Red specks on button polyps

[fredy free]

This summer I thought I had a heat problem. Button polyps, star polyps and mushrooms looked to be suffering from to hot of a tank 84 to 86f. Water readings were and are in great shape other then temperature. I decided to add fans and temperature is now a steady 78f for two weeks. No change in anything so I thought I would do a dip of a small button polyp in RO water to see if anything came out, some pods and a half inch bristle worm nothing to alarming. I have a magnifying optic out of a projector TV when looking through this I saw lots of red dots that were raised like bugs on the closed up Button polyps. Is this normal or what is this and what can be done if this is a pest? I have two clownfish that I have had for years I don't want to risk them. The red dots are not visible to the naked eye? Thanks

 

[A. Grandis]

They probably bleached out with the heat.
Pics?
Water parameters, please.

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

Red Spots

Red Spots

After I put the rock with polyps back I thought I would see if my Iphone would take a picture of things that came off they are half dried up and on a blue plate that is semi transparent and it worked I will post them. The polyps are really stressed so I didn’t want to take them back out. As I said red spots to small to see look like chiggers only a lot smaller about 20 to each polyp that is less then ½ inch tall. I will take a picture tonight and post any suggestions on a dip that I could use that is fish safe so I can dip when I take polyps back out?

Tank is old I have up graded to more for reef in the last year.
75 gallon DT 10 Gal sump 10 gal Refugium 70-100# rock, crushed coral in DT deep sand in ½ Refugium with turf scrubber.

Temp all summer has been 82 to 86 up and down Fans now last two weeks 78 to 79f all the time.

PH 8.2
Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia all 0
Pho <.03
Alk 10.02dKH 3.86 M/L
Calcium 480
Salinity 1.024
All test run by me and then by LFS tested the same.

 

[fredy free]

I am think of dipping in Bayer Insecticide but I can't find if it is safe to return to DT as I don't want to risk my Clownfish in any way anyone used Bayer on a small rock w/polyps then dipped in tank water in a cup and returned rock to DT? Or what would be the best to use or do?:

 

[fredy free]

Pictures of red spots.

 

[fredy free]

Help

Help

Sorry but had to download at low quality you will see 3 red dots one on the mat the rock that is coming through is the larger spot next to that is the red chigger like dot other two on polyp I marked them.

 

[A. Grandis]

Wow! How did they get the alkalinity reading so precise?

I wouldn't care much about the red dots. Do they move? Perhaps they're harmless copepods. Do they look like those Acro red bugs?
If you really want to dip the zoas...
You can dip the polyps in Lugol's solution: 8 to 10 oz of fresh water or tank water, with 3 to 5 drops of Lugol's solution for about 3 min.
That would treat infection and will kill small copepods, amphipods and such.

Please don't add anything to your tank. Bring the polyps out to be treated.
I've never heard anything about Bayer insecticide products that could be used in aquariums. I would never do that to my polyps.

The problem with the system started with the temperature change and should be addressed to that problem first. Could be that those red dots aren't even live organisms.

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

The red dots look to have embedded into the polyp just a little did not see any movement. Bayer treatment here is a link on RC http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1965880&highlight=bayer I don't think this polyp is going to live so if I can find Bayer I will try it dip and put it in my quarantine tank as I live in a small town no pet shops but I will check this weekend on Lugol's and dip others if I can find it.

Any other treatments you or anyone have used with fish in tank or dip and q/t or put back in DT? :fun4:

Also tank has temp under control but I will be adding a All-purpose Temperature Controller STC-1000 With sensor this I just got and hope to add with extra fan this weekend. Thanks this helps

 

[A. Grandis]

Thanks for the link!

If temperature was the cause you don't have to dip the polyps.
Specially if the dots don't move!
Just let them come out of the shock and terrible temperature exposure.
Don't move them around. They could take as much as 6 or 8 months to come around and, if that's the case, they would eventually get back.
If there is no bugs don't dip it. Medicines are made for a purpose.
You should buy the Lugol's anyway, but use only when necessary and for the right need.

