Question About SPS Bugs

[bevo5]

So - I've noticed a couple of my SPS frags RTN'ing or something lately. I was thinking maybe I had allowed my nutrients to get too low (going fallow for ich). But when I was inspecting a large birdsnest I saw an area around the base stripped completely clean and 15-20 little bugs. Like tiny tiny tiny. It took me a few minutes of watching to even see one move.

Sure enough - I looked at a couple other birdnests and I noticed a few more bugs here/there.

I dip everything in Bayer, but who knows. So anyway - I took each big piece out and dipped again in a stronger concentration. That was yesterday morning.

The good news is that I think the Bayer is killing whatever they are - I had read a lot yesterday about a super resistant bug. The bad news is I saw maybe one more this morning still on the original nest.

This is my first time dealing with this so I want to get some opinions on my plan moving forward. Basically, I'm just going to continue to dip - once a week? twice a week? What is enough? Until all the bugs are gone.

Once my fallow period is over - is there a wrasse that is good for this? I had a yellow coris and a checkerboard in there up until about two weeks ago...which might explain why I am just now seeing the bugs. They could have been doing a good job.

Thanks for advice

 

[nex64]

Without any close up pics for proper identification, advice is sort of a shot in the dark.

Try to get us some macro shots of these little buggers.

 

[bevo5]

Yeah good point.

I don't think I'll ever get a photo though. They look like tiny specs of nothing. I have one of those tank magnifying glass things and even with that I can barely make them out. I can't see body shape or anything..just that they're tiny and kinda moving around.

I shall try though!

 

[nex64]

Any color to them?

 

[bevo5]

Here's the best I can do...full zoom here. As you can see - that white part has been stripped pretty well. There are two little black dots that move around if I watch long enough. When I saw them yesterday morning there were probably 10-15. After the dip there are only one or two if I go down there.

How many days do I have to wait until I dip?
http://imgur.com/a/UkJTt

 

[bevo5]

Update. Since first dip today I saw a few of these guys still on the birds nest. Numbers were fewer but still some there. So screw it. I dipped again in Bayer.

How often is too often on dips? Also. Is it super terrible that a couple of these guys are living through the dips or is that just kind of how it goes? Maybe each time I'm knocking the numbers back or something?

Should I be very concerned they're not all dead though??

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Not sure what but would be eating a birdsnest but the coral just looks like it's white from being in no light. Not from any bugs eating it. What damage do you think your seeing? I wouldn't keep dipping if there isn't a big problem. I see the specks, are you sure they are bugs?

 

[bevo5]

Well - I've got some other coral that is definitely white from no light but I still get polyps on those. When I compare there are zero polyps left on that white part here - it's stripped to the core. No flesh left at all. So I feel like it's being eaten or annoyed or something.

 

[Sabellafella]

Yeah good point.

I don't think I'll ever get a photo though. They look like tiny specs of nothing. I have one of those tank magnifying glass things and even with that I can barely make them out. I can't see body shape or anything..just that they're tiny and kinda moving around.

I shall try though!

Are they white? Or redbugs?

Just seen the photo, id just dip all your sps and wait it out.

 

[bevo5]

Not much color. Maybe a tinge of red, but mostly seem black - which I've been reading about that seems like a horrible pest nobody has had much luck with.

I recently took out all of my fish (fallow for ich). I had a checkerboard wrasse, a blue line wrasse and a coris wrasse. I wonder if they were keeping these guys in line because I haven't added a coral in a couple months and I'm just now seeing these.

I've done two dips. I'll dip again on like weds or thursday.

I am going to double the Bayer dose. Then if that doesn't work I'm going to go with iodine.

 

[Sabellafella]

Not much color. Maybe a tinge of red, but mostly seem black - which I've been reading about that seems like a horrible pest nobody has had much luck with.

I recently took out all of my fish (fallow for ich). I had a checkerboard wrasse, a blue line wrasse and a coris wrasse. I wonder if they were keeping these guys in line because I haven't added a coral in a couple months and I'm just now seeing these.

I've done two dips. I'll dip again on like weds or thursday.

I am going to double the Bayer dose. Then if that doesn't work I'm going to go with iodine.

I had black copepods on some die off sps tissue last year. At the time i used 2ml coral rx to 2 cups tank water and they came right off withen 3 minutes. Havnt had an issue seeing them since

 

[bevo5]

Yeah maybe that's what it is.

I'm going to do one or two more Bayer then move on to either Iodine or Coral RX. On another thread I saw people having success with iodine.