nudibranch problems :(

T

txvoodoo

I have various zoos with a nudibranch problem.

We did freshwater w/ lugol's iodine dip 3 days on, then waited a week, then did it again when we saw more.

Is there a reproduction cycle for nudibranchs that I'm getting behind? Is there a way of getting rid of these suckers for good? I'm trying so hard to save my lovely zoos.
 
The problem is when it your tank it's going to be hard to get them all. The only thing you can do is keep dipping and removing until you eventually get them all. may take quite a while I'm afraid!
 
How can you tell if you have nudi's on your zoos? I have a lot of zoos in my tanks and it seems like sometimes they just die 1-2 polyps at a time.

Also what's the lugols dip you were talking about? I'm sure as I brouse this thread I'll see something.

Just wondering what could be going on. Yesterday in fact I noticed out of the whole colony I had one polyp close and kind of turn black around the skirt first and then the rest of the polyp, I thought it might open back up but today it's still closed. I'm gonna try to post a pic.
 
The easiest way to check for zos eating nudibranchs is to look when the zoas are closed (like after lights out).

They look like the picture in this thread.. http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=15705

You can also see little white circles of eggs on the closed up zoas.

The reason that they're difficult to see when the zoas are open is that they suck the 'juice' from your zoas, and take on the color of the ones they're eating. If you look very carefully when they're open, you'll see an extra 'fringe' of tentacles, that on closer inspection, is a nudibranch.

The 'zoo dip' entails getting a bucket of fresh water, temp, ph matched to your tank, and add 4-5 drops of lugol's iodine to it. Then submerge the zoos in this solution for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the zoas upside down in the solution and shake / swish / splash them up and down to dislodge any nudibranchs.

Then take them out of the fresh water, and get out the magnifying glass.. inspect them very very carefully for any egg cases on the zoas, and remove carefully with tweezers.
 
If one 1 or 2 die every once in a while I do not think you have nubis. They seam to work pretty fast. 4-5 months ago I had some and they did a pretty good job eating my zoo's up....knock on wood all my zoo's are back to normal and thriving.

I did not even bother with the logos from what I read it does not kill them it only makes them weaker so you can possibly shake them off. I just pulled each colony near the surface and good light and just inspected them very closely. Once I spotted them I pulled the colony out of the water and removed the nubi with tweezers. I did this for about 2 weeks. After the first day I would only find 1 or 2. After I stopped finding them for about a week I stopped. I am not sure of the reproduction cycle. I may have just got luck but since that time I have not seen a nubi in my tank.
 
Why don't you take the zoas out of the tank and dip them, and then put them in a QT tank for a while, and hopefully by then, the nudis in the tank would have died from starvation.. (will they?)
 
They live in the zoo's any that survie the dip will be just as happy in the QT tank. I read also that some times they lay there eggs in the remains of the zoos they ate...so the new borns will be in the QT
 
it's hard to do - it's a really tightly packed zoo rock :D

we do toothpick off egg strands after dipping


I actually think we've gotten it under control now, with pretty good success. *knock wood*
 
I was doing some research for a fish that I saw. Remember that "green leaf wrasse" that was posted?...there is a MAJOR thread on RC about this guy and his "hunter" skills. Just so happens he is a nudi predator. The thread spoke of a zoo collector placing him in the tank due to major nudi population and zoo losses. The wrasse wiped them ALL out. I know this is not a option for most, but just thought i'd relate some info that I came across.

found the thread if you interested;
http://tinyurl.com/f6wd2

steve
 
Steve,
Interesting thread! That would prolly explain why we've started seeing more of this fish in LFS the last few weeks.....
 
Ya it is Serk...Ive been doing a lot of research on him. This is just another advantage. Still trying to decide on pulling the trigger :p
 
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