Aeolid Nudibranch ID?         6/18/15 Hello crew! I have been successful for years due to wealth of information this site has to offer. Thank you for your time and service! Now I am hoping I can get a verification of what I think I have learned after reading lots of links here. <Ahh!> I have had a pistol shrimp / Goby combo for the last three years. This year we slowly started adding corals to their tank. I have diligently QT everything we bought and everything has been cleared and in the display tank. Well, (yep here it is...) except some rock rubble that I bought last week for the pistol shrimp (he gets so excited about new rocks outside his door) from my local saltwater retailer's live rock bin. Two days later I saw this guy on the glass, he was about the size of a grain of rice, and I removed him from the tank (picture attached taken with a magnifying glass). Two days after that my only piece of Montipora has batches of these same things around the base. <Trouble; are Montipora eaters. Need to isolate, and likely dip/bath all incoming corals to avoid such undesirable hitchhikers> The Montipora is now in a hospital tank and manual siphoning of the Nudibranch has begun. I believe from what I have read that these are Aeolid Nudibranch but if you can verify I could not find many definitive pictures on the link for these (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MontiNudiF.htm). I just want to make sure I have the right plan of attack by making sure I am reading about the right thing. I have not seen a single one of these Nudibranch on any other SPS or LPS I have (although I will continue to check daily). Thank you! Esther <There are a few approaches... I'd be reading, and pronto. Bob Fenner>

Montipora Eating Nudibranchs         6/1/15
Hi Bob,
<Hey Robin>
For a couple months now I' be having problems with my Montipora corals.
At first I thought it was something environmental or bacterial as I began to see what looked like bleached, degrading coral flesh on the edges of my Montis. I religiously dip any frag that goes into my tank so a parasite had not even crossed my mind.
<Mmm; some dips, procedures are better than others (by far); and none are 100% effective over time...>
Today I was getting ready to do my usual tank maintenance on the 120g reef and started by blowing this fuzzy white stuff off the Montis with a turkey baster. Suddenly as the stuff was floating away I noticed some of it was wiggling and my heart sank. They were Monti eating Nudibranchs.
<Arggghhhh! VERY hard to eliminate... requires utmost patience in isolating ALL colonies, systematically dipping.... perhaps breaking off new culture pieces and abandoning larger in big facilities... Do you know Morgan Lidster of Inland Aquatics? I'd have you chat w/ him. Have bcc'd him here>
Everything I've read about them here and elsewhere does not bode well. I have some large encrusting colonies on huge rocks that would be very, very difficult to dip and even harder to quarantine. What should I do???
<Move the Montipora/s, VERY carefully observe them; dip enroute, scrubbing or breaking off all suspicious areas... Place in NEW, known clean systems... utilize Labrid eaters there.>
Thanks,
Robin
<Oh, do see WWM re what we've accumulated re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MontiNudiF.htm
Bob Fenner>
Re: Montipora Eating Nudibranchs      6/2/15
Bob,
Is there any wrasse in particular that is better for the job than another?
I already have a Six Line in the tank and he either isn't eating them or can't keep up.
Robin
<For function, I'd try the Lined genus. BobF>

Re: Indian Ocean sps Zoa reef flat biotope tank... Super Coral/anti HH dip formulae!    9/14/13
Hi Bob
You said "had i devised the formulation)"
What would the formulation be for getting rid of the eggs of Montipora eating Nudibranch ?
I used CoralRX for 20 min with recommend strength solution.
Can you refer me to a commercial dip or even send some of your special formulation please? Would be more than happy to cover any charge you would have in mind :)
<Ahh, only speculating re the desired effects of such a "potion". The mixes I've used for decades for acclimating/moving Scleractinians (mostly collector to wholesaler shipments) include slightly depressed (a thousandth or two) specific gravity, the addition of hexose sugar and a large "dose" of iodide-ate. This is gone over a few times/places on WWM, in articles and
presentations of mine. Bob Fenner>
Cheers
Ranjith

