Red Bugs

[bohlke]

I just picked up a Rainbow Monti and I was wondering if it is the type of SPS that could have red bugs? I was planning to treat it first in qt before putting it in the main tank but I wanted to make sure I needed to before going through the process.

 

[Nanook]

Wise to quarantine and/or dip all corals before placing them in the display...too many pests out there not to be pro-active.

 

[fishdoc11]

Also good to especially be on the lookout for monti nudis on montis. There are some good photos in this thread

Chris

 

[aquavista99]

Red bugs infest Acropora corals. The Montipora Eating Nudibranch is a very destructive pest that feeds on montipora corals. Based on personal experience, this pest can wipe out all your montipora corals within a few weeks and is the reason why I now QT all incoming corals in a separate holding tank for a few weeks, sometimes months.

http://www.qualitymarineusa.com/article.asp?page=feature&id=FA22AE9A-A335-4F27-A5C5-0913F83DCB60

 

[bohlke]

So red bugs dont come on montis? I am such an SPS noob, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lowbudget]

im a noob too, but i heard they can come on any coral if they dont have acro to to feed off of. correct me if i am wrong.

 

[fishdoc11]

Actually there is something like red bugs that has been called "black bugs" that come on montis.

 

[bohlke]

Ok I am so confused, should I treat my new monti frag for redbugs before I put it in my main tank or is that a waste of time?

 

[lowbudget]

wouldn't hurt. i dip all my frags now.

 

[fishdoc11]

FWIW I treat everything I get with an Interceptor dip(at least 6 hours with a high dose) and then TMPCC (Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure) for the last 10 or 15 minutes to try and cover all the bases. I don't think any dip have been proven 100% effective against monti nudis and thus the need to QT.
Chris

 

[reefworldaq]

I'm agree with fishdoc11, you must QT your sps and dip with TMPCC or Kent Lugol iodine. Watch everyday after light off and observe if have any hitchicker.

 

[bohlke]

Well this all started as I thought my acro had red bugs, but then I had convinced myself that it was fine. After getting the new frag I noticed that the acro does indeed have red bugs. I moved it out of the main tank into QT and treated it. The question is will the red bugs survive in the main tank with no acro to feed on? I really dont want to treat the main tank if I dont have to. How long would I need to keep the acro in qt before I move it back to the main tank?

 

[fishdoc11]

Check out this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1229774&perpage=&pagenumber=3

Chris