Unknown Acropora sp. pest (pics & video)

[Scythanith]

Hello All,

I am noticing some acros starting to pale up and show what looks like AEFW bite marks so I grabbed out a couple frags and put them under my zeiss stereomicroscope for inspection. There we zero flatworms on the frags but I did notice two things. First, the coral was putting out a lot of mesenterial filaments from odd places. Second, there was a very small arthropod looking critter with cilia all over its back ripping around. It seemed to stop and "dig" in places. I was wondering if some of the more experienced reefers have run into this critter before? I'm not sure how to embed videos so I have just included the smugmug link, please check it out.

http://www.lithicimages.com/Images/Scotts-Fishtank/n-h9jbN/i-n34mtG8/A

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Firs of all, lol . That thing looks like a micro chicken. Second, have you tried using a Bayer dip on those guys?

 

[Scythanith]

I have not. But are they bad in the first place? Trying to figure out the cause of the decline in colour & polyp extension in some of my frags :)

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I have not. But are they bad in the first place? Trying to figure out the cause of the decline in colour & polyp extension in some of my frags :)

I personally consider anything that lives on top of acropora, besides may-be acro crabs to be bad by default.