Flatworm id, and Montipora hlth.    4/26/12 Mr. Fenner, <Hey Jeff> I have some new frags in a quarantine tank and I recently noticed what appears to be a few small flatworms.  The first one I saw was on the glass and a few came off the corals during a Coral Rx dip.  I attached a few pics, one through a microscope at 100x, with the hopes that you could id them and advise how to move forward with them. <Do appear to be flatworms; can't tell much more>  If they are a potential pest I would like to keep them out of my main reef. <I would do so>  I read all over you site and everyone seems to have issues with their main display but none dealing with flatworms in quarantine.  I am assuming the approach would be different while in qt. <I would use a commercial de-wormer... Flatworm EXit likely>  I am also attaching a picture of an encrusting Montipora that has a white patch that has developed over the past two days.  My initial thought was Nudibranchs so inspected it and a Montipora cap but didn't see any or any eggs. <Very hard to see... but may not be due to Nudibranch predation>   These frags are also in quarantine and all frags look great except for the one Monti. <I'd remove it to elsewhere>  I understand that there could be numerous reasons for this dead spot but any advice you could give would be much appreciated. <The usual recommendation to visit/read on WWM re Acroporid disease/pests/predator (FAQs) and pulsing iodide-ate additions>  Thanks for you help. Jeff <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

white feather worms... Nudibranchs eating Montipora   - 4/19/10
<Hi Randy>
I have a 240gal salt water tank. I have noticed recently that I have these little white feather like worms eating my green Montis. what are they?
<Mmm, these could be Nudibranchs. Try a google search on 'Montipora eating Nudibranch'. These are difficult to eradicate if so, the only sure-fire way I know of is manual removal every day for two-three weeks>
How do I get rid of them?
<Posted. With difficulty. Iodine dips do not work.>
I can not find any information on them anywhere.
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corldisart.html>
Please help before I lose my green Montis and they go to some else to eat.
<Have battled these myself with this method and won. Simon>

Montipora-Eating Nudibranch Question -- 02/21/09 Hello, <<Hi Jeremy>> I unfortunately have Montipora eating Nudibranchs. <<Ugh'¦ I have dealt with these pests in the past 'very destructive and not easy to eradicate>> I have some encrusted Montipora that I won't be able to completely remove from my tank. <<Then sadly, these will likely be lost. Though you could, as I'm sure you are aware, frag them up and remove to quarantine for inspection/treatment>> I have set up a QT tank and my plan is to remove the Montipora that I can and frag the ones that I can't remove and move them to my QT tank. <<Ah! Yes>> I will dip them in Revive every couple days to try to kill the Nudibranchs. I understand the dip won't kill the eggs but I am thinking if I dip every couple days for an extended period of time I will get them all. <<Maybe so'¦ But do also inspect the undersides of the corals daily and remove adults/eggs as you find them>> I am sadly going to have to let nature run it coarse on the Montipora I can't get out of my tank and hopefully starve the Nudibranchs. I have read that these pests can live two months without food. <<I too have heard they can/will enter a dormant stage 'but I can also attest that without a food source they will decline/cease to be>> I have two questions, how long should I keep my Montipora in the QT tank and is Revive an effective dip for the pests? <<I would give the system a good two weeks after the last of the remaining Montipora is gone from the display. Then I would add a sizeable frag of Montipora (choose a species the Nudibranchs 'especially' liked if possible) to the display and inspect this frag daily for re-infestation. If in another two weeks the Nudibranchs don't show up on this frag, then it's likely you can return all your Montipora to the display without fear. As for the dip'¦ The Revive is probably fine, nothing is likely to get everything as you stated 'but I would also try Tropic Marin's Pro-Coral Cure as this iodine-based product may well act differently/more effectively on the Nudibranchs than the plant-based Revive. But only one way to find out'¦>> Thanks for your help! Jeremy <<Happy to share. EricR>>

Re: (Follow up: to Eric Russell) New solution against Monti eating Nudis... New Weapon In The Fight Against Montipora-Eating Nudibranchs -- 03/10/08 Hi Eric! <<Hiya Dominique!>> I just made this discovery. Using camel shrimps (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) to fight Montipora eating Aeolid Nudibranchs. <<Really?>> Never heard of that trick before. <<Me neither 'though I must mention, I don't consider these shrimp 'reef-safe' at all>> Very interesting, have a look: http://www.korallen-zucht.de/index.php?article_id=52&clang=1 <<Ahh! A shrimp stocked 'cleansing tank' separate from the main display 'and utilized like a hospital/treatment tank 'though for a much shorter time period. Keeping a small tank with a few of these shrimp in it should be a simple thing; and an interesting display on its own to boot!'¦ Very cool!>> Ciao! Dominique <<Thanks so much for the input, my friend. Prendere cura! EricR>>

