Acropora Bug Identification

[Orr2003]

I have had my share of battles with AEFW, red bugs, montipora eating nudibranchs and so on over the years but I have never seen these and they all of the sudden are on two SPS frags and killing them over the last 2 days. I tried to take a video under the microscope to get a better ID....hope its clear enough. At this point I dont know if they are eating or just irritating the Acro until it starts to STN but one is from the base up and the other acro that has them is STN from tips down. I imagine it is one of the bugs listed here but not sure which one. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/3/corals
Anybody have any idea and how to treat?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGUfJcquAQY

 

[Orr2003]

Better video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnTFQz70z3I

 

[Orr2003]

10x mag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWpmdhTP54

 

[reefmutt]

Ask Mark (markalot) I think he had these last year.
You could try adding a 6 line, melanurus, yellow and or other wrasse. May eat them. I really don't know what they are.. sorry.

 

[markalot]

Interceptor will kill them, no idea what the little bastards are. I assume there are a lot of redbug like bugs that, in an enclosed system, can reach plague proportions.

 

[Orr2003]

Interceptor will kill them, no idea what the little bastards are. I assume there are a lot of redbug like bugs that, in an enclosed system, can reach plague proportions.

I agree they are doing some real damage already and I just noticed them. Going to be hard to get Interceptor nowadays.....but they need to die and die soon before they take out anymore SPS.

 

[Pife]

I agree they are doing some real damage already and I just noticed them. Going to be hard to get Interceptor nowadays.....but they need to die and die soon before they take out anymore SPS.

Just go to your vet and get a prescription.

 

[Orr2003]

Just go to your vet and get a prescription.

I was under the impression that Interceptor wasnt sold in the U.S. anymore. Is this not true?

 

[markalot]

I was under the impression that Interceptor wasnt sold in the U.S. anymore. Is this not true?

It was for a while but Novartis makes it again and a vet should be able to get it. If not, get a dog, get interceptor, pet the dog and dose the tank.

 

[Orr2003]

It was for a while but Novartis makes it again and a vet should be able to get it. If not, get a dog, get interceptor, pet the dog and dose the tank.

Thanks Mark....I will check with the vet. I will document my battle against these little bastards. Noticed them just now on another frag. Time to take action.

Have you dealt with these before Mark?

 

[markalot]

Thanks Mark....I will check with the vet. I will document my battle against these little bastards. Noticed them just now on another frag. Time to take action.

Have you dealt with these before Mark?

Yep, but along with water quality issues so I was never sure if they were a primary factor or an irritant making matters worse. Corals would improve if I removed and dipped so I decided to treat the entire tank.

I got my order of interceptor online and I got my credit card number stolen. Probably not a coincidence.

 

[Orr2003]

Yep, but along with water quality issues so I was never sure if they were a primary factor or an irritant making matters worse. Corals would improve if I removed and dipped so I decided to treat the entire tank.

I got my order of interceptor online and I got my credit card number stolen. Probably not a coincidence.

So did your whole system treatment kill them completely? I have used Interceptor in the past and it worked like a charm for red bugs but these are different then what I remember. What was your dosing protocol? I have a call into the Vet and the tech seemed to think it wouldnt be a problem getting some. Waiting for a call back. Large dog pill is what I used before but cant remember how much per gallon. I treated my 400g SPS about 600g total and it wiped out the red bugs to well lol......my skimmer pulled nasty reddish/orange skimmate for days....and I did lose a fish or two if I remember but that had to be from the toxins of all the dead red bugs.....had to be hundreds of thousands. Hopefully I have caught these dudes early enough to whipe them out now and move on. I will let everyone know how it goes. But they are on another SPS this morning.

 

[markalot]

I have around 150 gallons and I treated with a single large dog pill. I treated again around a month later when I saw some on an acro. I have not seen any since, but the overall tank health has also improved as well. I am hesitant to say killing the bugs solved all my problems, but observations are that all are gone after 2 treatments. It killed an acro crab, a cleaner shrimp I could not catch, and 2 out of 4 peppermint shrimps.

 

[Orr2003]

I have around 150 gallons and I treated with a single large dog pill. I treated again around a month later when I saw some on an acro. I have not seen any since, but the overall tank health has also improved as well. I am hesitant to say killing the bugs solved all my problems, but observations are that all are gone after 2 treatments. It killed an acro crab, a cleaner shrimp I could not catch, and 2 out of 4 peppermint shrimps.

Thanks Mark!

Thats about what I have total at the moment with the frag tank, sump and refugium. I will start there.