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View Full Version : White fuzz/dots on Zooanthids


tblue
07/25/2004, 07:34 PM
Dr Ron,

Tuesday I recieved two plugs of Zooanthids and placed them in my new reef tank. I removed them and the substrate they were attached to from the plug and glued them onto some lava rock that I have in my tank. I believe I damaged a small area when I placed it in the tank as a small portion toward the edge turned a pale gray.

Over the course of the last few days, more of the zooanthids have turned gray and half of the specimen is covered in a white cotton looking substance. This afternoon, I came home to find 100's+ little white dots pouring off of this area and on the rocks all around the tanks. They seem to be starting another smaller area of fuzz at the base of another soft coral specimen nerby one of the first.

The white dots move quickly across the rock, seeming to hop quickly from place to place. They are so small, I can't give a good description of their structure. Nothing that I have found in the forum so far has quite matched these little things. If I had to describe them, the first thing that comes to mind is fleas. I'm including a picture of one of the Zooanthids.

Please let me know what you think.....

Am I in trouble here? Is there a natural predator that I can put in here to cut down on these guys?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

tblue
07/26/2004, 02:41 AM
After doing another search it would seem that I'm possibly looking at copepods. Would copepods hatch from this white cotton type material though? Perhaps I'm wrong in thinking that this is an egg sack. Is it possible that this part of the coral is dead/dying and the pods are just feeding on it/stuff on it?

Tim

rshimek
07/26/2004, 08:35 AM
Originally posted by tblue

Hi Tim,

Is it possible that this part of the coral is dead/dying and the pods are just feeding on it/stuff on it?

Yah, shoore, you betcha!

The white fuzz/mat material is a bacterial mat that is consuming the dead zoanthid. The copepods are part of the clean up crew, and they are consuming the bacteria from the mat, and possibly small pieces of dead zoanthid meat.

Any further white fuzz is likely other bacterial mats starting on dead zoanthids.

The copepods are not spreading any contagion or such, they are simply "doing their job."

See here (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/rs/index.htm) for some information about the copepods.