Red Bugs!

untamed · #1 02-19-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LATINO

I have checked to see if I have flat worms and nothing. I have done research and the ones that do kill corals are red flat worms. And I have gone through every single rock and corals and even checking the sides of the tank to see if I do see anything and nothing. All I go to see were those red buggers.

The acro-eating flatworms are very difficult to see. The look almost like a slimy patch on the coral because they are transparent and sort of assume the colour of the coral. They are always found on acro coral.

Red flatworms get up to maybe 3mm in size and do most of their damage by simply reproducing in such numbers that they begin to cover ever visible surface of the tank. Red flatworms will mostly cover your sand bed, but spread up all over everything eventually. They don't target coral specifically.

Red Bugs are easily visible if your eyes are decent. They move around relatively quickly..maybe about the size of a pin-head. The "red" I've seen tends to look kind of orange color and is really their back ends.
http://www.melevsreef.com/redbugs.html

Flatworms require very different treatment than red bugs. You need to figure out which you have before you start dosing your tank with stuff.

Trigger Man · #2 02-20-2009, 01:30 AM

From what you said I'm gonna have to agree with everyone on here that it sounds a lot more like aefw then red bugs causing the problem.

michika · #3 02-20-2009, 02:17 PM

Here are some macros of RBs, hopefully they can help you with an ID on your problem.

Perhaps try taking some shots of your own colonies and we can help you make the proper ID. However if you've IDed the cause as RBs, you've clearly found two different sources for Interceptor, and perhaps you should choose one of those two and begin treatment.

fencer · #4 02-20-2009, 03:27 PM

I wonder if acro crabs eat them?

High tide · #5 02-20-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fencer

I wonder if acro crabs eat them?

No, they don't seem too. At least not enough to control them.
Try not to buy dead, red bug infested acros and everything will be fine!

LATINO · #6 02-20-2009, 04:19 PM

Thats is exactly what I have in my tank they fast too.

michika · #7 02-20-2009, 06:12 PM

So I guess the next two steps for you are;
1) Either pay the vet or go through the pet store to get the pills. Its good to keep a box on hand so that in the future you can use them in QT.
2) Prep your tank for a treatment; remove your inverts, or remove all your acros to QT, and figure out your required dosage.
3) Set up a QT system for new arrivals, and figure out how you want to handing incoming livestock from now on.