Teach a newbie how to inspect corals :)

[DiscoStuart]

First corals arrived today - two Zoas and a Mushroom - photos attached. I'm going to have in a QT tank for a bit, given I have no clue what pests look like yet, and will dip with the Polyplabs dip.

I know one sign that there are some hitchhikers would be stuff coming off in the dip. What else should I be looking for?

Photos below of the corals as they arrived as well as them open in the QT tank a while later.

Frag 1: Mushroom
* Is the extra green blob on the rock a baby shroom or something I should be worried about?
* It's on a bit of rock rubble - do most people mount that rubble directly to their structure or something else?

Frag 2: Zoa
* This one looks good, bonus guy on the bottom might die - but otherwise, anything you spot? I assume the clear-ish goo is superglue?
* would you scrape off algae / try to move to a new plug?

Frag 3: Zoa
* lots of coraline (I need, great) - but not sure what's under the big blob of coraline and if I should care?
* white dots anything I should care about?
* clear stems seem to have opened, darker ones, less so - is it maturity? different zoas?
* would you do anything other than dip this one (scrape, re-plug, other)?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Hi there, congrats on the new corals, I'll try to answer some of your questions.

The green blob is bubble algae, one of the worst algae's you can have in your tank, so get rid of that.

Yes that looks like a lot of glue which shows it was very recently fragged which is not good. The good vendors will wait and make sure the frag heals before selling.

The clear and dark stems are vermatid snails. Not really harmful but can multiply very quickly.

Unfortunately dipping gets rid of good stuff but lets most of the baddies in. So good on you for qt'ing which is the best way of stopping the baddies from getting in.

Good luck

 

[carri10]

Hi.
Firstly, great photos. They really help answer your question.
A couple of things, unless you know the seller well, I would always try and remove the frag from its plug.
With some coral this is easy, with others it is much more difficult. Zoas and mushrooms are the hardest! In your case I wouldn’t bother. I would just cut off the peg of the frag plug with bone cutters.
The white dots are little filter feeder worms, nothing to worry about at all.
I agree with Mr. Mojo rising, and I would definitely get rid of the vermatids. For 100% clarity, I’ve circled what we mean by a Vermatid snail here:

I would also recommend a dip in H2O2 following these recommendations. This is great at getting rid of Algae.

https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/peroxide-dipping-guidelines-for-corals.4715/

 

[BryanM]

I wish there was a good answer to getting items off frag plugs... I'd do this, turn off all flow, and place things where I want them to attach.... I feel like its hard for them to grow completely over the plug to get down to the rock, but its not worth the risk of killing them.

 

[DiscoStuart]

The green blob is bubble algae, one of the worst algae's you can have in your tank, so get rid of that.

Here it is after being in the QT tank for a couple of hours - bubble algae? something else? (green bit on the right)

I would also recommend a dip in H2O2 following these recommendations. This is great at getting rid of Algae.

Thanks, will read that!

I’ve circled what we mean by a Vermatid snail here

amazing, was trying to figure out what was what. Do I just snap it off with my hand at the base? bone cutters? other?

And here are a few other photos - are these two green blobs bubble algae or something else? If so, how do I get off? (not sure if it comes off easily/I have to worry about popping?)

And spot anything else odd on these better views?

 

[DiscoStuart]

Not sure if this view suggests there are likely more vermtids or not?

Some sort of tube worm on the left?

Another angle of potential bubble algae? Plus ??

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The tiny white swirls are spironoid worms, they usually have a population peak in new tanks and then population normally dies down, not harmful but unsightly.

The long white tubes are different type of vermatid worms. Again, rather harmless but just ugly and multiply like crazy.

 

[DiscoStuart]

The tiny white swirls are spironoid worms, they usually have a population peak in new tanks and then population normally dies down, not harmful but unsightly.

The long white tubes are different type of vermatid worms. Again, rather harmless but just ugly and multiply like crazy.

What's your thought on the green bit on the photo below (right hand size) initially, I believe you thought it was bubble algae - still think so with this in-tank view, closer up? Thanks!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

in the close up it looks more like a closed up pallythoa that has algae growing on it.

 

[DiscoStuart]

in the close up it looks more like a closed up pallythoa that has algae growing on it.

k, will keep an eye on it. thank you so much!

 

[carri10]

amazing, was trying to figure out what was what. Do I just snap it off with my hand at the base? bone cutters? other?

Find the tube as far as you can see and crush it.
They live in the bottom part of their tube. If you just snap the end off, then it will grow back

 

[carri10]

Your last photo, what you have labelled as bubble is definitely bubble.
Given you got a bit of it around, I would pick off what you can and definitely do the H2O2 dip.

As Mojo says, doing the QT helps you here as you don’t have to rush and do everything all at once.

 

[DiscoStuart]

On this Mushroom frag - are those Vermitd snail tubes on the top or something else? And anything on the side that is good/bad?

Looks like something here as well?

 

[slogan315]

On this Mushroom frag - are those Vermitd snail tubes on the top or something else? And anything on the side that is good/bad?

Looks like something here as well?

Those are vermatids and the other thing looks like a leg of an Asterina star fish. TBH, I had vermatids, spinoids, asterina stars, bristleworms and lots of other “pests”. I think the more diverse ecosystem the better, EXCEPT for the things that actually eat corals. Any kind of “…eating flatworm” (mainly acropora eating or euphyllia, euphilia?… TORCHES). Not much you have to worry about with zoas except for more rare kinds of carnivorous snails like sundial and I think a kind of nudibranch. I forget… Can’t think of anything that hurts mushrooms. Good luck!

 

[DiscoStuart]

Those are vermatids and the other thing looks like a leg of an Asterina star fish. TBH, I had vermatids, spinoids, asterina stars, bristleworms and lots of other “pests”. I think the more diverse ecosystem the better, EXCEPT for the things that actually eat corals. Any kind of “…eating flatworm” (mainly acropora eating or euphyllia, euphilia?… TORCHES). Not much you have to worry about with zoas except for more rare kinds of carnivorous snails like sundial and I think a kind of nudibranch. I forget… Can’t think of anything that hurts mushrooms. Good luck!

thanks. As a newbie, reading about everyone dipping and inspecting for pests, I sort of feel like it’s some war to get rid of everything.

I probably need to find a list of ‘here’s what the bad guys look like and how to spot them - leave everyone else alone’

 

[slogan315]

thanks. As a newbie, reading about everyone dipping and inspecting for pests, I sort of feel like it’s some war to get rid of everything.

I probably need to find a list of ‘here’s what the bad guys look like and how to spot them - leave everyone else alone’

Here’s the ongoing thread for hitchhikers and pests.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/guide-to-common-hitchhikers-in-reef-tanks.909223/

 

[DiscoStuart]

Thanks!