Ohio Reef

Reef Discussion => Corals => Topic started by: ~reefchik~ on June 03, 2010, 10:44:31

Title: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ~reefchik~ on June 03, 2010, 10:44:31
I swear I have the world's worst luck with zoanthids.  I finally get all mine to open, enjoying checking on my Rainbows every day and suddenly 2 days ago they disappear without a trace!!  Fortunately it was a larger colony and is split between two rocks, so I still have about 3-4 polyps of it, but the larger frag is gone. 

What the heck?
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: Kenn on June 03, 2010, 10:58:18
first thing that comes to mind is Zoa eating Nudi's

but that seems a little quick, could the glue,if any, have given way? what do you have in your tank?
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: larrynews on June 03, 2010, 13:47:26
pyramid snails will eat them, i had one once if you do have them and find it you can pick it off
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: harleyrider on June 03, 2010, 14:03:53
The little white star fish that everybody says is good, if they get on your zoas, say goodbye....
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: larrynews on June 03, 2010, 14:19:06
i have never trusted those things.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: Kenn on June 03, 2010, 14:24:04
I must say I actually promote them ... now I am talking about MY system only here :) but I have a few Zoanthids and Palythoa and have never had a problem at all.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: harleyrider on June 03, 2010, 14:31:58
I never thought about it before, i bought some deepwater zoas about 20 polyps, stayed up one night with a red flashlight lens and watched those stars attack the zoas i watched for almost 4 hours, it was amazing they stretch over the head of the polyps, in the 4 hour time i watched 5 or 6 more stars come to those zoas, when i got up the next morning there was one polyp left with a star stretched over it the rest were completly gone, now i have a bare rock where the zoas used to be....
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: Kenn on June 03, 2010, 15:09:19
After doing some initial reading it seems that the jury is still out on all Asterina starfish eating Zoas.

Some say dont trust any of them and others say that only certain species are zoanthid predators. And as there are quite a few species of the Asterina star fish its hard to ID which ones you may have in the tank.

there are also mentions that over population on the Asterina in a tank and low availability of food may cause them to eat Zoas

So with that said...

Trust to your own opinion  ;D
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: coral ranch on June 03, 2010, 15:15:58
That seems way to fast for nudi's. What kind of fish do you have?
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: larrynews on June 03, 2010, 16:33:26
After doing some initial reading it seems that the jury is still out on all Asterina starfish eating Zoas.

Some say dont trust any of them and others say that only certain species are zoanthid predators. And as there are quite a few species of the Asterina star fish its hard to ID which ones you may have in the tank.

there are also mentions that over population on the Asterina in a tank and low availability of food may cause them to eat Zoas

So with that said...

Trust to your own opinion  ;D

that is what i have read, the broken ones are supposed to be ok, but i still am not a fan, if nothing else the can irritate them
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ~reefchik~ on June 03, 2010, 18:14:30
Fish:  one spot foxface, flame angel, 5 blue green chromis, goby, yellow eyed kole tang.

My tank is full of those asterina stars!  I saw one hanging out on a bleached branch of acropora a week ago, but I don't know if it was bleached before or after the star's visit, as it was a backward facing branch, not easy to see.

I bet it's those stars, especially after what harleyrider saw.  Great...now what do I do?
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ghurlag on June 03, 2010, 18:17:24
Steph, I have had a few problems with healthy zoas disappearing lately, too.  And I have a few stars as well.  I'll have to see what I can spy at night
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: coral ranch on June 03, 2010, 19:26:22
It could very well be the stars but that rabbit fish is a good candidate also.I have kept 3 different rabbit fish in our raceways including foxface and they all ate zoanthids. they were fine for awhile.My varigated rabbits lasted almost 2 years then one morning I found half a dozen large zoanthid rocks stripped bare over night .Now I give them fraggs every once in a great while for treats.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on June 03, 2010, 19:35:53
The little white star fish that everybody says is good, if they get on your zoas, say goodbye....
+1  and the nudes  coral rx does great dip everything new in it
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: larrynews on June 03, 2010, 19:55:09
flames ca also nip at corals, they're hit and miss
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on June 03, 2010, 20:43:51
watch ur tank temp 2 if it gets hot can be like melting them away
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ~reefchik~ on June 03, 2010, 21:35:13
Ok, well...that's a lot to think about  :laugh:   The flame isn't going anywhere.  And I've never seen him or the foxface nip anything, but I will really watch for nipping now. 

My tank runs a steady 78* so I don't think it's heat.  We have AC and I keep the house fairly cool (70-ish).

I have some Coral RX, but isn't it sort of late for that?  All this stuff's been in my tank for a couple months or so.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on June 03, 2010, 21:41:22
not realy it can help alot
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ~reefchik~ on June 03, 2010, 21:53:16
not realy it can help alot
  There are only a couple of things I can pull out now, that aren't mounted, so I guess I can dip them. 
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on June 03, 2010, 21:59:14
ya i seen a nudie on 1 frag and i diped 9 after to make sure had to remount all over them
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: KeepOnReefin on June 03, 2010, 22:27:06
The little white star fish that everybody says is good, if they get on your zoas, say goodbye....

Its depends on which of the hundreds of species of Asterina you are seeing. The vast majority are harmless, a few however, will eat corals. Mine never do.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: harleyrider on June 03, 2010, 22:45:39
i dont know what species they are but i sat and watched them distroy my yellow deepwaters, i mean theres not even a sign of them even ever being on that rock lol, its kinda funny to watch, they look like parachutes over the heads of the polyps..
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on June 03, 2010, 23:00:10
thats y i just yank them when i see them
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: KeepOnReefin on June 03, 2010, 23:00:36
i dont know what species they are but i sat and watched them distroy my yellow deepwaters, i mean theres not even a sign of them even ever being on that rock lol, its kinda funny to watch, they look like parachutes over the heads of the polyps..

Yep you got the bad ones. They all look the same for the most part. Thats the problem I guess.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: Vinnbelle1 on July 13, 2010, 09:36:29
I have found that many of the bad starfish have the little red spots on them.  If you want to get rid of them, easiest way is a harlequin shrimp.
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: ~reefchik~ on July 14, 2010, 15:34:09
Most of these have tiny grey spots, and a few larger ones have almost got lines of grey on them.  I'm about ready to invest in the harlequins...
Title: Re: What would eat zoas?
Post by: HUNGER on July 14, 2010, 21:23:02
every time i see them i just yank them out  but i have never seen the ones i have on my zoas  and there about the same gray dots on them