Aquarium Predators, Problems and Unwanted Guests
Shown below is a nudibranch that was found eating a hole into a leather (left). Not all nudiranchs are bad, so do your research before you buy one for your tank.
The nudibranch's actual length is about 1 1/2 inches. It blends in nicely with the color of the coral. Beware there are other nudibranchs that blend in on other corals and eat them also. Below is a photo of its eggs. Thanks Richard F. for the photos and the discovery
A
iptasia sp. anemones, also referred to as rock or glass anemones can be a real scourge on any marine tank. They multiply like rabbits, damage or kill other marine inhabitants, and are difficult to get rid of. Intense lighting is one reason these hardy pests to do so well in a captive environment. They also multiply significantly in aquariums with poor water quality and tanks that are over fed. If these anemones are not removed or destroyed, they will overrun an aquarium in a very short period of time. You cannot just pull or scrape them off because any little piece that is left behind will just re-grow. So what do you do?
BLUE LIFE makes a product called Aiptasia Control that really works unlike Joes Juice. Kill the big ones and use shrimp for the little ones.
Shrimps - There is much debate about using Peppermint Shrimp. It looks like these little shrimp will do the job, but the concern is they are not reef safe. Be sure you get the correct type of shrimp. The Camelback (Rhynchocienetes uritai) and the Peppermint(Lysmata wurdemanni) are very similar in appearance, but they are NOT the same. It is important that you learn how to properly identify these two species! The Cameback is often misidentified or misrepresented and sold as a Peppermint Shrimp, but the TRUE Peppermint Shrimp is the L. wurdemanni. It is the real aiptasia eater and is considered to be reef safe, where the R. uritai is less likely to eat aiptasia and is NOT reef safe. I'm told to be aware of captive raised peppermint shrimp eating SPS corals.
Brown Acoel flatworms with a
Chelidonura varians
nudibranch
OUR LATEST RESEARCH ON FLATWORM ERADICATION
Sailfert - the company that makes great test kits - has come out with FLATWORM EXIT. We have tested it in our main coral tanks and it works great. There are comprehensive directions in each bottle. One bottle treats 300 gallons at the rate of 1 drop per gallon (we often double the dose) and run the Exit several hours to overnight. Be prepared to change large amounts of water, run carbon, and empty your skimmer. Also use Exit as a dip when you bring in new corals. We have it in stock. Do not under treat or shorten the treatment time because if some survive they will have built an immunity and subsequent treatments will not work. It has been reported that copepods and acropora crabs sometimes die when flatworm exit is used.
BLUE LIFE - that makes Aiptasia Control, Red Slime Remover and Phosphate Control no make a flat worm medication. We haven't tested it yet but everything else they make is fantanistic. All are available here.
There is a white flatworm that is harmless - it's the brown ones that are bad news.
Acoel flatworms are harmless but can quickly multiply into plague numbers and can completely cover a coral - starving it of light. They can be siphoned off with relative ease when in large numbers. If they do cover a coral you can give the coral a 5 second freshwater dip. Detritus and other nutrients are flatworms main food source. Don't over feed and use Liquid Gravel Vac by Tropical Science to eliminate sediment buildup.
It has been reported that a Chelidonura varians, a nudibranch - sometimes called a velvet nudibranch, will eat them. They are black with two cobalt blue stripes running longitudinally. They are impossible to find so don't waste your time.
Notice the hump on the camelback's back and the brighter color.
Aiptasia are
shown here. They are light brown, very thin tentacled anemones.
You can have as many peppermints in a tanks as you like. They will spawn quite easily but the young are usually eaten.
Peppermint have different front pinchers too
Contrary to public opinion, bristle worms (Polychaeta = many bristles) are not bad for your tank, unless they get very large or are found in massive numbers. This happens when you over feed the tank because they will multiply to meet the available food source. Cut back on feeding and they will slowly die off and eat their dead. They serve a useful function by keeping your tank clean and your sand or gravel "moving". Should bristle worms get 5 to 6 inches, pull them if possible using tweezers or needle nose pliers - not your fingers unless you are wearing gloves. Should you get stuck with bristles, use duct tape to gently lay it over the bristles and then pull off. Hot running water helps with the sting.
Arrow crabs are great bristle worm eaters but they also love to eat snails, hermits, shrimp, and small fish. NOT FOR REEFS.
They fit into the Crustacea phylum in the class Malacostraca, subclass Hoplocarida (which means "armed shrimp"), and order Stomatopoda. They are most often referred to as Stomatopods. They come in what seems like an endless variety of species . They are found in tropical waters worldwide. They are carnivores and will eat just about anything and everything. They are experts at catching and killing prey, being very clever, stealthy hunters. They are masters at hiding. They are not related to shrimp, but are referred to as shrimp because of their front appendages and how they use them to capture food. They are called a "Mantis" Shrimp due to the fact they resemble the appearance and have the same hunting characteristics of a praying mantis insect. There are two hunting categories, the "spearers" and the "smashers". The "spearers" use their spear-like claw to silently stab soft tissued prey. The "smashers" use their forceful, club-like claw to hit, crack open or pulverize harder bodied prey. It is interesting that the power of the "smashers" appendage can produce a blow close to the power of a .22 caliber bullet and are notoriously known as " thumb splitters "..These animals are burrowers, and can create tubes or cavities in sand, rubble or mud. They will adapt to living in holes, cracks or crevices in rocks, and may take up residence in snail or hermit crab shells as well. They are solitary animals, and unless you have a VERY large tank, they should be kept alone.
A Peacock Mantis about 4 to 5". This is a really cool creature but he must be kept in a tank by himself
Look closely and you may find these on your zooanthind polyps munching away. The lines in the photo are from a yellow legal pad for size comparison.
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
Harlequin Shrimp - their main food source are starfish. You can have them in reef tanks but you will have to buy chocolate chip stars as food. They will eat all types of stars so beware. Brittle and serpent stars usually get away.
Here is a real nuisance of a starfish. If you see any in your tank, pull them out because they reproduce very quickly. They can be controlled by Harlequin shrimp but the shrimp will also eat other stars. The little photo is about true size - about 1/2" across. The photo on the left was taken on a legal pad so you also have another frame of reference. Note their irregular shape.
Harlequin Shrimp
An Unwanted Starfish
Peppermint Shrimp
Mantis Shrimp
Bristle Worms
Arrow Crabs
A Polyp Eating Snail
Flatworms
Nudibranchs
Asterina wega
SEA APPLES
MEDUSA WORMS
This is one to watch out for. They are extremely hard to kill. "Joe's Juice" fails completely (for aptasia too). AIPTASI CONTROL by Blue Life works great. Just follow directions. We have this for sale in our shop.
Below is a POLYCHAETE worm--specifically a
spaghetti worm
. The
tentacles are used for feeding... It's a surface feeder and can
live in tubes or under rocks. It's entirely reef safe, and it might
even be considered beneficial. Spaghetti are related to bristles.
Their tubes are made of mud and mucous.
