Help with SPS health

[CrazyPuy]

Hello all,

I have a fairly new ~18 gallon tank about 3-4 months old. Nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia read 0 or undetectable. I noticed 2 white spots near the top of the sps a couple days ago so i did a fresh water change thinking it could be a trace element thing. All other sps are doing great but they also are a bit hight up and get more light. I also raised the lights about a month ago to correct a bleaching problem in my rose brain. Today the white spots have since grow/joined. Any ideas what could be wrong?

Here's my build thread for a more complete history:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1969898

Thanks in advance for the input.

Paul

 

[stevedola]

Alk calc mag?

have they been consistant? what are the numbers?

 

[wfournier]

I think I see AEFW bites in the first pic.

 

[CrazyPuy]

Sorry to dissapear but i've been really busy. I found the problem. Definitely some kind of parasite. I did a quick freshwater dip the other day and shook off about half a dozen "bugs". I couldnt get a picture good enough to post but i'll definitely try if i see anymore.

 

[stevedola]

Acro Flat worms most likely. sorry bud...but going to have to go fallow for a while.

 

[CrazyPuy]

Yeah i keep finding more bugs on the SPS in the picture and it was a lost cause so i just trashed the coral. It wasn't turning around in health anyways. =[ I managed to shake off some of the bugs and put them in a container of freshwater but my camera's aren't good enough to get a clear picture of them and wouldn't focus. The best i can describe them are water "silverfish" with a semi clear body. Any ideas?

As far as going fallow and not stocking for a bit how long do you think it'll take before the parasites/sps bugs die off? A solid month?

Thanks in advance!

 

[James404]

Definitely sounds like AEFW, do you have other SPS in this tank? If so they probably have them as well. They can be a real nightmare to deal with.

On a side note: It's usually not a good idea to do a freshwater dip on SPS, you would be better off doing a dip in something like Revive or CoralRX.

Good luck.

 

[CrazyPuy]

Thanks for the replies/help all. I dont think it's a flatworm of any sort.

The pest/bug looks closer to this but not as translucent:

Photo credits go to Marc as it was taken from the bigger pest ID thread. There wasn't any positive ID on it though. Anyone care to chime in? I'm trying to figure out the best course of action and or the time it will take for these pests to die off without anyfood.

Thanks!

 

[sanchoy]

looks like a pod to me.