Zoa Hitchhiker

[Chris Baker]

Picked up these Zoas last night and dipped in Coral RX. This morning they’ve opened fine but so has a little hitchhiker. It looks a little like a small fan worm to me but I want a second opinion because I didn’t think a fan worm would have survived the dip and I am new to the whole reefing world. I have seen it retract once. If anyone knows the ID of the zoas I am curious about that as well

 

[Idoc]

The picture is a little blurry, but it looks like you might have gotten a little aptasia. Do the tentacles have a fan-like appearance or are they smooth?

 

[Chris Baker]

The “'tentacles” look a little furry and are banded brown white brown white. They start at the center then plume up and out. I shifted the zoas to get a better view of the base and found another one. Hopefully these are a little less blurry and more definitive. When it retracts it does so very quickly.

 

[gonzo620]

If it’s a fan worm it would retract into a tube like structure. If it’s aiptasia it will just shrink down almost like it’s deflating. If you’re not sure just remove it. “When in doubt”. The zoas appear to be Eagle Eyes.

 

[adam finley]

It’s a fan worm. You can try and remove it if you want but they are harmless. Not sure about the type of Zoas.

 

[SHNICI]

It’s a fan worm. You can try and remove it if you want but they are harmless. Not sure about the type of Zoas.

+1
Almost all of the fan/filer feeders worm, that make hard/soft tubes will survive after you DIP the LR, most of them go deep inside in the tube and the DIP liquid can't reach them to kill/extract them. almost all of my filter feeders on LR living in a tubes are fine after I DIP them in Detol, or hydrogen peroxide (3%), or after the Coral DIP (NTlab)...., so I think you are fine with that one there, it's not bad there I think, and isn't disturbing the zoanthids.

P.S. on the 1st photo it look like you have hidroid or aiptasia on the peace or glue/rock (top right side), if isn't the fan worm just different angle.

 

[Idoc]

The “'tentacles” look a little furry and are banded brown white brown white. They start at the center then plume up and out. I shifted the zoas to get a better view of the base and found another one. Hopefully these are a little less blurry and more definitive. When it retracts it does so very quickly.

The new pics definitely look more like a fan worm!

 

[Chris Baker]

Thanks for the quick responses and for putting my mind at ease I will leave them on and see how they do.

 

[Chris Baker]

P.S. on the 1st photo it look like you have hidroid or aiptasia on the peace or glue/rock (top right side), if isn't the fan worm just different angle.

That was just a different angle. The tank is a tall hexagon so I have no shortage of angles.