Montipora eating Nudibranchs

[Copingwithpods]

A few weeks ago a frag landed on my montipora (stayed in contact maybe 4 hours tissue to tissue) which I then mistakenly assumed was the source of the bleaching that later came.

Pre damage (orange plug above the clam.

Few weeks went by as I observed it slowly wither away (still under the impression it was sting damage)

Today thinking I would lose it altogether decided to give it a dip in hopes it would help it heal and found this....

Nudibranchs, bout 20 of them

Really cool guys actually and I quiet enjoyed looking at them. But it's time for them to go.

I then did 2 dips, one with coral rx which helped dislodge most of them with the help of a pipet. Then a 50/50 mix of tank water and h2o2 which dislodged the more stubborn ones.

Through research I found there isn't a kill all (far as I know) yet and best practice is continued dipping until no more are left.

Now I'm left with this

I battered but alive Monti.

Question: The little bulbs that are left I'm assuming, after not being able to remove them via blasting or scraping are just polyps? Or are they eggs, I don't know and couldn't find what the eggs look like.

Question: Is my plan sound? Will it iradicate them from my frag?

Question: I know the iradication and healing process will be long, any thing I can do to speed this along?

 

[DancingShark]

I have never dealt with these.
Do you have more montis? Do you have wrasse?

From what I have read and seem once you get them most will just throw out the piece since they are so hard to get rid of.

 

[Copingwithpods]

I have never dealt with these.
Do you have more montis? Do you have wrasse?

From what I have read and seem once you get them most will just throw out the piece since they are so hard to get rid of.

I do have more montipora and I have inspected them very closely and it seams (atleast for now) they were limited to this frag.

Funny you should mention a wrasse, I gave away my sixline shortly after the frag sandwich incident. Now I'm wondering if he was keeping them at bay.

 

[vetteguy53081]

OUCH - yes they are. Dip immediately. I use CoralRX. . The nudibranchs lay their eggs on the underside of the coral and the adults Can be siphoned out in some cases. With this many in your pic, there are likely eggs within.
Best assurance that are rid of is to set up a QT tank (yes, you'll need to) and move the affected coral(s) to the quarantine tank with good light and water flow for the corals. Set up QT tank and take your coral out of the main tank and dip it in Coral Rx.
With the coral in the CoralRx take a turkey baster, and blast the coral with the dip. Making sure it is getting in between the cracks of the coral. Do this for approximately 5 – 8minutes. Remove coral from dipping container and discard the coral dip. Do not reuse the coral dip as the dead parasites may release toxins. Rinse the coral with clean saltwater and return to the quarantine tank. Repeat this method every 4-8 days till no more nudibranchs are found.
Leave the coral in your quarantine system for an additional two months before moving them back to your aquarium. Adding a wrasse such as Lunare to your quarantine tank will also aid in the treatment of Montipora Eating Nudibranchs.

 

[StatelineReefer]

OUCH - yes they are. Dip immediately. I use CoralRX. . The nudibranchs lay their eggs on the underside of the coral and the adults Can be siphoned out in some cases. With this many in your pic, there are likely eggs within.
Best assurance that are rid of is to set up a QT tank (yes, you'll need to) and move the affected coral(s) to the quarantine tank with good light and water flow for the corals. Set up QT tank and take your coral out of the main tank and dip it in Coral Rx.
With the coral in the CoralRx take a turkey baster, and blast the coral with the dip. Making sure it is getting in between the cracks of the coral. Do this for approximately 5 – 8minutes. Remove coral from dipping container and discard the coral dip. Do not reuse the coral dip as the dead parasites may release toxins. Rinse the coral with clean saltwater and return to the quarantine tank. Repeat this method every 4-8 days till no more nudibranchs are found.
Leave the coral in your quarantine system for an additional two months before moving them back to your aquarium. Adding a wrasse such as Lunare to your quarantine tank will also aid in the treatment of Montipora Eating Nudibranchs.

I agree with literally everything in this post, with one addition... to break the lifecycle of the nudibranch, dip every 5 days, and tank transfer if you have the available QT tanks. Nothing harms those eggs, literally, you could drop a nuclear bomb on them and one might turn into slugzilla. You just have to wait until they hatch, dip the juveniles, and put it in a fresh tank to dip again later... You're also not going to like this part, but the eggs are viable for up to 18 days.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I agree with literally everything in this post, with one addition... to break the lifecycle of the nudibranch, dip every 5 days, and tank transfer if you have the available QT tanks. Nothing harms those eggs, literally, you could drop a nuclear bomb on them and one might turn into slugzilla. You just have to wait until they hatch, dip the juveniles, and put it in a fresh tank to dip again later... You're also not going to like this part, but the eggs are viable for up to 18 days.

