WHAT WILL EAT SEA SPIDERS!

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Dealing with an infestation of sea spiders. I've been at this for months and can never get rid of them and they're eating my LPS, and just found another on my platygyra. What eats them! I need something, a wrasse perhaps? Because manual removal is not working. On that note will flasher wrasse eat them?

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Bump

 

[Slocke]

No flashers won’t eat them. If there were wrasse that would eat them it would be. Halichoeres, lined, leopards, or tamarin. Though I don’t know what these spiders are. @ISpeakForTheSeas ?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Though I don’t know what these spiders are. @ISpeakForTheSeas ?

They're Pycnogonids (taxonomic class Pycnogonida) - not much that is known to eat these that could be safely put in a reef tank.

Monterey Bay Aquarium lists the following as predators:
"Sea stars, shorebirds, rays, crabs, and fishes eat sea spiders."

Jellyfish and octopus are also listed in other places as predators of these.

From what I've seen, the things that prey on these guys seem to typically be large, predatory/not reef-safe critters; a wrasse, pufferfish, triggerfish, or similar may eat them, but there's no guarantees.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

They're Pycnogonids (taxonomic class Pycnogonida) - not much that is known to eat these that could be safely put in a reef tank.

Monterey Bay Aquarium lists the following as predators:
"Sea stars, shorebirds, rays, crabs, and fishes eat sea spiders."

Jellyfish and octopus are also listed in other places as predators of these.

From what I've seen, the things that prey on these guys seem to typically be large, predatory/not reef-safe critters; a wrasse, pufferfish, triggerfish, or similar may eat them, but there's no guarantees.

Actually am planning to keep a pair of bluethroat triggers in this tank, which are reef safe (apart from inverts lol) though I would have to keep them well fed so they don't unearth my trachyphyllias.... though would they be able to reach the spiders out of crevices?

 

[Spare time]

I will.

 

[vetteguy53081]

None I know of but dips are effective with them, however they gat into crevices and lay eggs and hide well. Will be a battle.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

None I know of but dips are effective with them, however they gat into crevices and lay eggs and hide well. Will be a battle.

I've been fighting this battle for months now trust me I know. Remarkably every coral (exept 2) have been given the standard 15 min iodine dip and I still managed to get them. I think this is the 5th one over 3 months I've killed.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I will.

And you think vermiteds are bad



BTW which LFS can I purchase one @Spare time for spider control?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Actually am planning to keep a pair of bluethroat triggers in this tank, which are reef safe (apart from inverts lol) though I would have to keep them well fed so they don't unearth my trachyphyllias.... though would they be able to reach the spiders out of crevices?

Probably not. They might eat them when they're exposed to feed though. That said, with Bluethroat Triggers (assuming you're meaning Xanthichthys auromarginatus and not Sufflamen albicaudatum), I've heard these are just about as reef safe as trigger come, with some people even reporting them being fine with shrimp and such in the tank (they're planktivores, so they strongly prefer pods, to my understanding; sea spiders may be larger than they'd like).

 

[vetteguy53081]

I've been fighting this battle for months now trust me I know. Remarkably every coral (exept 2) have been given the standard 15 min iodine dip and I still managed to get them. I think this is the 5th one over 3 months I've killed.

Iodine not very effective- Coral RX or revive

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Probably not. They might eat them when they're exposed to feed though. That said, with Bluethroat Triggers (assuming you're meaning Xanthichthys auromarginatus and not Sufflamen albicaudatum), I've heard these are just about as reef safe as trigger come, with some people even reporting them being fine with shrimp and such in the tank (they're planktivores, so they strongly prefer pods, to my understanding; sea spiders may be larger than they'd like).

Been looking to get a pair of them! Though that has proven to be alot harder than I anticipated. Though the sea spiders are probably about 1 cm in legspan

 

[Slocke]

Dragon aka rockmover wrasse might work... just they are aggressive monsters and as the name suggests they move rocks

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Dragon aka rockmover wrasse might work... just they are aggressive monsters and as the name suggests they move rocks

And I assume aggressive means eats flasher wrasse and anthias and rock moving includes all sandbed coral?

 

[Slocke]

And I assume aggressive means eats flasher wrasse and anthias and rock moving includes all sandbed coral?

Maybe on the first and definitely on the second. Mine is fine so long as no one messes with its shell stack. Also he’s has a shiv.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Maybe on the first and definitely on the second. Mine is fine so long as no one messes with its shell stack. Also he’s has a shiv.

Wow, isnt that the juvenile coloration? Honestly a predator LPS dominant tank sounds fun.. maybe someday

 

[Slocke]

Wow, isnt that the juvenile coloration? Honestly a predator LPS dominant tank sounds fun.. maybe someday

Young female. The juvenile has longer antlers, more spots and is greener. As it ages it loses the antlers, gets the white face and black body, and gets the psychopath eyes.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Just so you guys know what I'm talking about

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Been working with @ISpeakForTheSeas to get rid of these for months now but at this point I'm looking for a (fish) solution. Really tired of these things eating my LPS

I'll see if I can get a pair of bluethroats like planned but to what extent will they go to get food? Don't want these fish upturning my pectinia trying to get an amphipod

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Been working with @ISpeakForTheSeas to get rid of these for months now

Yeah, for anyone curious, the best I've been able to do is narrow these spiders down to two families - the Nymphonidae family or the Callipallenidae family.

For an example of a species that looks relatively similar to the one's Reefkeepers Archive has:

Nymphon grossipes Nymphon grossipes

Nymphon grossipes is commonly referred to as Nymphon grossipes. Difficulty in the aquarium: Not suitable for aquarium keeping. Toxicity: Toxic hazard unknown.

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