Bad bad nudi

[ScottK]

I came home tonight to see one of my lobophytum half-dead, which was frustrating since I inexplicably lost two leathers two weeks ago. As I was checking out the coral, I noticed something below it. To my horror, it was a HUGE leather eating nudi. Holy crap!!! I sucked it out with my water change tube, which tore it appart, but it's thankfully out. I can't believe how big it was, and that I'd never noticed it before. I haven't added a leather since September, and most of those were frags on plugs, so I don't know where it came from, or how long it's been in my tank.

Here it is in the bucket. The nudi is in the lower right, the rest of the stuff came off its back when I siphoned it out. They're all pulsing right now, which is kinda creepy.

Here is the lobo. My question is, what should I do with the dead part (circled in black)? Keep it or cut it off? The rest of the coral is open, and looks good, so hopefully it will make it.

 

[House of Laughter]

Scott, I may be misinformed, but that doesn't look like a lobo to me - was that the leather?

House

 

[ScottK]

Yeah, my bad, I meant lobophytum. I just changed it.

 

[marrone]

There are a number of leather eating nudi and considering the size it may have come in with a piece of coral or on a rock. I would check around for some egg masses as it may have laid some.

 

[ScottK]

Thanks. I checked the coral and I didn't find any eggs, but I'll have to keep an eye out. Hopefully it's the only one. I haven't added anything to the tank since early November, so I can't believe I haven't noticed it before.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

nudi's

 

[tunicata]

ditto on that not looking like a lobo.
esp. if you're talking about the leather coral lobophyton.
Usually, even when polyps are retracted they have 'polka dots' showing where it should be. Even when it is shedding and has that typical leather 'glassy' look.

Though I have seen a leather like that, and it did not go under the lobo name. I saw it in absolutely fish about a month ago. It was that green color.

It really doesn't matter I suppose, as long as you like it. Now I just want to figure it out just because!

 

[ScottK]

It is a lobophytum, it's just a bad photo. I had just picked it up to get the nudi out, so it's all retracted.

 

[nikkibabee]

Stupid Nudi!! You want me to beat him up for you?

 

[grisha]

wow thanks scott for sharing this info..... not every day you see thread on this type of pest....
we all know of bad zoa eating nudi , but this guy is a new thing for me...first , what are you planning to do now to free your tank of other creeps like this ?...that stuff which came out of this nudi, could it be his larva ? if so man you in troubles....knowing the mess which come with zoa eating nudis all we can do is constant dip for corals and natural predators like fish....another thing - how long is the minimum this thing have been in the tank...just your guess ?....im looking at thjis guy and thinking how long do i have to quarantine for me to notice this thing on rocks and what ever ?

 

[ScottK]

Grisha, the things aren't larvae, they are part of the nudi itself. They can come off really easily, and came off the nudi when I siphoned it out of the tank. I read somewhere that, in part, they come off easily to help protect the nudi. An attacker gets a mouthful of the 'tendrils' but the animal escapes.

I checked the coral it was attacking, and didn't see any eggs, but I'll just have to keep an eye out for them. Hopefully there aren't any more.

It's been in the tank probably since September, since that's the last time I added any leathers. At a minimum, it's been in the tank since early November, as that is the last time I added anything to the tank, so it took at least 2.5 months for this thing to start to do any damage.

 

[grisha]

interesting...
i would be surprised if the nudi didnt reproduced in two month, though this come from me dealing with little zoa eating pest...another thing! could this stuff which came off of nudi turn into new nudis...? sorry man im a nudi paranoiac ... lolololol