SPS pests and treatment options - Page 2

Dejavu · 10/29/2009, 06:07 PM

I have read alot of post asking about dips and what "I shold do with new corals". Putting new additions in QT is the best option but for many is not an option. Here is a dip procedure that I have used with great results:

What I do is acclimate for how ever long it takes me to get 5 gal worth of water. Normally that about 2hr. After an hour I add the interceptor. 10x the recommended dosage of .025 gram per 10 gal. So for 5 gal its .125 grams. Add a small powerhead, MJ 400 for me and a heat set to 79 degrees. Put a top on the bucket and set over night for 12 hrs.

After 12hrs is finished, I get one gal of fresh tank water. Remember Corals have already been acclimated and add the Corals. Add my AEFW killer (TMPCC or Revive) for 15 min with a MJ 400. Some time I will use both at different times, NOT TOGETHER. I turkey bast the coral every 5 min too. Just to make sure everything comes off.

After the 15 min, I get one more gal of fresh tank water and raise the coral off in it.Than I look for eggs with a magnifying glass. If I see any worm or eggs, off to the trash they go. If all looks OK than into the tank.

Leonardo_ · 10/30/2009, 06:17 AM

In addition to Brian, I always snap off the rock where the corals in encrusted on and trow it away. You will lose the encrusted part, but eggs are always on rock or dead skeleton, so the risk of introducing eggs into the system is even smaller then.

Leonardo

madkeenreefer · 11/01/2009, 09:26 PM

I would like to add a pic of a "critter" I found today that was one of three that I removed from an Acro frag that had been loosing tissue over the last 4-5 weeks the loss was rapid to start, then seemed to slow ( at this slowing point I had moved the frag to the bottom of the tank away from the 250w ) I'm not sure if its relevent [IMG]

[/IMG] I was unable to take better pics of it , but to describe it ,it had a pointy clear tail almost the same lenth as its body which was a transperant darkish brown with darker parts to the head and tail reigion.
the drill bit is for refference it was a 5/64ths

It I belive has been feeding on the acro for over a month now does anyone know what this is. Oh no other Acro frags show signs of damaged tissue

snake · 11/02/2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dejavu

Interceptor is really the best treatment out there. If you show the info I posted most vets should be able to help you.

Well I've seen kind of dificult to find interceptor here because seems that this dog desease is not very common here in mexico

but I see that Ivermectin is being used to treat heartworms in dogs also and I'm wondering is this could be or has been used to treat red bugs in corals.

Dejavu · 11/02/2009, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake

Well I've seen kind of dificult to find interceptor here because seems that this dog desease is not very common here in mexico

but I see that Ivermectin is being used to treat heartworms in dogs also and I'm wondering is this could be or has been used to treat red bugs in corals.

The active ingredient in interceptor that kills RB's is Milbemycin Oxime. I have never heard of people using Ivermectin, as interceptor is available state side. If Ivermectin has the active ingredient Milbemycin Oxime in it, it should work. The dosage might change as a large dogs, 51-100lbs tablet of interceptor are just under 1 gram each and contain 23mg of Milbemycin Oxime.

snake · 11/02/2009, 04:59 PM

No Ivermectin does not have the same ingredient but, as seen in this page http://pethealth101.com/heartworm/he...ds_chart.shtml
it is used to treat the same heartworm parasites

Dejavu · 11/02/2009, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake

No Ivermectin does not have the same ingredient but, as seen in this page http://pethealth101.com/heartworm/he...ds_chart.shtml
it is used to treat the same heartworm parasites

It not that is doesn't kill the same parasites in dogs, there are many meds out there that do. The question is, is it safe for corals and fish.

crispyreef · 11/04/2009, 12:47 PM

A good dip for AEFW is Marine Melafix. I battled them for about a year until I got them out of my tank. They are a definate nightmare. The Melafix is aggressive on pests and does not seem to hurt the coral. I have double dosed and it didn't kill coral. JME

snake · 11/04/2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crispyreef

A good dip for AEFW is Marine Melafix. I battled them for about a year until I got them out of my tank. They are a definate nightmare. The Melafix is aggressive on pests and does not seem to hurt the coral. I have double dosed and it didn't kill coral. JME

What about Montipora Nudis, does this Melafix get rid of them too?