Each fertile nudibranch can lay up to 100 eggs also !

 

[Copingwithpods]

OUCH - yes they are. Dip immediately. I use CoralRX. . The nudibranchs lay their eggs on the underside of the coral and the adults Can be siphoned out in some cases. With this many in your pic, there are likely eggs within.
Best assurance that are rid of is to set up a QT tank (yes, you'll need to) and move the affected coral(s) to the quarantine tank with good light and water flow for the corals. Set up QT tank and take your coral out of the main tank and dip it in Coral Rx.
With the coral in the CoralRx take a turkey baster, and blast the coral with the dip. Making sure it is getting in between the cracks of the coral. Do this for approximately 5 – 8minutes. Remove coral from dipping container and discard the coral dip. Do not reuse the coral dip as the dead parasites may release toxins. Rinse the coral with clean saltwater and return to the quarantine tank. Repeat this method every 4-8 days till no more nudibranchs are found.
Leave the coral in your quarantine system for an additional two months before moving them back to your aquarium. Adding a wrasse such as Lunare to your quarantine tank will also aid in the treatment of Montipora Eating Nudibranchs.

Any chance I can get you to re-read my post, I'd love your opinion on some of the questions I posted.

@StatelineReefer, dip every 5 days, got it. Would toothbrush scrubbing of the frag plug help any?

I wish I could set up a qt right now but it's just not possible so everything will have to be display tank based. I know this is of great risk to the other corals.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Any chance I can get you to re-read my post, I'd love your opinion on some of the questions I posted.

@StatelineReefer, dip every 5 days, got it. Would toothbrush scrubbing of the frag plug help any?

I'm loathe to scrub montipora after nudibranch damage, you never know where they've bitten and you can pull flesh up this way, leading to a complete loss.

I wish I could set up a qt right now but it's just not possible so everything will have to be display tank based. I know this is of great risk to the other corals.

It's not as much of a risk to other corals, unless you have more montipora, but it does make eradicating them nearly impossible, because they have other places to go.

In this instance, even a tupperware container can be a rehab tank. An airstone can provide 'flow'.

I think it is exponentially more difficult to control Monti Eating Nudibranch without being able to isolate them and prevent a lone pair of escapees from becoming a colony again, but it can be done, just be persistent, and if this is to be done in the display, dip every three days, rather than 5, to prevent juveniles from reaching breeding maturity.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any chance I can get you to re-read my post, I'd love your opinion on some of the questions I posted.

@StatelineReefer, dip every 5 days, got it. Would toothbrush scrubbing of the frag plug help any?

I wish I could set up a qt right now but it's just not possible so everything will have to be display tank based. I know this is of great risk to the other corals.

Set up a Rubbermaid container if no QT. Treatment cannot happen in display tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Question: The little bulbs that are left I'm assuming, after not being able to remove them via blasting or scraping are just polyps? Or are they eggs, I don't know and couldn't find what the eggs look like.
THEY'RE EGGS

Question: Is my plan sound? Will it iradicate them from my frag?
THESE ARE NIGHTMARES AND MULTIPLY LIKE MICE. ONLY RECOURSE IS TO QUARANTINE AND DIP

Question: I know the iradication and healing process will be long, any thing I can do to speed this along?
FOLLOW THE PLAN I POSTED. NOTHING FAST WHEN IT COMES TO BATTLING ANY PEST. THESE GUYS WILL LEAVE TONS OF EGGS THAT REFUSE TO DIE. WILL BE A DAILY PROCESS. TIME IS YOUR FRIEND HERE. . UNFORTUNATELY

 

[35ppt]

I agree with everything above and will just also add a waterpik can be very useful in manual removal.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Question: The little bulbs that are left I'm assuming, after not being able to remove them via blasting or scraping are just polyps? Or are they eggs, I don't know and couldn't find what the eggs look like.
THEY'RE EGGS

Question: Is my plan sound? Will it iradicate them from my frag?
THESE ARE NIGHTMARES AND MULTIPLY LIKE MICE. ONLY RECOURSE IS TO QUARANTINE AND DIP

Question: I know the iradication and healing process will be long, any thing I can do to speed this along?
FOLLOW THE PLAN I POSTED. NOTHING FAST WHEN IT COMES TO BATTLING ANY PEST. THESE GUYS WILL LEAVE TONS OF EGGS THAT REFUSE TO DIE. WILL BE A DAILY PROCESS. TIME IS YOUR FRIEND HERE. . UNFORTUNATELY

Got it thank you.

