Unknown red pests on coral - Not Acro red bugs.

[Mach42]

Hi everyone, I'm new to Saltwater, but I've kept planted freshwater for a couple decades now. It's nice to meet you all and thank you for all the discussions. I'm learning a huge amount.

Anyway, I have a small 10g frag quarantine tank and I recently discovered my xenia is covered by small moving dots that are impossible to see with the naked eye. I've read about red bugs, red flatworms, but I have no acros yet and the pictures don't seem to match up.

Here is a video of the culprits. It looks like some sort of ciliated protozoan and reminds me of paramecium. Body is yellow with little red vacuoles sprinkled within. They seem to enjoy staying around the coral's mouth the most. They love the xenia, but I didn't see them on the hammer or GSP. Just the two types of Xenia.

What on earth are these things? They are absolutely miniscule. Maybe 100 microns. I have a microscope and can measure if needed.



Tank is 10g, filtered with a aquaclear 30 with a single coarse sponge and carbon, 1 wavemaker. Tank has a duncan, a hammer euphyllia, GSP, Xenia, Pulsing Xenia, a live rock, copepods, aphipods, astrea snails, and hermits.

 

[Mach42]

Ok, here's what I've found. Apparently these are some sort of ciliate. According to this handy research paper that I found, it could possibly be philaster lucinda, condylostoma sp., or holosticha sp.. It's my guess visually, since I'm no microbiologist. Apparently, some of these can be the cause of or are just opportunistic infestations that can come with BJD, RTN, and brown/white band diseases.

Edit:

Should I go and dip it? I have also read that Metronidazole might be a possible treatment. However, Humblefish said that as long as the powder is fully dissolved, it is safer. I don't want to risk killing anything since I'm still kinda new, so why risk it and I don't have DMSO

Here's my plan. 1 gallon glass jar with heater and bubbler. Dose the metro and allow to dissolve and circulate for an hour or two. Add the xenia and follow the general HF Metro treatment guidelines.

I haven't started yet. I want to chew on this thread Ciliates and Antibiotics and the linked study within for tonight and tomorrow and hopefully someone has some insights and can chime in.

Thanks everyone!


Mods: if you think that I can get a better response in a different subforum, please move it. Still checking out all the different nooks and crannies here at R2R. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Mach42]

Nix the jar. I don't want to half-**** it.

Xenia will need flow, and I just remembered that I need to do a full treatment, otherwise I'll risk creating resistant bacteria.

I have a 5g I can break out and an AC20 HOB filter. I have a 140w light coming in the mail for my in-progress DT, which will free up the two nano-tank lights I have on the frag QT tank now. I'll put those lights onto the hospital tank which will keep the xenia happy. I have a little powerhead that I use for mixing salt that can be installed if additional flow is necessary, but I think the AC20 will be enough if i place the filter and frag in good spots.

I have Metroplex, Kanaplex, Fritz Paracleanse(metro+prazi), Ruby Reef Rally Pro, Nitrofurazone (yellow, not the kind with malachite green). Rough start to my reef, I know. If amoxycillin is necessary, I can order some.

Plan is to get rid of any bacterial infection first, then treat for ciliates with metro, correct? Suggestions?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm going to tag @ISpeakForTheSeas, they will know how to help you with this!

 

[Mach42]

Thank you, I think that I have some time to set this up, since the Xenia has had this for months. The non-pulsing xenia are showing signs of being unhappy, with some contracted polyps. but other polyps are wide open and flowing. I see some polyps have tentacle tips that are shrunken and some have broken off. Growth has slowed or stopped

The pulsed variety frag is several months newer. That was the first time that I ever dipped a frag, ever. I used Red Sea DipX since that's what the LFS was selling. Either due to my inexperience, or that dip being especially harsh on xenias, it melted from a nice 3 inches tall into a half-inch nub, which I coaxed back to health. I've seen a few of the ciliates on this frag, but non overwhelming infestation like the non-pulsing in the video. It is growing, but it appears happy with all polyps uncontracted, and when I stop the flow to feed, I can see the little growing polyps flapping away like they should.

Other things have changed in the past couple weeks.

I removed a rubble frag that has a few sprigs of cualerpa on it (was using it as canary in the coalmine for nutrient deficiencies- it stopped growing and began whitening 2 weeks ago). So, it either worked spectacularly as an indicator, or the canary actually caused my nutrients to bottom out.

BW's Neonitro and homemade monopotassium phosphate solution to raise them back up from zero.

Beginning to add RS Foundations ABC to correct for low levels. It's small addition, maybe 0.5 ml/ every other day from each bottle.

So, there are lots of changes as I continue to set things up, any of which could upset corals. But in the end, that Xenia had and still has lots of bugs, and I want them gone or controlled.

I'll get some current numbers, but from a couple weeks ago, (Salifert pH, RS Pro test kits, refractometer (hopefully I did my calibration right. Used AM's pinpoint pH solution but there are so many variables it's enough to drive me mad.)



Salinity 33ppt
pH 8.1
dkH 8.2
Ca 370 ppm
Mg 1280 ppm
Nitrate <1ppm
PO4 <.01ppm

I let evaporation raise my salinity to the 34-35 range, so I'll come back this weekend with some new numbers. The levels will be up from the salinity change and the dosing.

I'm currently setting up the hospital tank. There is a chunk of live rock in there. It may be infected, but it has been sitting in 65F water for a month with the AC20 with just dim light coming through closed blinds.

Should I treat the rock or just remove it and sterilize the tank with some bleach and Prime and start the biofiltration from scratch with some of the matrix in my DT or bottled bacteria?