Help me identify a zoa-eating pest

EMeyer · 05/08/2018, 07:52 AM

Alright folks, this has me stumped.

I have a pest I've never seen. It lives somewhere in my rocks, and at night, it secretes a fibrous, tough, white tube on the rock. The tube is about 1/4" in diameter, and sometimes a few inches long. The tube always appears starting deep in the rock and ending at a zoanthid or palythoa frag. Which the unknown animal eats.

Thats right, a tube-dwelling zoanthid and palythoa predator. I have never heard of such a thing. When I remove the tube, it makes a new one the next day. It seems to have a real taste for the more colorful polyps. Anything with orange is apparently delicious.

(I know someone will want a picture but honestly if I posted one people would only see a white tube. There aint much to it.)

Anyone ever hear of such a thing? If I can figure out what it is perhaps I can put together a plan for getting rid of it...

eastlake · 05/09/2018, 06:21 AM

Try staking out the tank after the lights have been out and the room has been completely dark for a few hours. Grab a flashlight and put some red plastic over the light and shine it in the area that you are seeing evidence of the critter. I'd guess that it could be some kind of eunicid worm, but I'm not saying that with any amount of confidence, just a mere guess.

Reefers4U · 05/11/2018, 08:57 AM

wow, very interesting. Does the tube move destination locations? Does it come from different origins? Is it possible this creature is "cleaning up" after some other zoathid killer?

+1 staking out your take after the lights have been off for about three or four hours - see what's happening - everything has to eat.

Even a picture of the tube would help with I.D.

I looked (briefly) at Melev's reef but didn't see anything like that in the pests or worms sections. Maybe try the guys at WetWebMedia - but they'll most likely want a picture.

HTH.

05/08/2018, 07:52 AM	#1
EMeyer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 173	Help me identify a zoa-eating pest Alright folks, this has me stumped. I have a pest I've never seen. It lives somewhere in my rocks, and at night, it secretes a fibrous, tough, white tube on the rock. The tube is about 1/4" in diameter, and sometimes a few inches long. The tube always appears starting deep in the rock and ending at a zoanthid or palythoa frag. Which the unknown animal eats. Thats right, a tube-dwelling zoanthid and palythoa predator. I have never heard of such a thing. When I remove the tube, it makes a new one the next day. It seems to have a real taste for the more colorful polyps. Anything with orange is apparently delicious. (I know someone will want a picture but honestly if I posted one people would only see a white tube. There aint much to it.) Anyone ever hear of such a thing? If I can figure out what it is perhaps I can put together a plan for getting rid of it...

05/11/2018, 08:57 AM	#3
Reefers4U Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: IE Posts: 1,422	wow, very interesting. Does the tube move destination locations? Does it come from different origins? Is it possible this creature is "cleaning up" after some other zoathid killer? +1 staking out your take after the lights have been off for about three or four hours - see what's happening - everything has to eat. Even a picture of the tube would help with I.D. I looked (briefly) at Melev's reef but didn't see anything like that in the pests or worms sections. Maybe try the guys at WetWebMedia - but they'll most likely want a picture. HTH. __________________ "In a free government the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights." -James Madison Current Tank Info: 120 Visio // Radions // Eschopps Skimmer // MP40 x2 // Tunze ATO // BRS Dosing Pumps and Dual Reactor // Apex Gold //

05/09/2018, 06:21 AM	#2
eastlake Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: willoughby Posts: 648	Try staking out the tank after the lights have been out and the room has been completely dark for a few hours. Grab a flashlight and put some red plastic over the light and shine it in the area that you are seeing evidence of the critter. I'd guess that it could be some kind of eunicid worm, but I'm not saying that with any amount of confidence, just a mere guess.