Zoa eaters
- Thread starter hawk
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They're just large amphipods, the best way is to get a predatory fish that will eat them such as a variety of reef safe wrasse.
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I'm no expert, but I'd say there's something else going on other than just the amphipods nipping at your zoas, they tend to prefer the diseased/dead tissue.
I'm sure someone else far more knowledgeable will chime in, but I think there's something else going on. Have you checked all your parameters to make sure that there isn't something making everything extremely unhappy?
I'm sure someone else far more knowledgeable will chime in, but I think there's something else going on. Have you checked all your parameters to make sure that there isn't something making everything extremely unhappy?
Have you seen any of the gray colored astrenia mini star fish on your zoas or near them? They will kill them as they pass over them. **Please noone try to flame me here as I have seen it happen many times with my own eyes as well as several other reefers. The bright white ones appear to be safe.
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i also wouldnt think its amphipods. i could be wrong but as far as i know they are scavengers and wouldnt go after something healthy. see if you have a sundial snail i had one eating through a colony of zoas i have and when i pulled it out then they bounced back in no time
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It is near impossible for amphipods to be eating zoas. They may be eating necrotic tissue or algae on the dying coral, but not a healthy coral. I'm guessing the corals are dying somehow else. Is it only zoas? As mentioned, there are nudibranchs, or sundial snails that will target zoas specifically.
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Have you considered that there may be some parameter issue? What's the lighting/etc?
Just curious...how did you come to the conclusion that it is near impossible? I sat there and watched them feasting on my zoas. I used to suck them up with a turkey baster. My zoas were fine prior, and would return when I would rid as many of the Amphipods as I could. No longer have them in my tank, they are in my sump. If any make it to my DT. The wrasse or others would finish it up.
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These animals live by the billions in nearly every reef tank, and there is no accounts of such behavior. Furthermore, their habits and behaviors are pretty well known. I would almost guarantee that if your zoas died and these were close, they were either eating dead tissue or algae/detritus abound. Not killing and eating zoanthids.
I have at least that many in my tanks and 40 different Zoas. The amphipods are considered good animals to have in the tank, you may have had a mold or disease that they were consuming off the Zoas. The pods may make the Zoas close when they run over them but they will not consume healthy animals. I have 7 tanks that have Zoas and palys in them and have never seen pods consume anything but dead or dying things in my tanks. 
if anything, I have had instances where the amphipods were the lucky creature and were ate by my palys and zoas. I had a reef tank for 3 years and I spent most of my time dealing with dying zoas, until I found out that my Mg parameters were off.
i had this problem a lot when i first started up my 36 gallon cube , when i put some pods in the tank i feed them to make them grow and multiply . when the tank was full of them i started adding my zoas and they eat them right away . cause i had to many to feed and now i have a scooter blenny , target mandarin , green mandarin , blue leopard wrasse and mccosker flasher wrasse and everything is doing good , now . sometimes when moved zoas and palys are moved from one tank to the next they dont like it so they close up a lot and try to fix themselves they will get slimy and soft and shed skin trying to fit in to the system and that is when my pods try to eat them when they are sick and trying to hang on . but it is always good to test your water just to be safe . good luck !
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