Black Bugs - An Acro keepers worst nightmare?

[Deej1534]

Is this what a black acro bug looks like?
Fell off during a dip. It’s on the tip of my nail

 

[KGV]

It's too big. Black/red bugs are barely visible by eye.

 

[Deej1534]

Here is another pic of the coral it came from. I really hope not probably going to qt to be safe. But any advice would be great!

It's too big. Black/red bugs are barely visible by eye.

 

[krak256]

It's too big. Black/red bugs are barely visible by eye.

From the black bugs I dealt with, they were visible to eye. Small but definitely visible.

 

[Ashish Patel]

This is what I’m battling.

Now You got me even more paranoid, ***** are those pest?

 

[Ashish Patel]

Hello, i personally stand that once you introduce that pest, its nearly impossible to avoid losing acros.

I tried everything. Dipping, cutting, moving to diffrent places in aquarium. I lost.

-That pest is active mostly at night.
-I think that it lays eggs inside skeleton, that is why dipping isnt enough.
-It spreads very fast and randomly. I still dont know how, but it may occur in completly diffrent part of aquarium in one day.

Those round orange balls next to the black bugs look like eggs to me - Or are they AEFW eggs? I am QT my new SPS and terrified of introducing pest to my QT bc I don't know what i am looking for outside of AEFW - which I've delt with and are whips, these black bugs seem like bed bugs cousin.

 

[Ashish Patel]

So I had some of these flatworm looking things come from a old system (5+ years) with no sign of bite marks on Montis and few remaining acros. I was transferring things to new display and cut a large chunk of a acro colony and put it in a white bucket. When I saw something black crawling I got nervous and never did the transfer - even to QT. I also found a bunch of small black things come of one acro thats in QT that after reading this thread I suspect was probably just small pods or poop. Eitherway I am extra paranoid as to not skrew up my 400 gallon SPS dominant reef, since total tank reboot is not in the cards.

Let me know what you think these are -? I've delt with AEFW before and seen what pest do to color of corals fairly quickly but never had these do anything to raise concern in 3+ years. I have accepted that they are probably some herbivorious flatworm or pod and nothing that actually eats corals. However i want to dismantle this old system and relocate all the corals but now I have to wait it out.

 

[krak256]

So I had some of these flatworm looking things come from a old system (5+ years) with no sign of bite marks on Montis and few remaining acros. I was transferring things to new display and cut a large chunk of a acro colony and put it in a white bucket. When I saw something black crawling I got nervous and never did the transfer - even to QT. I also found a bunch of small black things come of one acro thats in QT that after reading this thread I suspect was probably just small pods or poop. Eitherway I am extra paranoid as to not skrew up my 400 gallon SPS dominant reef, since total tank reboot is not in the cards.

Let me know what you think these are -? I've delt with AEFW before and seen what pest do to color of corals fairly quickly but never had these do anything to raise concern in 3+ years. I have accepted that they are probably some herbivorious flatworm or pod and nothing that actually eats corals. However i want to dismantle this old system and relocate all the corals but now I have to wait it out.

looks somewhat different than the black bugs I had. they move similar but mine were fully black vs. yours which seem to be white in the middle. I would refrain from putting any corals from your old system into the new one. Frag all the corals you can, dip, and QT them for a month and dip/check every week for these pests.

 

[Biff0rz]

Hey guys, I'm noticing these on my monti only - other acros do not have this.

What should I do for these? Will Bayer or some other dip work?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey guys, I'm noticing these on my monti only - other acros do not have this.

What should I do for these? Will Bayer or some other dip work?

Not sure these are black bugs. May be ostracods which appear like black bugs. Black mollies eat them if ostracods

 

[Biff0rz]

Not sure these are black bugs. May be ostracods which appear like black bugs. Black mollies eat them if ostracods

Thanks. Is the best way to ID is to get them under a microscope?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks. Is the best way to ID is to get them under a microscope?

That works and they will looks like pet fleas under a microscope

 

[Biff0rz]

That works and they will looks like pet fleas under a microscope

Ok thanks. I went to check on it today and most of the bugs are gone since I blew it off. I'll check tonight to see of they are back but the monti is definitely hurt from it. Checking the other acros and I'm not seeing any issues like this on any of them. Could this just be a monti-specific bug?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok thanks. I went to check on it today and most of the bugs are gone since I blew it off. I'll check tonight to see of they are back but the monti is definitely hurt from it. Checking the other acros and I'm not seeing any issues like this on any of them. Could this just be a monti-specific bug?

If ostracod, they dont feed on monti but will feed on algae and slime on the monti