Microscope id please? - acro dieing, dipped.

[vetteguy53081]

Why do you think alk 7.5-8 is considered low? Average ocean alk is 6.5-7. I have run higher but all my tanks run better at 7-7.5 alk.
Just curious as to your reasoning.

Not low- low end of scale. The concern I have is alk works with CA. It becomes risk when it drops from what is considered a norm. When stable, not an issue
I ran 7.6 ph a few years ago and quit chasing it because it was stable and coral happy

 

[Reefer Dan]

On second thought, this one bears some resemblance to a parasitic copepod, but I could be very wrong.
https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium...measures-and-a-review-of-treatment-protocols/


Edit:
Possibly an unusually a hairy Ostracod as well:

I dipped again this morning and I’m reasonably certain it is the ostracod pictured above. I had a bunch of these fall off in the dip again and I was able to get a much better picture. I got a video but can’t figure out how to post that.
So we are 100% sure ostracods are not predatory to acros?

i do have some rather large isopods that I see on the acros at night, but I’m under the assumption that they aren’t bad either.

…well I’m out of ideas.

 

[OceanSprayCranberry]

did you ever figure this out? I also have the same looking pest eating the flesh bands on my torches.

 

[Reefer Dan]

did you ever figure this out? I also have the same looking pest eating the flesh bands on my torches.

The closest ID I was given was ostracods….which common thought is they are not problematic.

Most of my SPS ended up RTN and gone. I found out my problem was largely low phosphates… every time I tested it was 0.03, but I have about .05-.1 ppm turnover in a day (this is what I didn’t realize), so they likely starved to death. This was likely the largest contributor, but I’ve been waiting to add sps until I am sure and still feel unconvinced I completely figured it out.