What is this????

[maleks.reef]

What are those black little things on the stems of my candy canes?? I tried brushing some away with my hand and some came off.

 

[i cant think]

What are those black little things on the stems of my candy canes?? I tried brushing some away with my hand and some came off.

They look like a pest worm of some sort, possibly nudis but maybe amphipods (I’m unsure). Do they move around in curled shapes?

 

[G Santana]

Did you dip the coral for pest control?

 

[maleks.reef]

Did you dip the coral for pest control?

I do not have a dip so no

 

[maleks.reef]

They look like a pest worm of some sort, possibly nudis but maybe amphipods (I’m unsure). Do they move around in curled shapes?

I dont think they are pods, theyre way too small. Plus, they seem to be VERY still when i took the piece out of the water.

 

[maleks.reef]

PS: I bought this coral about 4 months ago. About 3 weeks after i got it, tissue started melting and it was very rapidly dying. I managed to save it by giving it to a friend who took it in for the past 3 months. He dipped it in coral x & iodine before adding it to his tank. I just got it back 4 days ago. It looks very meaty and puffy however 1 head doesn't look too good. So i wonder if they were dying the first time because of whatever the black things are?
Originally, i attributed it to heavy metals since i found a rusty pump but now idk anymore.

 

[i cant think]

PS: I bought this coral about 4 months ago. About 3 weeks after i got it, tissue started melting and it was very rapidly dying. I managed to save it by giving it to a friend who took it in for the past 3 months. He dipped it in coral x & iodine before adding it to his tank. I just got it back 4 days ago. It looks very meaty and puffy however 1 head doesn't look too good. So i wonder if they were dying the first time because of whatever the black things are?
Originally, i attributed it to heavy metals since i found a rusty pump but now idk anymore.

To me this sounds like a worm of some sort. I’ve faced flatworms and the only time I saw movement was after they actually moved spots.
Things like Copepods are small however I don’t think they’re that big

 

[maleks.reef]

To me this sounds like a worm of some sort. I’ve faced flatworms and the only time I saw movement was after they actually moved spots.
Things like Copepods are small however I don’t think they’re that big

Assuming these are flatworms, would they cause the candy cane to lose flesh and "melt" ?

 

[i cant think]

Assuming these are flatworms, would they cause the candy cane to lose flesh and "melt" ?

My flatties did cause an entire big and nice colony of an Indonesian torch to end up with one head.. It started with atleast 24.
I solved it by adding Halichoeres wrasses to the tank (Mine is a 4x2x2)

 

[sixty_reefer]

I don’t think you got a pest there, it looks like the coral gables a dying maybe look at parameters and light intensity on the coral.

 

[maleks.reef]

I don’t think you got a pest there, it looks like the coral gables a dying maybe look at parameters and light intensity on the coral.

Whats a coral gable?

 

[maleks.reef]

My flatties did cause an entire big and nice colony of an Indonesian torch to end up with one head.. It started with atleast 24.
I solved it by adding Halichoeres wrasses to the tank (Mine is a 4x2x2)

dang that sucks.. DId your worms looklike the pic i posted?

 

[i cant think]

dang that sucks.. DId your worms looklike the pic i posted?

luckily, no. Mine were more flat and white, with rippled edges.

 

[maleks.reef]

anyone else with more input?

 

[JGT]

Do they move at all?

 

[i cant think]

Do they move at all?

The OP said they didn’t move a while back I’m pretty sure.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

FW dip will take care of your issue. They’re losing tissue because of a burrowing worm inside the stalk. The black spots look like holes from the worms. I FW dipped mine for 2 minutes. They shrunk up and looked dead but now they’re over 30 heads. Pics are before the dip, after the dip, and a month post dip. I don’t have current pics but can send one when I get home. The colony is soccer ball sized now.

EDIT: They looked WAY worse after the dip than that picture. No tissue was showing at all. Took about three weeks and they came back with a vengeance.

 

[maleks.reef]

Do they move at all?

I didnt see them move or wiggle no.

 

[maleks.reef]

FW dip will take care of your issue. They’re losing tissue because of a burrowing worm inside the stalk. The black spots look like holes from the worms. I FW dipped mine for 2 minutes. They shrunk up and looked dead but now they’re over 30 heads. Pics are before the dip, after the dip, and a month post dip. I don’t have current pics but can send one when I get home. The colony is soccer ball sized now.

EDIT: They looked WAY worse after the dip than that picture. No tissue was showing at all. Took about three weeks and they came back with a vengeance.

The thing is, back when it started dying on me and i gave it to my friend, he dipped it and it did OK in his tank for a few months. The pic i posted was taken 3 days after adding the candy cane back to my tank, so the question is, if it was a worm like you had, wouldn't it have just died when my friend dipped it and added it to his own tank? Or is this worm present in my tank and as soon as the coral was added again, it attacked it again?

 

[i cant think]

The thing is, back when it started dying on me and i gave it to my friend, he dipped it and it did OK in his tank for a few months. The pic i posted was taken 3 days after adding the candy cane back to my tank, so the question is, if it was a worm like you had, wouldn't it have just died when my friend dipped it and added it to his own tank? Or is this worm present in my tank and as soon as the coral was added again, it attacked it again?

My question is:
- Do you have room for another fish for pest control and if so, what size is the tank
IMO the first line of defence against an unwanted animal is the Dip then the second line is the natural killer