Red Mites/bugs? fast help needed.

[TAXMAN]

Ok. I just got a Zoanthid coral and noticed while acclimating, that there are a lot of small red bugs in the bag. I dont know if they are the bad red bugs or not. What can I do to kill these things off before I place the Zoanthid into my tank without harming the Zoo?

Will a FW dip do it?

[::pete::]

Well if its the red bugs ... I would say (not having experience with them) treat it for them before placing it in the tank. Im sure someone has extra medicine lying around.

[TAXMAN]

Thats why I am looking for a fast responce. I want them dead before I put the zoo in my tank.

[JimD]

umm, ok, kill them then! Fresh water dip or a mild iodine solution should do the trick.

[TAXMAN]

Ok. How much Iodine should I use in how much water. I also see flatworms in the bag. But It sucks too, because I can see 3 Mini stars and lot's of pods and bristles that came along with it. Oh well.

[JimD]

Try a FW dip first, submurge as much of the rock and as little of the Zoa as possible, youre probably gonna lose the b-worms and the pods, but oh well, at least the flatworms should be gone, you may wanna put a few drops of iodine in the water if that doesnt work. Say 4-5 drops per quart of water.
Good luck and dont freak out! lol

[StephenA]

The bad red mites only hang out on Acro's

[TAXMAN]

I looked with a magnifing glass and they are orange with a red ends. Then the flat worms are just all red, like the flatworm thread picture that Mihn posted on.

And thanks guys. I will do the dip right now. And I always worry when it comes to my tanks and corals. :)

[TAXMAN]

Ok. Dip'd the entire colony rock and shoot it around for 15 seconds. I went ahead and used Iodine just to be sure to kill everything. It is amazing what came off of this small golfball size rock. And it did not appear to be any Red Mites. They were all flatworms, but looked like the red bugs under the PC lighting.

Fatalities
Est 100+ flatworms :)
2 microstars that fell off the rock :(
Pods :(

Survivors :)
Bristleworms and several Microstars . They stayed on the rock.

I feel better now. I'll keep an eye on the tank for a while and see if any flatworms actually surived. Hopefully not.
Thanks guys for the help. I just hate to see anything happen to my tanks.

[StephenA]

Better safe than sorry

[brewercm]

Is that the one I just got you?
If so I need to look at my stuff really close myself. I haven't noticed but that would not be anything new. You said they were flatworms though? Are the zoos themselves OK, if not let me know so I can reimburse you. Sorry about that.
So if I have flatworms in my system, what is the prefered method of getting them out of a whole system. I know I've read flatworm exit and siphoning them out, any help out there would be great.

[TAXMAN]

Yea, it was your Zoo's. I was about to open the bag and put them in my tank and noticed all these red bugs. They were flatworms I am guessing. They look just like the picture Minh posted in the flatworm thread. The Zoo's are fine and open. There were also more than 7 Bristleworms in that little rock and 4 or more Microstars. :) Most everything survived except the flatworms.

[brewercm]

Good to hear it went well after the original problem was solved. Now I need to check out my stuff and figure out what's going on. I posted questions on the other thread after I saw that one. I just got home and think I see some on the base of rock on one side of the tank and possibly on the tube of my feather duster. :cry:

[Instar]

Sounds like it was baby flat worms. For next time, you can pick up the brittle stars and put them back into salt water after they fall off and its likely they will survive. For flat worms, it takes more than one dip to get them all. R/O dips with nothing at all, between 10 to 15 seconds, 4 dips. That usually won't dislodge much more than some pods and the flatworms. Long dips can dump more than you wanted to off a zoo rock. Short dips keep more things on the rock except for the flatworms. Pods, worms and things you want to keep, just grab them with forceps and put them back in salt water as soon as they jump off the rock you're dipping.

[TAXMAN]

I did a 15 second Iodine dip. 1 dip only. I had 5 drops Iodine in 1 qt R/O water. Hopefully it got all the flatworms.