Nudibranchs, as pred.s on Acroporas    -02/20/08 Hello crew, <Howdy> I very quick question for you. I have gotten some information from my supplier and would like some help. I have purchased a lot of various Acroporas in the past, (cultured only). My recent purchases have somewhat intrigued me. All the Acroporas, are dipped and placed in quarantine for 6 weeks. No matter what. However these corals are dying from the bottom up, and from the tips inward. After contacting my supplier he claims there is a huge problem with parasitic Nudibranchs industry wide and manufactures are scrambling to find a solution that will kill the Nudibranchs and their eggs. How you any information on this. I have sent some die off pieces to a lab friend, so I do not have any pictures yet. Thanks, I appreciate any help. <Hmm... AEF usually eat/kill from the base up and out. If your corals are dying from the tips in, that sounds more like a different problem. In any case, this is my favorite page/site on AEF: http://www.melevsreef.com/aefw.html You can see from the pictures what an infected coral looks like and how the infestation progresses. Another good article... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/mc/index.php> Ann Marie <Best,
Sara M.>

Nudibranchs, as pred.s on Acroporas    -02/20/08 Hello crew, <Howdy> I very quick question for you. I have gotten some information from my supplier and would like some help. I have purchased a lot of various Acroporas in the past, (cultured only). My recent purchases have somewhat intrigued me. All the Acroporas, are dipped and placed in quarantine for 6 weeks. No matter what. However these corals are dying from the bottom up, and from the tips inward. After contacting my supplier he claims there is a huge problem with parasitic Nudibranchs industry wide and manufactures are scrambling to find a solution that will kill the Nudibranchs and their eggs. How you any information on this. I have sent some die off pieces to a lab friend, so I do not have any pictures yet. Thanks, I appreciate any help. <Hmm... AEF usually eat/kill from the base up and out. If your corals are dying from the tips in, that sounds more like a different problem. In any case, this is my favorite page/site on AEF: http://www.melevsreef.com/aefw.html You can see from the pictures what an infected coral looks like and how the infestation progresses. Another good article... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/mc/index.php> Ann Marie <Best, Sara M.>

Montipora Eating Nudibranch Predator? - 05/26/06 Hello WWM staff, <<Hello Stephen> I recently noticed a small number (at least what I could see) of Nudibranchs consuming various species of my Montipora. <<Mmm, very bad...and their numbers are higher than you realize>> This was very disappointing as I have gone through a QT for everything, but obviously something slipped by my inspection. <<Indeed>> Over the past 3 weeks I have moved most of my Montipora to a frag tank where I inspect and manually remove the adults and eggs at least every other day. <<Prolific breeders, I would do this daily...if you're serious about eradicating the Nudibranchs>> Finding very few now and found none yesterday! <<Keep checking...a few weeks quarantine in order here>> I do however have 2 large colonies of M. digitata that I can not remove completely as they have encrusted large rocks at their bases. <<Different species about (Nudibranchs), but my experience with these critters is they showed a definite preference for the plating (e.g. - M. capricornis) and encrusting (e.g. - M. danae) Montipora over the branching varieties>> Just yesterday I noticed 1 Nudi at the base of one of these colonies (Where there is one, I'm sure there are more). <<Yes>> After dispatching this Nudi I inspected as best I could and can not see any more. <<Again, in my experience, once the food source is removed they tend to "disappear" quickly>> So having found this in my display still and not being able to easily remove all of the Montipora, is there a fish predator for these guys that would make an appropriate addition to a community reef tank for a 90gal? <<Not that I'm aware...for sure.  Some of the reef-safe wrasses "may" eat the Nudibranchs, but I have never witnessed/heard confirmed reports of this.  If you wish to try, a wrasse from the genus Halichoeres might be a good choice>> I have seen a couple of species or wrasses mention, but little direct discussion. <<Indeed...I once experienced and episode with these Nudibranchs...I had wrasses from four different genera in my tank (including Halichoeres) but could never discern any of them feeding on the Nudibranchs>> Thank you, Stephen <<Quite welcome, EricR>>

