What’s on my yellow head sleeper goby?

[Kilman805]

There’s something stuck on my goby. The photos aren’t very clear. But I think I see two tiny black dots on it that look like eyes. It kind of looks like a snail without a shell.

 

[PocketGoose]

Sounds like an isopod of sorts. Can you get a better photo?

 

[Kilman805]

I just looked up isopods. It looks like they normally have a shell-like exterior kind of like a pill bug. The thing on the fish appears to have a soft body, more like a slug. It’s white. I’ll try to get a better picture, but they tend to dart under the rocks when I get close to the tank.

 

[Kilman805]

Little better picture

 

[vetteguy53081]

There’s something stuck on my goby. The photos aren’t very clear. But I think I see two tiny black dots on it that look like eyes. It kind of looks like a snail without a shell.

For best and accurate i.d., will need clearer pics a these are fuzzy.

 

[Kilman805]

For best and accurate i.d., will need clearer pics a these are fuzzy.

You can see its eyes in this one. Not sure I can get a clearer pic.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You can see its eyes in this one. Not sure I can get a clearer pic.

Looks to be an ostracod also referred to as grass shrimp

 

[Kilman805]

Should I be concerned? They tend to hang out in a cave near the sand. So I assume it crawled onto the fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

You can see its eyes in this one. Not sure I can get a clearer pic.

That’s a cirolanid isopod. They are “micro predators” of fish. Does your tank have live rock from the ocean? That’s the common way they get into tanks.
Treatments are tricky, because anything that will kill these may also kill the fish.
Most people end up trapping them in baited traps. I don’t have any designs for one handy, but you might try searching here for “isopod trap”

 

[Kilman805]

That’s a cirolonid isopod. They are “micro predators” of fish. Does your tank have live rock from the ocean? That’s the common way they get into tanks.
Treatments are tricky, because anything that will kill these may also kill the fish.
Most people end up trapping them in baited traps. I don’t have any designs for one handy, but you might try searching here for “isopod trap”

Yes, it’s ocean rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yes, it’s ocean rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater.

Yep - that seems to be the cause of about 90% of these in aquariums.

I found this link:

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/bp/index.php

 

[Kilman805]

Thanks, that’s very helpful!

The good news is that it has dislodged and there’s no visible damage.

The bad news is that it looks like I’m in for an extended fishing expedition to trap the little beasts. But I’ve already assembled the trap:

 

[Kilman805]

I never managed to catch anything in the trap after several nights of hunting and never could find any active at night. The gobies are doing well. Apparently cleaner shrimp prey on cirolanids. Maybe I didn’t have many and something has eaten them up. I’ll keep an eye out for them, but much less worried now.

 

[BasementBox]

I never managed to catch anything in the trap after several nights of hunting and never could find any active at night. The gobies are doing well. Apparently cleaner shrimp prey on cirolanids. Maybe I didn’t have many and something has eaten them up. I’ll keep an eye out for them, but much less worried now.

Always 6 line wrasse and flame hawk fish aka hunter killers