Some of the most difficult pests to deal with in reef keeping are Montipora eating nudibranch. Their tiny size beguiles the enormous headaches they'll cause if you end up in the unfortunate position of having them in your tank. The most unfortunate thing about dealing with these nudibranch is that by the time you spot them it's already too late. Gauging the extent of the infestation is very important, and these pictures should help to give an accurate idea of where your tank stands once you come across them as well as some telltale signs of their presence. So how do you prevent and cure montipora eating nudibranch? Read on.
Although these nudibranch can be small enough to be nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, the damage they leave behind is usually easily spotted. The picture above and this one are classic signs of nudibranch damage, which is characterized as an irregular white peeling or dying off of flesh from Montipora colonies. If you see any colonies in your tank with strange white spots near the bases it is very important that you remove the colony and inspect for nudibranch.
Another common mis-association is the presence of asterina or brittle starfish on the nectrotic area of the colony. While it can appear that these starfish are doing harm, they are actually cleaning up the mess left behind by the nudibranch that are busy enjoying their all you can eat buffet at your expense.
When nudibranch are recently hatched they can be too small to see with the naked eye, but that certainly doesn't stop them from doing colossal damage. There are about 6 nudibranch in the picture below!
Their eggs can be easier to spot, which is helpful, but the downside is that if you're seeing any eggs then you've already got a serious problem. Normally a few nudibranch around a clutch of eggs is still a problem that can be treated with some diligent effort involving removing every Montipora in the tank, scrubbing with a toothbrush, and placing into a quarantine system. To be honest every Montipora eating nudibranch infestation I've tried to fix has ended up with placing the infected colonies directly into the trash since they have a tendency to come back again and again no matter how much scrubbing you do!
Here are some pictures of when your nudibranch visit is turning into a stay for the long haul.
As you can see, eggs can be laid on a variety of surfaces including rocks, the Montipora colony itself, or even on algae growing within the tank. Sometimes eggs can appear several inches away from any Montipora colony, which is why it's very important to remove all colonies from your system immediately. While the life cycle of a nudibranch is still in debate, there is some agreement that after 3 months a tank can accept Montipora colonies again. Just make sure they're quarantined this time around, and never trust someone's tank to be as clean as yours!
You might wonder, out of curiosity, when a tank is so far gone that even quarantine and treatment might be impossible. The following pictures came from the most problematic of areas: the underside of a Montipora capricornis colony. I broke apart the colony to show how dense a concentration of nudibranch can form under there. These nudibranch weren't showing anywhere that they could be seen, just snugly nestled in the bottom of the colony while breeding out of control.
Note how the eggs are now in huge clusters that the nudibranch can basically walk on, even live rock is hard to see at this point. Compare these to the small concentration of egg pictures above and you'll see how this infestation may have reached beyond a treatable stage. Remember: quarantine, quarantine, quarantine!
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