ID Please

[rgun2515]

I have had a few zoas vanish over the past few day, so tonight I was looking around after dark and found this. I would describe it as a slug with a very small shell. Dosent look like it could ever fit it's whole body into the shell. Had to pry it off the rock...

It's about 1 " long by 1/2 " wide and the shell is about 1/4

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh229/rgun2515/?action=view&current=DSC01489.jpg

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh229/rgun2515/?action=view&current=DSC01488.jpg

 

[KathyC]

That's a stomatella varia, a good guy. They don't nosh on zoas, they eat micro algae

 

[rgun2515]

That's a stomatella varia, a good guy. They don't nosh on zoas, they eat micro algae

So I should put him back in I guess... OK. Thanks. Will do right now...

 

[KathyC]

Yup Let him get back to :eat:

..and btw..they come in many different colors, I have one that is a sapphire blue !

 

[SaltyFlip]

yea that's a good guy....you might have another culprit in your tank for those vanishing zoa's....hope you find him. I had one of those good guys before...Can't seem to find him now :sad:

 

[rgun2515]

sapphire blue! Thats cool...

OK... He's back...

I don't know what it could be? I had a frag with about 5 heads and the other morning there was only one left?... I will keep looking...

By the way, How fast do they "stomatella varia" multiply? I just saw 2 more really small ones... Maybe I have a bunch in there...

 

[KathyC]

Yes, they sure do seem to multiply

The zoas that are missing...were they new in your tank, anything about them that was odd..were they stretching to reach the light? Had they been opening fully every day?

 

[rgun2515]

Open every day... They do extend about twice the size of the head. Is that stretching to reach the light? (waiting on a new light fixture being sold by a member.) It was in there for a few months doing well, then one day all but one head was gone. It's been a few days now, and that one still looks the same... Still looks good i should say.

 

[KathyC]

How long is the 'stem' from the rock to the head of the zoa? And are you sure these are zoas not palys?

 

[rgun2515]

The head is about 1/4" in diameter and the stem is about 3/4 of an inch long. I bought them as Zoas... Here is a picture from a while ago.

The ones on the lower right. After looking closly, there are also some of the blue ones on the top left missing also.