Currently trying to put something together. Sadly the only reason I can't set up a qt is lack of light, I have everything else needed, a complete set up, just no light.

EDIT: just realized have no salt either

The tupperware idea, is this a tub inside the display I sit the coral in? A bit confused.

@35ppt what's a waterpik?

 

[blstravler]

I had them. Don’t assume they are only on that frag - big mistake. Frag every Montipora you have unless they are easily removed to be dipped. If you had that many on one you likely have 100’s if not 1000’s of eggs in your tank. If you didn’t see any eggs you haven’t found them yet - trust me. Look at night when the lights are out you will see them moving around especially on the underside and edges.

I fragged all mine onto fresh plugs and got rid of the main colonies (they weren’t that big). It was easier this way to dip the frags - I also used a very soft baby tooth brush to ensure no eggs remained. I also had them on a frag rack as not to put them back on my rock where they could be waiting to hop back on or eggs could be. I actually scrubbed the rock where the mother colonies where.

I think I dipped every 5 days for what seemed like 3 months. I also did the same with my digi’s but never found any on them.

Good luck.

 

[Copingwithpods]

I had them. Don’t assume they are only on that frag - big mistake. Frag every Montipora you have unless they are easily removed to be dipped. If you had that many on one you likely have 100’s if not 1000’s of eggs in your tank. If you didn’t see any eggs you haven’t found them yet - trust me. Look at night when the lights are out you will see them moving around especially on the underside and edges.

I fragged all mine onto fresh plugs and got rid of the main colonies (they weren’t that big). It was easier this way to dip the frags - I also used a very soft baby tooth brush to ensure no eggs remained. I also had them on a frag rack as not to put them back on my rock where they could be waiting to hop back on or eggs could be. I actually scrubbed the rock where the mother colonies where.

I think I dipped every 5 days for what seemed like 3 months. I also did the same with my digi’s but never found any on them.

Good luck.

Will keep this in mind and stay vigilant, thank you.

 

[Backreefing]

I’ve beaten them . With manual removed. I have a baster like a large needle with out the needle tip . It blasts them off . Your second weapon is superglue. Paint every affected area and the entire underneath of the monti. This smothers them and there eggs .
Inspect at night, use a magnifying lens. And get a wrasse, yellow coris or 6line ( bullies )
These days your lucky if a dip has any affect on them . Go ahead search R2R you will find reports of MEN not being killed by any dip.

 

[35ppt]

Got it thank you.

Currently trying to put something together. Sadly the only reason I can't set up a qt is lack of light, I have everything else needed, a complete set up, just no light.

EDIT: just realized have no salt either

The tupperware idea, is this a tub inside the display I sit the coral in? A bit confused.

@35ppt what's a waterpik?

It's a dental cleaning device, get two. One for your tank and one for you. lol

Amazon.com : waterpik

Where are you in LA? I'm in Culver City. I've got an Asta20 and some old two bulb 2' and 3' T5 fixtures if it helps. T5's would need new bulbs though. I QT'd a regular red monti cap under the Asta20 and it was sufficient.

 

[Backreefing]

Here is a picture of the ones I had , look at my fingerprints for sizing them this is why you need a lens.

 

[Copingwithpods]

It's a dental cleaning device, get two. One for your tank and one for you. lol

Amazon.com : waterpik

Where are you in LA? I'm in Culver City. I've got an Asta20 and some old two bulb 2' and 3' T5 fixtures if it helps. T5's would need new bulbs though. I QT'd a regular red monti cap under the Asta20 and it was sufficient.

Awesome thank you I will definitely pick some of those up asap.

I'm in Monterey Park prob 15mins from Culver city. My spare tank is a 14g so the astra20 would probably be best, let me know how much you're willing to part with it for.

 

[35ppt]

Awesome thank you I will definitely pick some of those up asap.

I'm in Monterey Park prob 15mins from Culver city. My spare tank is a 14g so the astra20 would probably be best, let me know how much you're willing to part with it for.

You can borrow it for free, I guess $25 if you wanna keep it.

 

[Copingwithpods]

@35ppt pm sent.

OK so new plan!

Set up qt and transfer affected frag over.

Check all other montis in display at night for stragglers

Dip every 3-5 days brush underside of plug rinse in different container all that sweet stuff

Question: Will they feed on other coral species?