Hitchiker ID: lthey ook like baby daddylongleg spiders on Monti

[CoralKitty]

Just got an Idaho grape from YR today and before I put it in the tank I gave it a very good inspection since my quaratine tank cracked on me and it is going right into the display...

I found multipul little like clear spiders on it, some with dark spots on their micro skinny little legs. blew 2 of them off but there are at least 2 more in a crack i cannot get out.

All I can think of is they are baby arrow crabs maybe? I called the store but only 1 guy is on staff and he has no clue...

I have the coral in a cup, can soime please ID them for me ASAP so I can get it in the tank?

They are way too tiny for me to get a photo of but there is a itty bitty body that you like cannot even see with 8 jointed legs coming off and they move and act like spiders (even curl up their legs to make themselves a ball when disturbed) and they are most definatly not starfish!

EDIT: yarg I goofed on the title >_< I added in "they" as a second though and put it in the wrong spot

[CoralKitty]

Oh snap D:
upon further online searching they might be pycnogonids. Does anyone know anything about these things?

The info I am finding on them is tricky, what corals they eat, how to get rid of them and just how bad they are is not clear, and I read in one place they can hide under the tissue of coral??? And I cannot find anything about their eggs.

I closely looked at each coral before putting them in and this coral came from a different tank at the store than all my other ones did (if standing in the door looking in this one came from the last tank against the left wall) but dang now I am worried there may have been unseen ones on what I just put in my tank!

...I need a new quarantine tank dang it!

[1lucky1]

Ut oh are you talking about the tank across from the inverts and such?

[gem]

Chances are they are only mini brittle stars. But read this....
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pycnogonids.htm

[CoralKitty]

oh dear, this IS what I have http://www.reefaquariumforum.com/sea...-t3519-15.html that photo looks just like these D:

lets see if i can post that same photo here, it is not mine but that is what i found

[CoralKitty]

Originally Posted by 1lucky1

Ut oh are you talking about the tank across from the inverts and such?

Yes...
I got this Idaho grape and a zoa cluster from there, the zoa cluster checks out as fine and it went into a 5 gallon with PC light so it is not in my prize display.
I guess the Idaho grape will have to go in the 5 gallon for now until I get this figured out...but that tank is not as "perfect" as the tank it was supposed to go in and the light is too dim...it will not do well in there.

All the others I got from the $5-$10 section from the first tank on that row and I do not think they are connected. So I should be okay...Unless the eggs or juvies are too micro to see with the naked eye...
I do not see any on the other corals and I popped them off their frag plugs and the corals themselves are smooth plates or sticks, so there is no place to hide....

I am still worried though and I would move them but the 5 gallon is not suitable and they would not do well in there...

[1lucky1]

I got a green encrusting cap from that tank across from the inverts and snails
it was in the 10 dollar section I did a dip and look over before putting in my tank. I had a sponge growing on the bottom and some type of feather duster?in the middle of it, that was all I noticed. I hope & pray I got rid of all the bad s%$t.

Those spiders are freaky looking I always want to lift my feet off of the ground when I'm at the computer looking at them....

[CoralKitty]

These things must not be a huge/common issue in the hobby because I cannot find clear info on them, some sites say they eat zoas, some sites say they eat all corals, some say they are harmless, one says they are good and eat aptashia and hydroids...
ARG!

I need to know how bad these can be and if the other corals I got may have unseen ones/eggs on them.
I already went through hell with monti eating nudies and I do not need another pest related die off of corals! I finially got back to where I was before the nudibranch incident!

[gem]

Here's an article from Reefkeeping magazine. It's rather long, but I think your interest would be in the las couple paragraphs.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/rs/index.php

[CoralKitty]

Sea spider predation or parasitism is a potential threat to all corals, soft corals, and sea anemones that are kept in aquaria..... The small forms, on the other hand, may be quite difficult to see, as they may be as small, or smaller, than the polyps of small-mouthed corals. Additionally, they may live under the coral mucus layer, and this would further obscure them. They do not appear to be easily removed by "dips," poisons, or potential predators. Frankly, if they are found on corals in any tank, the best option would likely be to remove the coral from the tank, and simply dispose of it.

...Crap.

[1lucky1]

well id rather throw it out now..... I throw alot more into maintance and upkeep stuff, so there goes another 10 out the door

Not worth it...

[1lucky1]

Originally Posted by CoralKitty

...Crap.

Ya o well ...

[CoralKitty]

okay so I freshwater dipped the iadho grape for a like seconds and shook it and 4 dead ones came off it.

so this works great for the adults at least and since they carry the eggs till they hatch no worry on eggs being laid on the coral.
So now my worry is what about juvies? And the chance of some in the tissue of the coral? Well I think the hiding in the tissue worry is more of a concern for fleshy corals not SPS.

[davskee]

I would be very carefull on introducing spiders into your tank. They can eat anything from anemones to zoanthids. But then again they could be just a spider thats a scavenger and help clean. But for me Id rather not take a chance and put them in my tank.

[davskee]

Heres a link with more info about sea spiders and parasites.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/rs/index.php

[davskee]

sorry for all the repeat in info I didnt refresh my screen and posted after the fact people responded.

[CoralKitty]

I took everything out except a teeny little (less than an inch) monti spongenodes because if I did it would break apart since I glued it down, and the blue acro because that came from the little tank next to the tanks along the left wall and so I feel good on its risk of having spiders.

I put them in a 5(6?)gallon nanocube...I hope the stock hood with its PC lights can keep monticaps and a scroll coral alive...
All I had in there before was a small greenish tan bubble tip anemone stranded on a rock in the sand and some shrooms, they are doing well so hopefully the light is enough to keep the nice orange cap and scroll I just got alive for 1-3 monthes for quarantine

[davskee]

I would do a Revive and Iodine dip also

[bluenassarius]

these look like the spiders that come on zoanthids & palys. they come in various colors and can be a pain to find and remove.

[gosink1000]

Anyone planning on telling John at YR about these? Pretty sure he would want to. I have always known him to do what's right.

[CoralKitty]

Originally Posted by gosink1000

Anyone planning on telling John at YR about these? Pretty sure he would want to. I have always known him to do what's right.

I meant to call him yesterday (I assume he was closed today) but forgot since I was insanely busy. I plan to call him Monday to tell him and see if I can get store credit for the Idaho grape since it did not survive the freshwater dip...

I did however call the day I got the corals to ask if they knew what the spiders were, but only 1 guy was on staff and admitted to not know much about inverts, and he had no idea what they could be, maybe he already told John? I dunno...

[tcoral]

I heard that John will be back Wednesday.

[Underwaterparadise]

John takes all measures to avoid pest. One of the very few stores that spends the time and money dipping 90% of the corals that come through the store. Somethings are always going to slip through so always dip and QT or don't be surprised at what you find

[MandM]

I would not expect John to give me a credit if I killed a coral with a fresh water dip.

[CoralKitty]

Originally Posted by MandM

I would not expect John to give me a credit if I killed a coral with a fresh water dip.

Well its the only way to kill the spiders, any other kind of dip just does not work hence how they ended up in the store (I know YR dips things like 5 times but only freshwater dips seem to kill sea spiders) and I dipped or mere seconds since that is all it took to get the spiders to drop dead. It was either freshwater dip it and then give it a chance in a quaratine tank or put it in the trash... So I opted dip it since the later would kill it for sure.
At least the other things did fine with a freshwater dip, seems Idaho grape is more sensitive to it :/
It slimed up like mad and was white by morning.
I am not going to demand a replacement but I would still like to ask because even if I can get a piece if Idaho grape that is small and only $5 in value in exchange I would be tickled pink.