If you discover many than you might want to consider removing some. As far as their natural predator...your guess is as good as mine...I doubt you could find one though.

 

[footbag]

This is the only one that I've found and I have been looking for something [not sure what] for months. I noticed zoanthids missing and speculated that it could be a few things. I've been researching zoo preditors and this morning I saw it on the glass.
Its already out of the tank, and I just left it sitting in front of my computer at home. I couldn't leave it in the tank. In fact, when I saw it I almost forgot to wash my hands before going after it. Sucked it off the glass with an eyedropper.
Better safe then sorry with my precious zoanthids!!!

 

[schneidts]

:thinking: hmmmm...as small as that guy was, it's hard to imagine the zoos would be disappearing. I think even a larger one would take a long time to do noticeable damage. Maybe there are many(or did I read that wrong?)

 

[footbag]

No, I do belive that there may be more, just haven't seen them yet.
I am also laying some of the blame on my amphipods. I think that they have been eating some of my zoos. Possibly because I'm underfeeding the tank. I have increased the feedings even though there are no fish as per Dr Rons suggestion.

 

[bang guy]

Can you move the rock the Zoa's are on?
Shake the rock gently until the Zoa's close up, then shake the heck out of it in a bucket and see what falls off.

 

[footbag]

I did shake a few of my zoanthid rocks to get them to close up. I didn't see any more. Is it possible they are nocturnal? I found this one just as the lights came on.

 

[bang guy]

Normally Nudibranch don't leave their food supply until it's gone. They also usually look similar to what they eat or are incredibly toxic, or both.

 

[schneidts]

Yeah, be careful. That particular family either requesters nematocysts or stores toxins, so, don't handle one. I can't help but think yours was just looking for its food source, but its definitely possible it was the culprit. Like Bang said, they usually loiter at their food source for very long periods, or search for their food source if they can't find it, so if it were munching there, I think you would have noticed it before.