I know this tread was abandoned long ago but Here is a much needed update...
In my case I went into survival mode and decided to give some frags to a local reefer in case it was a water quality issue. At the rate things were progressing I was bound to lose more colonies since 3 more were beginning to get the sliming tips with receeding tissue. Luckily the reefer I was working with said that he had seen this exact same issue in two other tanks in the San Diego area and in both cases they were chasing high phosphates as the culprit. However in both cases these other individuals both had what can only be described as White Bugs. Very similar to Red bugs but completely white and probably 1/2 to 1/4 the size.
In my tank I cut off 2-3 of the affected tips and took them under a microscope with high magnification and bright bright light. What I was finally able to observe was the little White Bugs! They were zooming in and out of the coralites and all through the sliming tips.
I would NEVER have seen them until I put the frags under the scope. They are crazy small. There is literally no information on these white bugs out there, except perhaps for a few mentions of them here and there, none of which tell the story of the sliming and receeding tips that eventually lead to the collapse of the entire colony.
The good news is that they can be totally wiped out using the same treatment for red bugs, interceptor. I have dosed my tank 3 times and I can absolutely say that the recession has begun reversing. The damaged tips are all re-encrusting, Polyp Extension is improving dramatically and best of all my colors are beginning to pop again.
I hope anyone who is experiencing these particular symptoms stumbles upon this thread.
In my case I went into survival mode and decided to give some frags to a local reefer in case it was a water quality issue. At the rate things were progressing I was bound to lose more colonies since 3 more were beginning to get the sliming tips with receeding tissue. Luckily the reefer I was working with said that he had seen this exact same issue in two other tanks in the San Diego area and in both cases they were chasing high phosphates as the culprit. However in both cases these other individuals both had what can only be described as White Bugs. Very similar to Red bugs but completely white and probably 1/2 to 1/4 the size.
In my tank I cut off 2-3 of the affected tips and took them under a microscope with high magnification and bright bright light. What I was finally able to observe was the little White Bugs! They were zooming in and out of the coralites and all through the sliming tips.
I would NEVER have seen them until I put the frags under the scope. They are crazy small. There is literally no information on these white bugs out there, except perhaps for a few mentions of them here and there, none of which tell the story of the sliming and receeding tips that eventually lead to the collapse of the entire colony.
The good news is that they can be totally wiped out using the same treatment for red bugs, interceptor. I have dosed my tank 3 times and I can absolutely say that the recession has begun reversing. The damaged tips are all re-encrusting, Polyp Extension is improving dramatically and best of all my colors are beginning to pop again.
I hope anyone who is experiencing these particular symptoms stumbles upon this thread.
