mites on new sps frag!!!

[Nano_Steve]

...

[Nano_Steve]

AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!! oh no! i just looked again and i see those **** red bugs everyone is talkin about?!?!?! i just took it out of the tank, what do i do?!?!

-steve

[JimD]

Dip that sucker in a solution of Lugals and ro water at about ten drops per quart of water, good thing you spotted those things! Id call Aquatech and let them know before people start raising hell!

[Instar]

and pray you didn't contaminate your tank! If you don't clear the bugs with the dip, you will have to use the treatment in a small tank. The treatment will kill the bugs in 6 hours at the correct dose and not harm the coral at all.

[JimD]

Man, kinda makes ya paranoid to add ANY corals to your tank anymore!
On such a small frag, is it possible to manualy remove them via say a soft toothbrush then quarrentine, inspect and repeat?

[Nano_Steve]

ok bought some seachem reef dip and am about to pass the 5 minute mark for dipping. im going to take it out, make a new dip, and dip it once more just for safe measure. good idea or no?

-steve

[mharris7]

darn - hope their tanks weren't infected earlier. I've got a couple of frags that came out of that tank in the past 2 months.

[Nano_Steve]

just got off the phone with aaron at aquatek and he told me they are red planaria and they ARENT harmful?????!?!?!? i dunno, im continuing with the second dip anyways, here goes.

-steve

[JimD]

Id keep d`ipping untill I was absolutely, positively, undisputedly, no more bugs on that coral, get yourself a good magnifying glass and inspect it very carefully, I still wouldnt introduce it to my main tank unless qt'd for at least a week....

[Nano_Steve]

well unfortunately i dont have the resources to make a good enough qt tank to keep an sps alive in or else i most certainly would take your advice in doing so......im dipping it twice and have already noticed that many of the bugs are gone. will it hurt the frag to dip it a third time??? possibly a fourth????

im totally scared of these things because this is my first venture into sps and this frag especially i would like to keep alive so i can frag it later on.

thanks so much for the advice so far guys!

-steve

[JimD]

WHAT???? You have FLATWORMS DOOD! Just as bad! Keep dipping! Red Planaria are VERY harmfull and can multiply to plague proporions. Go to RC and do a search. or ask around here, I believe its been discussed before. I cany believe he told you the werent harmfull, hes obviously miss-informed. You can make a q tank out of a quart jar, just add an airstone.

[Nano_Steve]

well the thing is i checked out the thread with the red mites and i gaurantee that these things are those mites, they certainly look like it from larry's pics.

-steve

do u think a 3rd dip is ok or will this stuff hurt the coral?

[JimD]

Id hold off for a while so not to stress an already stressed coral.

[Nano_Steve]

ok, well i put it back into the tank, if i see those things again though, im gonna dip it 2 more times. i did a good "5 over" and made **** sure i didnt overlook and nook or cranny, i didnt see anymore of those little bast---s so im keepin my fingers crossed.

im going to be setting up the new tank soon so when i move over the corals i will also dip all of them just to make sure.

thanks again, steve

[JimD]

Good luck, youll need it if yo didnt get them all..... Ask Larry.

[Nano_Steve]

i know, im totally freaked about this, talk about a huge swing in emotions. you go from totally stoked about an awesome coral to freakin out whether or not your tank is gonna be overrun by these little things. :(

-steve

[Nano_Steve]

well, ive checked my tank out pretty thoroughly(especially the new frag) and no sign of those little buggers. that reefdip stuff is excellent! ill definitely be using that in the future, the acro has opened up today and had some alright polyp extension last night as well.

-steve

[matt]

That's a good one, "red planaria aren't harmful." Maybe we could start a hall of shame for fish store advice; this one would certainly make it in!

[mharris7]

I've had flatworms in my tanks for years and they've never bred to "out of control" proportions. I've seen what you guys are talking about, but it doesn't always happen. I'm not sure what the trigger is - if it's a particular species of flatworm or if it's a nutrient problem, ect.... Red planaria simply aren't always problematic though. I also think perhaps certain fish predate on them. Wrasses and dragonets would probably be good choices.

[::pete::]

Not necessairly problematic, but ugly :D . When I had mine and added a 6 line it didnt eat any, as far as I could tell. I did however notice the pod population dwindle as well as seeing fewer bristle worms and the snail eggs werent making it. After removing the 6 line my pods are up, I see more bristle worms and more snails making it. Just something to keep in mind.

[BA]

is there anything that will eat them ??

[::pete::]

Its a hit and miss! Some people have had luck with 6 lines and nudi's, but just like aptasia not all peppermints take care of them.

[MarkLW]

I got the Flat Worms from Aquatech also, told them about it and they said they are ok...don't worry. They walked me up to the front of the store to the new nano they have and showed them to me. Paid big $ for a RBTA and brain coral and now my tank is overflowing with flat worms. Now in a 10G I have to find a 6 line to clean them out or chance the Exit stuff.

[PeeJ]

?? Clue me in to which store Josh....well in private if you wish.