Pls help with possible redbug ID

[scolley]

I've got a tri-color acro that's never done well that started STN'ing a few weeks ago. As it worsened I decided to pull it from the tank. Upon close inspection out of the tank, it clearly has LOTS of small critters running around on it.

I've looked at everything I can read on redbugs, and this seems close, but not quite the same. I'd hate to start a full tank redbug treatment when I was just looking at some kind of benign 'pod getting a meal off dying coral flesh.

I don't have a camera that can get in close enough for pics. But what I see is small critters that appear to max out at 1.5mm long. Their length is 8 to 10 times their width, so they appear "worm like", but they move real fast. And can swim too, but appear to prefer surfaces.

As far as coloration, some appear reddish, but most are translucent. Most have an anterior (head?) end that is darker than the rest. Even the translucent ones are darker in the head(?) end. And of the few that I've seen that are reddish, their anterior end is not darker, but appear yellowish white.

Redbugs? Something else?

Thanks for the help.

PS - Most of the other SPS are flourishing, though smooth skinned remain challenging. And a Pocillopora next to the tricolor started having some trouble on some tips close to the tricolors. That's why I pulled it. And I superglued the Pocillopora tips.

 

[karsseboom]

I would look into Aefw.

 

[reefrubble]

+1 I would look into Aefw.

 

[MBIETZ]

O man im sorry if you do but it does sounds like AEFW rather than redbugs but dont trip until you can get a positive id.

 

[jcw]

I've had both and they don't sound like either.

Redbugs are small dots. Barely visible.

Flatworms are nearly transparent on an acro. They are oval shaped and relatively slow moving. I don't see them swimming. They are so flat they are almost not there.

If you can pull the infected acro, maybe look at them under a magnifying glass. Aefw will leave bite marks like this.

 

[scolley]

Thanks for your help. But I'm at a complete loss as to why people are saying AEFW. I pulled the coral, kept it in a small clear cup of tank water, and inspected it with a magnifying glass. There are no bite marks. No AEFW. There are these fast moving bugs all over it. On a 1 inch piece of coral, I'd guess there are maybe 25 of them. So for those of you that think it's AEFW, why is that please?


JCW - Thanks for the great pics. That redbug shot definitely does not look like these things. And I've seen other pics here of redbugs. This thread has some great pics. And while I can't find info on their size, it looks like redbugs don't get much bigger than 1/4mm or so. These were much larger, 3/4 mm with some twice that long.

Granted, they could be some kind of pod. Do pods eat dying coral flesh?

I guess the one thing I feel good about assuming... that there were so many of those creatures on a dying coral was not a coincidence. They were either there getting a meal on the dying flesh, or they caused the dying - one of the two. I'd love to know what's going on, and IF I have a problem.

Thanks for the help.

 

[scolley]

I realized there is another data point worth sharing...

Until a couple of weeks ago I had a six lined wrasse in the tank. But it started causing trouble, and I pulled it. Which coincidentally is about the time this coral started going downhill. It had NEVER done well from the moment I put it in the tank six months ago. But the STN started shortly after I pulled the fish.

Might not be coincidence. Maybe I had a population of these critters that the wrasse was keeping in check. Hmmm...

 

[karsseboom]

Just try an post a pic and we can help.

 

[scolley]

Just try an post a pic and we can help.

Yeah... I knew I should do that, but really don't have a macro lens. So here's an attempt. Not sure how much it will help.

The coral is in a cup of tank water. And critters are all dead (and apparently decomposing) from having put some CoralRX and a pinch of Interceptor into the cup water to flush them from the coral so I could see them. That's how I got enough of a view to describe them initially.

Here's one of the translucent ones on the bottom of the glass.

And here's one of the red ones. They appear to be the same kind of beastie with color variations. That said, it was the red ones that seemed to be primarily on the coral.

For your reference that's the coral;s plug in the picture. The round part of the plug (not all the putty and stuff under it) is 3/16" thick.

Thanks for the help. Love to get these guys ID'ed, as I DONT think having a bunch of there on a a dying coral is unrelated.

Thanks!