Red bugs

sufunk · 06/16/2006, 04:39 PM

All of a sudden , I have a bunch of red bugs on the front of my glass. I have NEVER seen 1 before today, now there's a bunch?? I have no sps, just lps and softies and haven't added anything at all to my tank in about 3 months. Where did they come from???
What do i do, if anything? I dont see any on my lps just the glass so i cant do a dip and have too many crabs and shrimp for interceptor, What can i do?

wrott · 06/16/2006, 04:58 PM

Red bugs would infest Acropora only--are you sure they aren't flat worms?

reefshadow · 06/16/2006, 05:02 PM

i've had reddish coloured copepods before, i wouldn't worry about it. they are harmless and beneficial.

incidentally, i think "red acro bugs" are a type of copepod too, but are very host specific and absolutely will not live w/o the host.

sufunk · 06/16/2006, 05:03 PM

I'm pretty sure. They are VERY small so hard to tell but they move VERY fast, seems way to fast for a worm. Could flatworms be moving that fast? as fast as a pod? With the magnifying glass i can see the antennae and they look like tiny red pods but they are so small its hard to see them real good even with the magnifying glass. Cant get a pic to show up.

reefshadow · 06/16/2006, 05:04 PM

oh yeah. flatworms would have a very distinctive shape, do a search. they can be orangish red too. if they are tiny barely visible dots, they are almost certainly some type of copepod.

sufunk · 06/16/2006, 05:05 PM

Thank you, reefshadow, thats makes me feel a little better. I'm 99% sure they are red pods of some kind. Cant really find anything about red bugs except with sps which i dont have but hadn't heard of red pods???
They are right in front of my favorite sun coral of all time so its freaking me out a little. I dont see any on the sun though so thats good.

reefshadow · 06/16/2006, 05:07 PM

yup. i have had reddish ones and the typical white pods. oddly, the reddish ones seem to swarm on my front glass too. probably feeding on some kind of algae/film, like diatoms.

sufunk · 06/16/2006, 05:17 PM

Thank you very much for the help!

06/16/2006, 04:39 PM	#1
sufunk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Davie, Florida Posts: 2,004	Red bugs All of a sudden , I have a bunch of red bugs on the front of my glass. I have NEVER seen 1 before today, now there's a bunch?? I have no sps, just lps and softies and haven't added anything at all to my tank in about 3 months. Where did they come from??? What do i do, if anything? I dont see any on my lps just the glass so i cant do a dip and have too many crabs and shrimp for interceptor, What can i do?

06/16/2006, 04:58 PM	#2
wrott Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,912	Red bugs would infest Acropora only--are you sure they aren't flat worms? __________________ OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt

06/16/2006, 05:02 PM	#3
reefshadow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Washington Posts: 1,786	i've had reddish coloured copepods before, i wouldn't worry about it. they are harmless and beneficial. incidentally, i think "red acro bugs" are a type of copepod too, but are very host specific and absolutely will not live w/o the host. __________________ All Your Coral Are Belong To Us Current Tank Info: 30 Deep Blue shallow mixed rimless, MP10, Ecoxotic LED's, SCA 301 skimmer.

06/16/2006, 05:04 PM	#5
reefshadow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Washington Posts: 1,786	oh yeah. flatworms would have a very distinctive shape, do a search. they can be orangish red too. if they are tiny barely visible dots, they are almost certainly some type of copepod. __________________ All Your Coral Are Belong To Us Current Tank Info: 30 Deep Blue shallow mixed rimless, MP10, Ecoxotic LED's, SCA 301 skimmer.

06/16/2006, 05:07 PM	#7
reefshadow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Washington Posts: 1,786	yup. i have had reddish ones and the typical white pods. oddly, the reddish ones seem to swarm on my front glass too. probably feeding on some kind of algae/film, like diatoms. __________________ All Your Coral Are Belong To Us Current Tank Info: 30 Deep Blue shallow mixed rimless, MP10, Ecoxotic LED's, SCA 301 skimmer.

06/16/2006, 05:03 PM	#4
sufunk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Davie, Florida Posts: 2,004	I'm pretty sure. They are VERY small so hard to tell but they move VERY fast, seems way to fast for a worm. Could flatworms be moving that fast? as fast as a pod? With the magnifying glass i can see the antennae and they look like tiny red pods but they are so small its hard to see them real good even with the magnifying glass. Cant get a pic to show up.

06/16/2006, 05:05 PM	#6
sufunk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Davie, Florida Posts: 2,004	Thank you, reefshadow, thats makes me feel a little better. I'm 99% sure they are red pods of some kind. Cant really find anything about red bugs except with sps which i dont have but hadn't heard of red pods??? They are right in front of my favorite sun coral of all time so its freaking me out a little. I dont see any on the sun though so thats good.

06/16/2006, 05:17 PM	#8
sufunk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Davie, Florida Posts: 2,004	Thank you very much for the help!