Wild Acro friend or foe??

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Got my first wild Indo Acro colony in today. Surprised at how nice the colony looks, straight out of the box! However, after a 20 minute Bayer dip I was closely inspecting for pests and came across several of these odd things embedded in what looks like an old corallite. At first glance it reminds me of either a folded crab claw or a clam. Colony is in QT for the last 2 hours and nothing has changed with them. Anyone have a clue what these are??

 

[Neoalchemist]

Barnacles, no problem. You should see them swishing a net around(unless the Bayer dip killed them) . At least until they starve. They need a steady supply of plankton to survive.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Thank you! So they can survive a Bayer dip?

I did see a kind of mucus hanging out of one for a bit, then it disappeared the next time I looked.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Good job with the pictures. Could be a very hard id without clear pics.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Thank you! So they can survive a Bayer dip?

I did see a kind of mucus hanging out of one for a bit, then it disappeared the next time I looked.

They are a mollusks so its possible they could survive, depending on how long the dip and such.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

They are a mollusks so its possible they could survive, depending on how long the dip and such.

Sounds like a plate of super glue over the hole would rid the colony of them?
Thank you for the ID! I googled barnacles and that’s definitely what they are.

 

[GlassMunky]

Sounds like a plate of super glue over the hole would rid the colony of them?
Thank you for the ID! I googled barnacles and that’s definitely what they are.

Yes that would kill them but beware that are are also trapping it to die and rot on the inside of the coral potentially leading to infection

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Yes that would kill them but beware that are are also trapping it to die and rot on the inside of the coral potentially leading to infection

Yea that’s why I always leave them alone. I try and stay away from pieces with a lot of barnacles. Sometimes if it’s healthy it will just loose the flesh on top of it and regrow though. Keep your eye on it. Otherwise it looks pretty good!
Got a top pic of the acro? Looks like loripes maybe?

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Yea that’s why I always leave them alone. I try and stay away from pieces with a lot of barnacles. Sometimes if it’s healthy it will just loose the flesh on top of it and regrow though. Keep your eye on it. Otherwise it looks pretty good!
Got a top pic of the acro? Looks like loripes maybe?

He’s looking rough right now, I hope he pulls thru. I don’t take chances when it comes to pests, so I may have handled it a bit longer than I should have. He was encrusted on a nice big chunk of rock so I had to saw him off, dip and inspect before going into QT. He’s pretty upset, but here he is...

 

[Neoalchemist]

Yes that would kill them but beware that are are also trapping it to die and rot on the inside of the coral potentially leading to infection

Good point, i would just let them go. The acro doesnt want them and will attempt to grow over them. At the same time they will slowly die off and dissapear.
Probably turn into new branches.

 

[Neoalchemist]

He’s looking rough right now, I hope he pulls thru. I don’t take chances when it comes to pests, so I may have handled it a bit longer than I should have. He was encrusted on a nice big chunk of rock so I had to saw him off, dip and inspect before going into QT. He’s pretty upset, but here he is...

Looks robust and healthy.

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Looks robust and healthy.

Well he’s losing tissue at the tips and down some of the branches, that’s what is concerning me. I hope it’s just initial stress and he can recover in the next few days until I can get him in my super healthy SPS system.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

What’s up with the 20 min Bayer dip? Isn’t 10 min what most do or does it not hurt the coral for a 20 min dip?

 

[GlassMunky]

What’s up with the 20 min Bayer dip? Isn’t 10 min what most do or does it not hurt the coral for a 20 min dip?

I generally do 15min
But I like a scorched earth policy

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

What’s up with the 20 min Bayer dip? Isn’t 10 min what most do or does it not hurt the coral for a 20 min dip?

I know someone who had a bug like red bugs but they were whiteish and devestating his acros. We tested CoralRX (would kill the Acro before killing the bugs) & Bayer on them. After finding out they laughed at CoralRX we wanted to see what Bayer did. Concentration was 10mL Bayer to 11oz Saltwater. Dipped in 10 & 15 minute dips and some of the bugs survived both. They did not survive the 20 minute dips. So long story short, I do not want to take a chance on anything getting into my system. Especially from a wild Acro.