Monti Eating Nudibranchs and predatory starfish I 8/11/04 Dear Bob Anthony, <cheers, my friend> First and foremost I wanted to say thank you for everything you do. I believe it can truly be said that this phenomenal hobby has advanced so much over the years because of your dedication to it! <thanks kindly... it is a labor of love> I had a quick question if you don't mind, and also wanted to bring to your attention an interesting experience that occurred. I am of the opinion that everything in the wild has its purpose, and will not try to eradicate anything unless it is truly harmful. <agreed... and yet, there is a joke somewhere in there about politicians. Well give lawyers a pass on this one> I have a fairly large system with 8 plating Montis in it. I went on vacation and when I returned I noted two plating Montis were suffering severe tissue loss. I thought the issue was more water quality related, particularly since my calc reactor had been down for several weeks and the filter socks needed cleaning. Despite water changes and dosing with Kalk, the affected Montis continued to RTN. I had heard of these little predatory Nudibranchs, but did not think there was a chance I had them. I fragged one of the Montis, and what do ya know there they were. Tons of them (to be honest, even though I have an obvious degree of hatred for them, they are fascinating). <Arghhh... you have not been diligent about quarantining your livestock my friend. 'Tis why you have this pest now. Do QT all things wet in the future - live food, live sand and rock, snails, corals, fishes, everything! <G>> My problem is the effected colony encrusted hardcore onto a large piece of rock, there is no way I can pry it lose. I am suspect that these suckers are concentrated under the base. Is there anyway to rid of these things? <they are very difficult indeed... do check the extensive threads on this topic at reef central. I cannot say the bad news any better than they have :p> Is there anything in the wild that eats them? <certainly.. but reef-safe? Hmmm... spec at this point. Some have said various wrasses and dragonets. None excel though reliably> I do have one CBB, but I would think some form of reef "safe" wrasse would be better. <perhaps... Tamarins or small yellow/green "Coris"> Also, wanted to mention in the past there was a dispute as to whether these little brown starfish we all have actually eat SPS (i.e. GARF). <Asterina species... and yes, I have read the GARF info. I do not believe it is accurate.> I had been in the SPS end of things and never had an issue so I was not concerned. Indeed they do eat SPS, the other colony I referred to above had tons of these brown starfish on the underside, right were the run line was on each plate. What is stranger, I have tons of across and non have been affected. Looks like it is time to buy a harlequin (there are plenty of these things to last the harlequin quite a long time).  As always thanks!!!!!!!! <do check out my take on Asterina and other sea stars in the recent article on reefkeeping.com from a couple of months ago. Best regards, Anthony Calfo>
Monti Eating Nudibranchs and predatory starfish II 8/11/04  By the way, I am curious (from a scientific perspective) as to whether these predatory Nudis show a preference for certain species of plating Monti, or whether this is just a random event. <there are quite a few opisthobranchs that are obligate on one species of invertebrate or very limited (by genus usually) otherwise. There are lists of slug species and their prey available on the web. DO check out resources like the SeaSlug forum. We also have an extensive list of web sites and references on Seaslugs in the bibliography of our book "Reef Invertebrates" by Calfo and Fenner 2003> What I think is strange is the Nudi's have only affected one colony, none of the others have them (at least not yet). It would be neat to take frags of say 10 types of plating Monti, and see which species they show a statistically significant preference for Thanks <please do take photos and tell us of your findings if not write an article. Anthony>

Something eating SPS - Montipora Anthony, happy holidays and hope all is well with you. <Adam here today.  Anthony bumped this over to me since I just dealt with this problem in my own tank.> I noticed one of my recent frags, a Montiporas Cap,  that is purple in color bleached around the edges about a quarter of an inch.  This is more then the  normal white tips from growth.  I attributed this to a drop in Alk while I was adjusting to my winter evaporation rate.   <I did pretty much the same thing.  I attributed it to water quality, did some water changes and never really inspected the coral closely.> However, I have noticed a small white spiral looking thing on the white part of the coral.  Looks almost like a very small white fan worm (at least the ends of the fan worm anyway). <The critter you saw is an Aeolid Nudibranch.  They seem to becoming quite common in the hobby, likely from frag trading.  They seem to favor plating Montiporas, but will move on to branching forms.> I also noticed a small white area on my established, thriving purple cap.  Could this be a bug or something?  Any ideas or am I  just seeing things. <The white spots are where the Nudis have eaten the coenosteum (tissue between polyps) of the coral.  Unfortunately these are very real and quite difficult to get rid of.  Manual removal is the only way to do so without significant risk of killing the coral.  You will have to remove the infested corals every day or couple of days and pick or scrub off any Nudibranchs or eggs.  It may be best to this in a bucket of tank water since the critters tend to collapse under their own weight and become difficult to spot out of the water.  After you are 100% sure you have eliminated them, continue to check your Montiporas at least weekly.  I continued to find one or two a week for about a month.> Thanks <No Sweat, and best of luck!  Adam> Andrew