Treating for red? Bugs

[Redrosetuscan]

I have got some kind of bugs on my acros, not all of them just a few. They don't appear to be normal red bugs in that they seem darker and slower.

I also have had aefw although I don't get what the problem is with these. In an ideal world I wouldn't have them but I have and they aren't a problem, I just blow them off the coral and a wrasse gobbles them up infact one of my wrasse (I think) is predating them. No aefw have shown up in my display for months on end now yet they do in the frag tank where there are no wrasse.

I'm in the uk and can't easily get interceptor here although I think I can get it.

What worries me is a couple of well known reefers have said not to treat because there is always an explosion of aefw after. The levels of aefw I've got now are manageable (infact I won tank of the month a while back on a uk forum). What I don't want is thousands of them because that won't be manageable.

So what are people's experiences of treating for bugs and getting aefw?

Bad phone pic

 

[organism]

I think Bayer is the way to go, gonna be hard though you'd have to remove the colonies to do it. Are you sure there are no Interceptor type substitutes? Touchy situation having those with AEFW :/

 

[scar79]

If you think you can get interceptor, get it and dose it. Your tank it too established to start pulling apart. If for some reason AEFWs take off after doing this, then you'll have to resort to pulling corals anyways, although I don't quite see the correlation. Can you link any articles/posts? I'm curious.

 

[bif24701]

Bayer cured my corals of AEFW and monti eating Nudis with dipping only. I have not heard interceptor causing a bloom of AEFW.

 

[organism]

I have not heard interceptor causing a bloom of AEFW.

I've seen it happen unfortunately, the red bugs kind of keep the AEFW at bay and then when they're gone the AEFW go crazy for a bit. Not sure if it's a common issue though but just something to mentally prepare for.

 

[Redrosetuscan]

I'll try dipping the ones which I think have bugs first I think, I seem to be on top of aefw.

Strange bugs these, I'd say they were more black and seem to move slower, very hard to see them, as opposed to the red ones scurrying around.

 

[reefmutt]

Beautiful tank!
Very nice scape, great placement of corals and lovely big colonies. I really like your tank.
Nice fish, too.
Is that a melanurus wrasse you have?
I have had aefws for a good year.. as well as red and other bugs for perhaps as long but I only noticed the bugs a couple months ago. The worms, I've known about for a long time.
I have heard about aefw explosions after treating for bugs but I haven't seen this happen in my tank. I am two weeks into a dose of interceptor and I haven't seen any evidence of more flatworms.
My peppermint shrimp are (imo) excellent aefw predators and they keep the population in my system almost undectable.
In your case, because you are already managing the flatworms manually, I really don't think you will have any issues.
I'd say dose the tank for bugs and do several exploratory powerhead cleanings afterwards just to be sure.
Good luck...
And while we're talking, how about a few more shots or your tank?