Think I got some monti eating nudibranchs!
- Thread starter Fish Boss
- Start date
Definitely looks like it. Seems very common in frags, including from the club (maybe particularly from since that's where I've gotten them from).
Check all your montis for lines and white spots and be very aggressive about scraping or tossing pieces. If you see one climbing on the glass, you almost certainly have an infestation.
Also if your tank is big enough, they can serve as wrasse food, helping keep it under control.
Check all your montis for lines and white spots and be very aggressive about scraping or tossing pieces. If you see one climbing on the glass, you almost certainly have an infestation.
Also if your tank is big enough, they can serve as wrasse food, helping keep it under control.
Fish Boss
Supporting Member
I doubt I have an “infestation”, my tank is pretty new, and I picked up 3 montis at the recent frag swap. 2 are just encrusting the top of the plug, one was very well encrusted, with crevices coming off the sides of the plug. This one had some dead tissue, and I think was patient zero. I was just surprised I didnt see anymore come off after the dip, I thought I would see some. Only one bristle worm crawled out, and I was really blasting all of the crevices with my pipette. I think it was just one of those one in a million chances I saw it on the glass rather than a high density leading it to be on the glass.
I’m going to dip them every other day and really monitor them, probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to super glue the crevices so that they cant hide out of sight.
Does anyone know what their habits are like? Do they roam more during the day, and come back to the montis after lights out? Or just always roaming whenever? Just wondering if there is a most effective time of day to dip them
I’ve got a leopard, they can’t single-handedly wipeout a pod population. If your tank has a healthy ecosystem and you’re not starving the wrasse, pods will be reproducing in numbers it (and other predatory fish) can’t wipe out, though I think it’s a good idea to supplement with fresh pods occasionally.
The pod myth for mandarins is exactly that as well. A myth. Mine eats any food I drop in the tank, as long as it can fit it in his tiny little mouth (THAT is a reason they may struggle, food size). Frozen, pellets, coral food (coral cane, benepets), whatever - the mandarin eats it. He’ll even nibble on full sized shrimp chunks I drop in occasionally.
I have a wild one and I trained it on how to eat frozen food going from capelin roe to even huge chunks of mysis, but it still hasn't figured out pellets yet. Another reason to go captive bred when possible.
I have a cheat code, the guy I got it from breeds Copper Band Butterflies. He is the most unorthodox reefer I have ever met, and not only challenges, but disproves so many of the “industry myths” I can’t even.
I wish I could tell you guys more (it’s truly fascinating), but it’d be unfair to him for me share the process and divulge his secrets of success.
He’ll be back in the area early Dec, anyone looking for gorgeous, hearty CBBs let me know, he’s working on selling mated pairs as well. He had a few pairs his last trip here in the summer but the sell FAST.
derek_SR
Supporting Member
Why wouldn’t you share information that would further our collective knowledge of how to be successful in a difficult hobby?
AND potentially save the lives of some challenging fish that die in captivity in huge numbers?
Fish Boss
Supporting Member
Thats good to know. I’ve also seen people put in a small plate attached to a tube, so that you can drop food directly down to them. I’ll probably do something similar
Sounds like it would be worthwhile to at least let us know who you are talking about, how to reach him, if he has a website or whatever, etc. Maybe invite him to share whatever info he would like to with us or ask his permission to do so.
B the Nano Reefer
Supporting Member
Pretty sure it’s a dude that frequents the FB groups. He makes $ off his CBBs and his services as an “expert” in training CBBs to eat frozen so I suspect he’d be reluctant to share what he knows widely. Apparently, for enough money, he can teach your CBB to bark and play fetch.
This hobby is becoming increasingly ridiculous … lol
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MichaelB
Supporting Member
That bark like a dog comment rofl
Look at night on your montis and anacropora with a flashlight. They're almost never out during the day. IME, they are very tough and persistent. Do not underestimate them. I was able to beat them, but it sucked and I declared victory prematurely more than once.
I used tweezers and a sharpened chopstick to mechanically crush them. I only had to look at a couple corals and my tank is very small, which made this technique a lot easier. They can be very hard to see. They attack the weak part of a coral, so if one area is getting stung or already receding, that's where you'll find them. Check for them way longer than you think makes sense. I didn't notice any for a few weeks, let my guard down, and they came right back.
I used tweezers and a sharpened chopstick to mechanically crush them. I only had to look at a couple corals and my tank is very small, which made this technique a lot easier. They can be very hard to see. They attack the weak part of a coral, so if one area is getting stung or already receding, that's where you'll find them. Check for them way longer than you think makes sense. I didn't notice any for a few weeks, let my guard down, and they came right back.
I don’t have a problem with people selling their services/livestock based on their earned knowledge, rather than giving it away for free. Seems like he’s providing a valuable service. And I’m glad that he’s dealing with Randy so we don’t have to.
B the Nano Reefer
Supporting Member
Fish Boss
Supporting Member
Thanks for the tips! This is what I was looking for!
If you're going to go the dipping route, which is a good one, you should be dipping every monti every couple days. There's guides online, but I think it's approximately every 3-5 days (some guides say daily, some 5 days, more is better). Scrub with a brush or at least a toothpick any white tissue spots. Repeat for ... weeks.
They don't live just on the monti, as is probably obvious given you saw them on the glass. This is why it's a bit of a nightmare to fight these guys. If you don't love your montis, the easiest path is honestly toss em while the tank is still young, but the info online says you need to wait like 6+ months with no montis to get em all.
That all sounds pretty extreme, but these things are really difficult to get rid of. They're the type of thing you get once, and afterwards you never trust any frags again.
The other alternative is if you can get some shrimp and wrasses, you can just live with them eating your montis and hope they grow fast enough that they're just annoying but not devastating.
They don't live just on the monti, as is probably obvious given you saw them on the glass. This is why it's a bit of a nightmare to fight these guys. If you don't love your montis, the easiest path is honestly toss em while the tank is still young, but the info online says you need to wait like 6+ months with no montis to get em all.
That all sounds pretty extreme, but these things are really difficult to get rid of. They're the type of thing you get once, and afterwards you never trust any frags again.
The other alternative is if you can get some shrimp and wrasses, you can just live with them eating your montis and hope they grow fast enough that they're just annoying but not devastating.