Wd40 · 11/04/2009, 02:53 PM

Hey snake try coral rx.. I have those freaking nudis and the coral rx destroys them!!!!
The only thing is you have to dip the coral and then dip again in four days because it doesnt kill the eggs. I can tell you that the dip is pretty safe for the coral as i overdosed and left the coral in longer and doesnt look like it stressed it out. I also believe that coral rx kills AEFW and other things..

fishdoc11 · 11/04/2009, 06:53 PM

This is a nice "how to" dipping thread:

ct vol's dipping method

Los · 11/11/2009, 08:22 AM

FYI, CoralRX does not apparently kill nudis. It "removes" them and it is stressful for LPS corals if left in for 10 minutes, which is the upper end of what they recommend. At 5 minutes, I didn't have any problem, but at 10 minutes it caused several of my LPS to eject their zooxanthalae.

doca · 11/19/2009, 10:54 AM

in wild reefs must be a red bugs predator...isnt it?????

doca · 11/26/2009, 06:52 PM

i cant believe my eyes.....

2 hobbyist, 2 tanks, both with tons of redbugs...suddenly, in 1 nigth, no more redbugs....

only thing in common???....both in the same city, in the same neighborhood...and a very cold nigth, with 70 F degrees or less in both tanks...

no other thing has changed...but we both are pretty sure thats no more adult redbugs at least by now (the eggs could be alive)...

its very possible...finally, are only bad copepods....what do u think????

snake · 11/27/2009, 08:13 AM

Oh that's a good observation, so you are saying that red bugs are sensitive to low temperature, but I would say that also other inhabitants could suffer that temperature change and it would be very risky to expose all tank to that?

What fish do you keep in your tank? do you have crabs? snails ? starfish?

snake · 11/27/2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madkeenreefer

I would like to add a pic of a "critter" I found today that was one of three that I removed from an Acro frag that had been loosing tissue over the last 4-5 weeks the loss was rapid to start, then seemed to slow ( at this slowing point I had moved the frag to the bottom of the tank away from the 250w ) I'm not sure if its relevent [IMG]

[/IMG] I was unable to take better pics of it , but to describe it ,it had a pointy clear tail almost the same lenth as its body which was a transperant darkish brown with darker parts to the head and tail reigion.
the drill bit is for refference it was a 5/64ths

It I belive has been feeding on the acro for over a month now does anyone know what this is. Oh no other Acro frags show signs of damaged tissue

Hi MadKeenreefer, I don't believe that is one of these unwanted redbugs, redbugs are much smaller, I would say like a half or less than a grain of salt

That seems more like a copepod (but I can't count it's legs) or other not harmfull pod

Dale Gribble · 12/02/2009, 02:54 PM

Those are some nasty bugs. Hopefully I never get any of those. Yikes

Phildean · 12/03/2009, 11:30 AM

Can you kill Acropora Eating flatworms (aefw).

doca · 12/04/2009, 07:47 PM

for AEFW, the camel shrimp its a good solution, the thing here is to get it out the tank once he has finished the labor, without that bugs become a coral predator too....

N-A-S-O · 12/04/2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doca

i cant believe my eyes.....

2 hobbyist, 2 tanks, both with tons of redbugs...suddenly, in 1 nigth, no more redbugs....

only thing in common???....both in the same city, in the same neighborhood...and a very cold nigth, with 70 F degrees or less in both tanks...

no other thing has changed...but we both are pretty sure thats no more adult redbugs at least by now (the eggs could be alive)...

its very possible...finally, are only bad copepods....what do u think????

I experienced the same type of situation in regards to temp. Six months ago I downsized tanks and my acros sat in four separate totes without a heater for about 12hrs. The temp of the one tote I was monitoring drooped down to 71F. After that I never had a red bug again. I always wondered if it was the temp.

sabien · 12/05/2009, 03:25 AM

Seems as though there are hundreds of different pests that can ruin your tank.

snake · 12/08/2009, 09:31 AM

Well I did an experiment taking the afected acroporas out of the tank to keep them in a bucket for a week and let temperature get down to 22°Celsius.

Well the theory seems to work but I lost one acropora frag I believe because temp went below 22°C a midnight or so, I only monitored temp at morning and at evenining.

I believe I should have keep a heater to not let temp get lower than 22°C

Well I returned the acroporas to the main tank after the seventh day, to let any remaining bug in the tank die without having a host, Right now I belive I'm clean of redbugs so I can tell temp do kill red bugs but if you do not monitor closely you have a risk of having RTN also.

doca · 12/10/2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N-A-S-O

I experienced the same type of situation in regards to temp. Six months ago I downsized tanks and my acros sat in four separate totes without a heater for about 12hrs. The temp of the one tote I was monitoring drooped down to 71F. After that I never had a red bug again. I always wondered if it was the temp.

