Tiny, almost invisible black crawlies.

Beau_B

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On the base of a hammer, but possibly elsewhere on sand bed.

Look sort of like two poppy seeds stuck together, but smaller, as in 0.2mm or less. Moves around briskly.

Nothing appears to be bothered. These are not pods as I know them. Can't find anything mentioning black except acro black bugs and I don't have any SPS...
 
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2A7819DF-45E8-40E8-B362-0BCE6F4D50DD.jpeg
 

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Could they be black bugs? Can you get a picture?

Edit: You beat me to it.
 
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Beau_B

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I thought maybe, but they don't really look like any of the photos I can find. As well as... They haven't been in a tank with acropora for over 3 weeks so if they are... Wouldn't they be dead by now?
 

vetteguy53081

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They are black bugs. Only effective treatment is 11.5g interceptor pills. Almost no fish will eat them. One large tablet of interceptor is meant to treat 300 gallons. Dipping rarely works and inteceptor will affect pods in the system, perhaps wipe them out.
 

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They are black bugs. Only effective treatment is 11.5g interceptor pills. Almost no fish will eat them. One large tablet of interceptor is meant to treat 300 gallons. Dipping rarely works and inteceptor will affect pods in the system, perhaps wipe them out.

If the tank is without any SPS species, would these not starve themselves out?
 

vetteguy53081

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If the tank is without any SPS species, would these not starve themselves out?
They can and may revert to LPS especially zoa. Recommended is 4 weeks of corals out of display but it depends how fast you gain on them and eliminate them.
 
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Beau_B

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Ok, so... I only have 2 corals (hammer & torch) right now, plan A is pull them from the tank and nuke them with interceptor? I happen to have that for my dog, conveniently...

Then keep DT coral free for 3wks?

I just moved them from QT to DT, they were in observation for 3+ weeks, and of course it was only now under the better lighting that I saw the black things.

it's only been about 6hrs in DT.
 
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IMG_2808.JPG



Best I could do with a photo... slightly better camera. This one was on an empty shell.

This is probably a silly question, but I have some snails in the coral QT tank... they would need to come out before dosing interceptor, correct?
 

vetteguy53081

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IMG_2808.JPG



Best I could do with a photo... slightly better camera. This one was on an empty shell.

This is probably a silly question, but I have some snails in the coral QT tank... they would need to come out before dosing interceptor, correct?
I would to be safe
 
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Dog heartworm medication, contains milbemycin oxime

 
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So... I’ve been reading some nightmares about people being unable to eradicate these things.

Any actual success stories? First hand?

I’m seeing quite a few now that I’m looking specifically for them... I have treated with 5.75 mg in 10g... “good” pods are still alive. Not sure that’s a good sign.
 
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Morning update... No obvious sign of black bugs after treatment in QT; 5.75mg to 10g.

However, this all started because I didn't notice them in QT to begin with.

I pulled large snails out, but left the dwarf ceriths and they look dead... Not a major loss as I have 100+ in the DT, but still strange.

Corals look ok; a bit retracted.


DT is still crawling with them. With nothing to eat... They will die?
 
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PS, I would consider treating my DT but I have a pistol shrimp, cleaner, and pom pom crabs that I can't imagine trying to catch.
 
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24hrs later... QT is nuked. Everything is dead, pods, snails, both lps corals are retracted... no sign of the black things.

Gearing up to do 50% water change and carbon.

I’ve been reading about red bugs and everyone seems to agree they die in a matter of weeks without acro hosts. So what gives... black are tougher?

I haven’t had any SPS, and while these two LPS came out of a frag tank, that was weeks ago. How is this happening?

Still crawling all over the substrate in the DT. More than I would have thought would transfer on two frags and only 6hr exposure.

#reefsquad ? Help?! What’s my move here. Are these not black bugs?
 

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24hrs later... QT is nuked. Everything is dead, pods, snails, both lps corals are retracted... no sign of the black things.

Gearing up to do 50% water change and carbon.

I’ve been reading about red bugs and everyone seems to agree they die in a matter of weeks without acro hosts. So what gives... black are tougher?

I haven’t had any SPS, and while these two LPS came out of a frag tank, that was weeks ago. How is this happening?

Still crawling all over the substrate in the DT. More than I would have thought would transfer on two frags and only 6hr exposure.

#reefsquad ? Help?! What’s my move here. Are these not black bugs?
The things crawling across your substrate are most likely amphipods or copepods if you are looking really close. I don’t see how you could get plague proportions of black bugs from a few frags. I’m not sure what your move is though, I’ve heard black bugs are one of the toughest pests to get rid of.
 
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I think I have a good handle on identifing copepods in general, but now I'm second-guessing everything. These are definitely black. Shaped like a kidney bean, Oreo coloration (small white band in middle) and the size of a grain of salt. So small... But are active with the lights on, scurrying about!
 

nickkohrn

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Are they on coral tissue? I ask because I have a lot of tiny black critters all over my white PVC and coral tiles, but they never touch the coral tissue, and I have 30+ SPS frags. Someone identified them as what they thought to be a type of harmless copepod or ostracod.

I’ll upload a video after dinner.
 

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