What SPS eating pest is this?

[Cook]

Something has been eating my SPS and I finally caught them in the act. What are these? They don't look like the red or black bug pictures I found when I did a quick search.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like young Pseudoceros bifurcus also referred to as racing stripe flatworm

 

[DMG Reef]

They just look like common baby bristle worms to me - cleaning up the leftovers.

 

[Cook]

I'll bring the frag to work and put them under a microscope for a better view.

 

[king aiptasia]

I'll bring the frag to work and put them under a microscope for a better view.

this would be appreciated

 

[Cook]

I forgot to bring it with me yesterday. Here are the images.

 

[john90009]

Geeze, the amount of pests coming out of the woodwork lately.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like an amphipod

 

[LRT]

Some will say the pods are only eating coral that are dead or dieing. However I watched pods eat the skirt off one of my rfas. And plenty of other horror stories about them eating zoas and other corals if you Google it.
Good thing is melafix kills them pretty quickly.
Get yourself a good natural predator like a wrasse. I got a red corris wrasse and pods literally try to crawl out of my shallow frag tables.
Its also super satisfying watching the wrasse catch the adults and watch wrasse shake and smash the pods to pieces against the rocks.
I'm a firm believer that if left unchecked certain pods will explode and not enough natural food source and no natural predator they will wreak havoc.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some will say the pods are only eating coral that are dead or dieing. However I watched pods eat the skirt off one of my rfas. And plenty of other horror stories about them eating zoas and other corals if you Google it.
Good thing is melafix kills them pretty quickly.
Get yourself a good natural predator like a wrasse. I got a red corris wrasse and pods literally try to crawl out of my shallow frag tables.
Its also super satisfying watching the wrasse catch the adults and watch wrasse shake and smash the pods to pieces against the rocks.
I'm a firm believer that if left unchecked certain pods will explode and not enough natural food source and no natural predator they will wreak havoc.

That red coris isnt terrorizing your tank? I had a beauty and it spent all day pulling and flipping my coral and frags and know of at least 20 people with same experience.

 

[LRT]

That red coris isnt terrorizing your tank? I had a beauty and it spent all day pulling and flipping my coral and frags and know of at least 20 people with same experience.

No believe it or not its a model citizen so far. Still a baby though. So far so good.

 

[king aiptasia]

I forgot to bring it with me yesterday. Here are the images.

this is a type of Asellota isopod, I have never heard of a coral eating species ever before. How do the damaged marks present themselves?

 

[Cook]

It possible it's simply guilt by association. If it's a Asellota isopod as you say and it's known to be non harmful, then I will move on to other potential causes.

 

[king aiptasia]

It possible it's simply guilt by association. If it's a Asellota isopod as you say and it's known to be non harmful, then I will move on to other potential causes.

i remember the ther day someone had animals presenting themselves as a possible coral pest and when the corals were dipped, surprise flatworms came springing off the piece of coral lol.

the initial animal i ccant remember off the top, ill have to check notes

 

[king aiptasia]

i remember the ther day someone had animals presenting themselves as a possible coral pest and when the corals were dipped, surprise flatworms came springing off the piece of coral lol.

the initial animal i ccant remember off the top, ill have to check notes

spionid worms in this case, something well known as harmless