Ive been in contact with Borneman and he believes its possibel....in fact, now were 3 of us (in Mexico) that has the same results...and you...

good news...

in my tank, now is 2 weeks with no redbugs...

gasman059 · 01/02/2010, 07:01 AM

After many pests and many years of dipping here's my conclusion.

While I still go thru the motions. Living with pests is like being married , when new you are really expsosed and after several years well if they are there you simply live with them and try to tolerated them b/c the alternative can be really painful. LOL

customdusty · 01/03/2010, 05:20 PM

I just detected AEFW in my tank. I was thinking of doing dips and basting corals in CoralRx once a week, but I don't have a QT tank and it is really not an option for me to set up a whole new system.

What should I do?

10/29/2009, 06:07 PM	#26
Dejavu ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 5,423	I have read alot of post asking about dips and what "I shold do with new corals". Putting new additions in QT is the best option but for many is not an option. Here is a dip procedure that I have used with great results: What I do is acclimate for how ever long it takes me to get 5 gal worth of water. Normally that about 2hr. After an hour I add the interceptor. 10x the recommended dosage of .025 gram per 10 gal. So for 5 gal its .125 grams. Add a small powerhead, MJ 400 for me and a heat set to 79 degrees. Put a top on the bucket and set over night for 12 hrs. After 12hrs is finished, I get one gal of fresh tank water. Remember Corals have already been acclimated and add the Corals. Add my AEFW killer (TMPCC or Revive) for 15 min with a MJ 400. Some time I will use both at different times, NOT TOGETHER. I turkey bast the coral every 5 min too. Just to make sure everything comes off. After the 15 min, I get one more gal of fresh tank water and raise the coral off in it.Than I look for eggs with a magnifying glass. If I see any worm or eggs, off to the trash they go. If all looks OK than into the tank. __________________ Brian June 2013 TOTM Current Tank Info: 270 Starphire by Miracles in GlassBK 250 InternalSequence Blackfin 1800(2) 6105 Tunzes Streams(3) 400 watt Blueline E-Ballast400w 20k Radiums(3) Lumanarc IIIGEO 624 Ca ReactorTunze OsmolotorPM SR45 and TLF PhosBan Reactor 150Apex

10/30/2009, 06:17 AM	#27
Leonardo_ TRC Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,568	In addition to Brian, I always snap off the rock where the corals in encrusted on and trow it away. You will lose the encrusted part, but eggs are always on rock or dead skeleton, so the risk of introducing eggs into the system is even smaller then. Leonardo __________________ 450G Office Reef

11/01/2009, 09:26 PM	#28
madkeenreefer Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Quebec Posts: 278	I would like to add a pic of a "critter" I found today that was one of three that I removed from an Acro frag that had been loosing tissue over the last 4-5 weeks the loss was rapid to start, then seemed to slow ( at this slowing point I had moved the frag to the bottom of the tank away from the 250w ) I'm not sure if its relevent [IMG][/IMG] I was unable to take better pics of it , but to describe it ,it had a pointy clear tail almost the same lenth as its body which was a transperant darkish brown with darker parts to the head and tail reigion. the drill bit is for refference it was a 5/64ths It I belive has been feeding on the acro for over a month now does anyone know what this is. Oh no other Acro frags show signs of damaged tissue __________________ Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene.' "Homer Simpson" Current Tank Info: 300gl sps shallow reef.

11/04/2009, 06:53 PM	#36
fishdoc11 catch and release Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Old Hickory,TN Posts: 13,237	This is a nice "how to" dipping thread: ct vol's dipping method __________________ "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something" -- Thomas H. Huxley Current Tank Info: 70 gallon mixed reef

11/11/2009, 08:22 AM	#37
Los Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Salisbury, MD - 2 hrs from DC Posts: 819	FYI, CoralRX does not apparently kill nudis. It "removes" them and it is stressful for LPS corals if left in for 10 minutes, which is the upper end of what they recommend. At 5 minutes, I didn't have any problem, but at 10 minutes it caused several of my LPS to eject their zooxanthalae. __________________ ~~~~~ / ^ ^\ \| 0 0 \| .\ ~ / The Big Mo' - in honor of Trey and Matt Current Tank Info: 360 reef / 700 system with 4xSfiligoi XR6s, Sfiligoi XR4, BubbleKing 300 Deluxe Internal, Deltec PF601s, PM Kalk, Deltec FR616, Deltec FR509, AquaController APEX, Tunze 6305, 2x6205, 2x6101, 6100, 3xDart Golds, Barracuda, Snapper, 2xOceans Motions