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

Thanks A Grandis I have this small rock with polyps and its going down fast I think it will not live if I do nothing I don't want to dip but I have larger corals and they are not looking good but are healthier and if I dip this one it would tell me if the red spots come off then I need to dip more if red spots don't come off I need to wait and see if the coral comes out on their own. The link to using Bayer has said kills are minimum. I have searched the web and researched Bayer a lot and people have used Bayer on RC and other sites to cure and dip new corals with great success. Thanks and I hope I am doing what is correct I may regret either way I go. All help is greatly appreciated any information is good to help hope to here more from you an others. :reading:

 

[A. Grandis]

Yeah, well, I can't speak for Bayer because I never used nor had red bugs either.
I would say to be very cautious with those type of products and use only if that is the last resource.
If you have no red bugs you need to figure out what's going on in your system, besides the temperature accident.

You need to know if they are bugs or not. Touch them with a toot pick or needle and even try to remove one and check with magnifying glasses. That is the first step! No cense to keep thinking of anything magical or any hypothesis to figure out without trying to really find out the real problem, right?

If they are bugs you can try Lugol's first. I would think that if other people were willing to use Bayer products for that type of red bug is because the Lugol's wouldn't work. You need to know what bug you have, if so.

If the conditions of the polyps are the same the problem was probably the temperature or other factor. Predators would normally get the picture worse.

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

Dip in Bayer

Dip in Bayer

I dipped one polyps in Bayer last night put in a Quarantine Tank, they look ok today no apparent change lights will come on later have my fingers crossed. This is a photo of dip I used water bottle with 200 m/l tank water with 3 m/l Bayer let sit for six minutes some mixing. Took out and rinsed three times in tank water and put into my Quarantine Tank.

 

[fredy free]

Red Spots After Bayer Dip

Red Spots After Bayer Dip

I tried to knock off red bumps before dip can not see to accomplish this not enough hands to magnify and work tooth pick and keep light where needed rock would move and be out of focus. The red bump spots never came off in the dip and all were in the same place as yesterday so they are not moving around. Better picture.

 

[fredy free]

Snail in Bayer Dip

Snail in Bayer Dip

A snail was knocked off in dip anyone know if this snail could be a problem for polyps? The snail was alive the next day picture show snail on a blue plate after dip in Bayer picture shows magnified the next day alive on side of water bottle last picture shows with a dime to show size. I assume snail will not live if he does I don't know what to do with him, anyone have any thoughts or helpful ideas?

 

[fredy free]

A. Grandis Thanks for your reply do you know if the temperature I ran this summer would slowly kill the polyps and if so how long to start improvement, the polyps are going downhill with a steady temp. for over a week. With the Dip I would think they would open or at least stay the same as the quarantine tank has always been a good place for polyps as water is of very high quality.

 

[A. Grandis]

As I've wrote before, I wouldn't dip, but you did.
The polyps could take up to 6 to 8 months to come around from temperature bleaching. Some times much less, some times more. Depends.
I've had colonies in the past that took more than a year to come around from a 86°F 24Hr+ exposure.
I would just leave them alone.

If you see them melting or rotten, than you need to act.

Please make sure you know that there are way many possibilities of zoas to be close. My conclusion is based on what you wrote.

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

Grandis: The polyps have been losing size and they were shrinking faster after I got the temperature under control. Today I installed a new controller and extra fan so temperature should not change but stay steady.

I do have a question what do you do when you get new coral to put into your DT?

Also do you feed your polyps?

 

[A. Grandis]

I like to keep my temperature around 79°F, but others have reported success with temperature ranging from 75°F - 80°F.

My tank doesn't have corals, except for a small incrusting local soft coral.
For the zoanthids I dip them in Lugol's solution as described earlier in this thread using fresh water for the dipping. I place them on my artificial live rocks with super glue gel or in little holes. I watch them closely to make sure they are well adapted to the system, free from any pests and infections, and maintain the system with a good water flow, and chemistry.

Yes, I target feed my polyps once a week.
I believe in offering to my zoas the right size and quality food particles, good water chemistry, correct temperature/light, some trace elements, amino acids and vitamins. Stability and a consistent maintenance schedule is important IMO.

Here are some of the threads that I would think could help you with your feeding questions:
When to feed zoas
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2212855

Artificial food study for corals.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2167572

Article on zoanthids feeding behavior.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2180156

Polyps Galore, 70+ Colony Zoa tank
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1896006

Have fun!

Grandis.

 

[fredy free]

Thanks for the link I will be doing some reading like to learn new things.

 

[A. Grandis]

You're very welcome!
:thumbsup:

Grandis.