Clear/white brain looking thing on rock, white tubes nearby

[cmross13]

Anybody want to help me ID? Just found these things a few moments ago upon my arrival home from work. The brain looking things are roughly the size of a quarter and are right next to a dying Finger Leather. No fish in tank, just corals. Recent additions include HUGE CuC from Reefcleaners(today) and about a football of Chaeto that I dipped in freshwater for a solid hour last week. Note: the Chaeto did have some pieces of what looks like the tubes to the immediate right of the lower blob.

 

[Alexopora]

I’m curious too. Could be some form of flatworm?

 

[Alexopora]

Wait, I might have figured it out. Its a type of nudi, Tritoniopsis elegans. They feed on soft coral which may be why your leather is dying. You might want to remove them asap and watch for eggs.

 

[cmross13]

ok. now, how to eradicate? lol

 

[Maritimer]

The "tubes" might be eggs, if it is in fact a nudibranch . . .

~B.

 

[Alexopora]

The "tubes" might be eggs, if it is in fact a nudibranch . . .

~B.

It is a type of nudibranch that specialises in eating leather corals.

 

[Alexopora]

ok. now, how to eradicate? lol

I have never encountered it before but I would

1. Try and remove the entire rock out of the tank before you attempt to remove the nudis.

2. If you are unable to remove the rock, you could try to get a small cup and try and coax the nudis into a cup with a net or forcep or a turkey baster.

3. Alternatively, if both don’t work. You could remove the leather coral. If you have a separate tank you could quarantine the leather there. If the leather is too far gone, you could just dispose of it. Basically you want starve out the nudi and let it die off. Then refrain from introducing any leathers for about a month just to be safe.

This is just what I would do using my experiences with fighting monti eating nudis and euphyllia eating flatworms. I have never used chemical treatments so I can’t comment on that. But you could browse around the forum regarding chemically treating and eradicating nudis.

 

[cmross13]

I have a large pink toadstool/crown leather as well as a small green one. I can probably take them to fish store guy to QT for me but I fear that there are other coral eating nudis in the tank that I don’t know about, so I’d rather just leave the corals alone and invest in something that eats nudis. I keep being told Yellow Coris or Six Line Wrasse, so going to find one tomorrow and see how that goes.

 

[Alexopora]

I have a large pink toadstool/crown leather as well as a small green one. I can probably take them to fish store guy to QT for me but I fear that there are other coral eating nudis in the tank that I don’t know about, so I’d rather just leave the corals alone and invest in something that eats nudis. I keep being told Yellow Coris or Six Line Wrasse, so going to find one tomorrow and see how that goes.

Ah yes you could try the natural predators route, although I’m not sure if those wrasses would do the trick. Please do keep us updated on the progress.

 

[Alexopora]

I have a large pink toadstool/crown leather as well as a small green one. I can probably take them to fish store guy to QT for me but I fear that there are other coral eating nudis in the tank that I don’t know about, so I’d rather just leave the corals alone and invest in something that eats nudis. I keep being told Yellow Coris or Six Line Wrasse, so going to find one tomorrow and see how that goes.

Also just a word of caution, wrasses have the tendency to jump so its advisable to get a tank cover/lid to prevent them from jumping out of the tank. Regarding six line wrasse, it really is a hit or miss on getting them to eat pests. They may choose to ignore the nudi, I think if you look around the forum you will find accounts of six line wrasses not actually eating the pests that reefers wanted them to eradicate. Six line wrasses do have a reputation of being mean and a bully especially if they were introduced first and have established themselves in the tank. So its advisable to only introduce them after you have all of your desired fish in. Get them small too. Or its going to be hell trying to catch them because they are agile and speedy.

 

[cmross13]

I have only seen a few wrasses with my own eyes(3-4 six lines and one Melanarus), and I don’t see how a 3-4” fish could have eaten these things I picked out today. They were the size of a quarter to half dollar.

i read a long post about a dude using a Sea Grass Wrasse to accomplish the same thing but I’m thinking it was for newly hatched or smaller ones. I have no idea how long they’ve been in tank or how they got there. Anybody have an idea on how long it would take them to get the size of a quarter?

also, I’m a huge fan of mesh tops. Yes, no top is convenient, but I can manage my Reefer 350 and 40G cube QT pretty well as they both have feeding portals