11/02/2009, 04:59 PM	#31
snake Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Guadalajara, Mexico Posts: 242	No Ivermectin does not have the same ingredient but, as seen in this page http://pethealth101.com/heartworm/he...ds_chart.shtml it is used to treat the same heartworm parasites

11/04/2009, 12:47 PM	#33
crispyreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: North Bay Posts: 1,189	A good dip for AEFW is Marine Melafix. I battled them for about a year until I got them out of my tank. They are a definate nightmare. The Melafix is aggressive on pests and does not seem to hurt the coral. I have double dosed and it didn't kill coral. JME

11/04/2009, 02:53 PM	#35
Wd40 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 715	Hey snake try coral rx.. I have those freaking nudis and the coral rx destroys them!!!! The only thing is you have to dip the coral and then dip again in four days because it doesnt kill the eggs. I can tell you that the dip is pretty safe for the coral as i overdosed and left the coral in longer and doesnt look like it stressed it out. I also believe that coral rx kills AEFW and other things..

11/19/2009, 10:54 AM	#38
doca Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Xalapa, Ver., Mexico Posts: 156	in wild reefs must be a red bugs predator...isnt it?????

11/26/2009, 06:52 PM	#39
doca Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Xalapa, Ver., Mexico Posts: 156	i cant believe my eyes..... 2 hobbyist, 2 tanks, both with tons of redbugs...suddenly, in 1 nigth, no more redbugs.... only thing in common???....both in the same city, in the same neighborhood...and a very cold nigth, with 70 F degrees or less in both tanks... no other thing has changed...but we both are pretty sure thats no more adult redbugs at least by now (the eggs could be alive)... its very possible...finally, are only bad copepods....what do u think????

11/27/2009, 08:13 AM	#40
snake Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Guadalajara, Mexico Posts: 242	Oh that's a good observation, so you are saying that red bugs are sensitive to low temperature, but I would say that also other inhabitants could suffer that temperature change and it would be very risky to expose all tank to that? What fish do you keep in your tank? do you have crabs? snails ? starfish?

12/02/2009, 02:54 PM	#42
Dale Gribble Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Farragut, TN Posts: 53	Those are some nasty bugs. Hopefully I never get any of those. Yikes

12/03/2009, 11:30 AM	#43
Phildean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mooresville N.C. Posts: 50	Can you kill Acropora Eating flatworms (aefw).

12/04/2009, 07:47 PM	#44
doca Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Xalapa, Ver., Mexico Posts: 156	for AEFW, the camel shrimp its a good solution, the thing here is to get it out the tank once he has finished the labor, without that bugs become a coral predator too....

12/05/2009, 03:25 AM	#46
sabien Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Suwanee, GA Posts: 71	Seems as though there are hundreds of different pests that can ruin your tank.

12/08/2009, 09:31 AM	#47
snake Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Guadalajara, Mexico Posts: 242	Well I did an experiment taking the afected acroporas out of the tank to keep them in a bucket for a week and let temperature get down to 22°Celsius. Well the theory seems to work but I lost one acropora frag I believe because temp went below 22°C a midnight or so, I only monitored temp at morning and at evenining. I believe I should have keep a heater to not let temp get lower than 22°C Well I returned the acroporas to the main tank after the seventh day, to let any remaining bug in the tank die without having a host, Right now I belive I'm clean of redbugs so I can tell temp do kill red bugs but if you do not monitor closely you have a risk of having RTN also.

01/02/2010, 07:01 AM	#49
gasman059 The OG mad scientist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SOFLA Posts: 10,308	Great thread After many pests and many years of dipping here's my conclusion. While I still go thru the motions. Living with pests is like being married , when new you are really expsosed and after several years well if they are there you simply live with them and try to tolerated them b/c the alternative can be really painful. LOL __________________ There's a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness". 1985-present Current Tank Info: Officially lurking!

01/03/2010, 05:20 PM	#50
customdusty Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Geneva, IL Posts: 1,095	I just detected AEFW in my tank. I was thinking of doing dips and basting corals in CoralRx once a week, but I don't have a QT tank and it is really not an option for me to set up a whole new system. What should I do? __________________ "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." --George W. Bush, Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000 Current Tank Info: 105g Mixed Rimless Starphire by Miracles - Reefthreads.com "Noteworthy Tank" November 19, 2010 Podcast #13 - Sfiligoi Stealth 12x39 T5 - 2x Vortech MP40W - BK/Vertex Alpha Cone 200 - Neptue Apex - 2 Part - Tunze ATO - BRS 5 Stage RO/DI