Always enjoy the pic-heavy updates.

Thanks. saves me time from typing.

***
So the EV-120 hasn't broken in yet, but it's finally building up foamy bubbles in the skimmer column. I'm hoping it starts to work before the weekend's over, since I already unplugged the stock skimmer pump. If it starts crankin out gunk like I expect it to, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE I PAID, I might reduce my water changes to once every other week. Weekly water changes are a PIA!!!

Looks like a great fit for your setup! I would still do weekly w/c's, if the skimmer is really effective it's going to pull out desirable elements as well, the w/c's will replace those elements.

What a beautiful morning. DAY 2 after skimmer installation and the foam has made it to the top of the collection cup. I can already tell that this thing will skim consistently and effortlessly once it finally breaks in. Foam is constantly pushing and pushing against the top, like it wants to bust through the roof. On its 2nd day of the job, the AquaC is already skimming better than the Rapids Pro ever did. It's like I never had a protein skimmer on my tank until this morning. Right now, I'm actually concerned about OVER-skimming. It's a good thing I have additives and replacement elements on hand, such as Elos Omega and Pro Skimmer. I'll starting adding SeaChem's FUEL from their Aquavitro line as well.

I'll probably take your advice Uhuru and keep my water changes on a weekly routine, but I'll likely reduce the volume down from 25% to 15%.

DAY 3 The skimmer has built up a good-sized foam head w/ 1cm of skimmate in its cup. Gunk has collected in the 2nd column and all looks gravy.

That's disgusting! And looking good!

Random photos I shot today...

your corals look very happy!

Thanks Uhuru. I may be needing more SPS wisdom here cuz I've got some good news and some bad news. My purple acro, as shown in the attachment, is finally starting to spread a bright purple coloration from its tips down into its branches! The tissue membranes appear as if they are separating to open up more color.



The bad news is that I noticed tiny little yellow buggers scurrying about its branches this morning. REDBUGS I've concluded. Could there be a chance that I may have misdiagnosed these creatures? I'm seriously thinking about dosing my entire tank with Interceptor OR just taking it slow by dosing this infected acro in a stand-alone quarantine tank.

Advice? Suggestions?

EEP!!!
I really hope your diagnosis is wrong!!!

Thanks for your concern Weetie, but I'm pretty certain now. I saw a couple redbugs on my other Roscoe Acro, which has been quite stressed lately. At first I thought it was due to the increased light exposure. Everyone goes through similar challenges with their reefs. I just get to experience a little bit of everything. First zoanthid eating nudibranchs, then rusty flat worms, then this! What next?!@#!

I need some INTERCEPTOR pronto. I've already started extracting hermit crabs one by one as I see them...

Looking good P-Up... sorry to hear about the possible red bugs situation... I hope you can correct it soon, and without any losses.

Just dropping in as I don't come on quite as much as I used to (which will hopefully change sometime soon)...

Wanted to ID your hairy unknown acro... it looks like a Chips Acro to me. Actually I'm 95% sure it is. Just a heads up.

Hey thanks for the ID. I've been wondering about that acro. So far I think I'm seeing yellow flea-like specs moving about every once in a while, but I haven't seen any noticeable damage or tissue loss yet. I want to be 100% sure those truly are redbugs I see. Especially before I go and wipe out all of my crustaceans.

BTW: Can you send me a pic of the GARF Bonsai in your tank, Blue?

Damn that sucks about the bugs, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any experience with that stuff. I've been very lucky so far. What do you use to dip your corals with? How long? I use TMPCC and follow the instructions exactly. I examine all new frags closely before dipping them, then I examine the dip solution afterwards for any dead bugs. I have never seen any but if I did, that coral would not be going into my tank even after the dip.

On the bright side - there are very successful reef tanks that have red bug infestations It's not an emergency, just something to start planning to treat (or make sure it is indeed red bugs). Get a macro shot if you can and post it in the advanced forum, I'm sure someone will be able to identify it for you.

The only dipping I've done is with Lugol's Iodine. NOW I KNOW BETTER. There's an acro dipping recipe that Kinetic follows religiously. I'll have to do something similar FROM NOW ON...


I posted several pics in another thread and they have been positively ID'd as redbugs. I've already begun preparations by transferring most crustaceans from this tank to my BC14, including the evasive cleaner shrimp. Surprised at how fast I've been able to remove them without moving one rock or coral. All that's left from what I recall is ONE blue-legged hermit and TWO sand-sifting crabs. I figure I'll catch them while they're off guard over the next week or so. Once I get the pills, I'll probably follow the instructions posted here for at least 4 treatments.

From what I've been reading, treatment is quite benign for everything else EXCEPT crustaceans. Most people say the first time can be stressful, but after that it's just another one of those things that must be done to keep the reef parasite free. (I remember freshwater dipping EVERYTHING in Lugol's Iodine when my BC14 was infested with zoanthid eating nudis, and that was a NIGHTMARE that I thought would never end - but it did.) My pod population will likely become extinct but I'm sure for only a short while. My other tank has TONS of pods and all I'd need to do is transfer a piece of live rock to re-populate the system, that is if I even care to do that. I've seen pods snacking on a few of my prized zoas/palys, and I might just prefer to do without them until they come back on their own.

So now I just need the drugs and I'm good to go. Who's got the hook up? WISH ME LUCK

PM sent

I've been doing more reading about these redbugs and I'm going to play the waiting game by following this guy's advice:

"This, in my experience, is a 100% effective method of eradicating the parasite from a reef system. If ALL Acropora genus corals are removed from a tank and the tank is left 'Acropora free' for a week, preferably two weeks, any 'clean' Acropora colonies later added to the tank will not become infected. Unfortunately, for well-established tanks that have Acropora encrusted all over the rock structure it may be nearly impossible to do this."

I only have 1 acro colony and 2 other acro ORA frags to worry about, and they can be removed with ease. I can dip them first, place them in a quarantine, then treat them with Interceptor. After a couple of weeks, once the acros are "cleansed," I can add them back to the display. This follows the theory that redbugs cannot survive more than 7 days without their host and do not go through a larvae stage.

Thoughts?

I think that sounds like a REALLY good solution, to me at least.
It would definitely save your tank inhabitants from some stress.
If the acros are otherwise healthy, I would think they would survive just fine for that short period in quarantine. They may brown out but they'll recover, esp. with as good care as you take of your tank.

Yeah I think so too. Actually, there are a total of 5 acro species in my tank (mostly frags) and none of them have encrusted onto rock yet. They should only be in quarantine for 2-3 weeks tops. Plus the QT will be lit by a 150W 14k Halide so I don't expect the acros to brown out too much, if at all. That Interceptor can't come soon enough. I hate the idea of my acros being eaten alive!

The quarantine tank has been running for 30 days with cured live rock from my other system. Params were set to match the display tank as close as I can get them. Added a HOB filter and powerhead for semi-adequate flow. Tonight I'll be adding 9 species of acropora to remove ALL acros from my display tank. Hopefully 2 weeks without an acro to host will kill all remaining redbugs from the main tank. I expect to receive some Interceptor within the next few days to wipe out all redbugs from any infested acros. Just to make sure, I'll be DOUBLING the suggested dosage.

SPECIAL THANKS TO UHURU FOR HELPING ME GET THROUGH THIS.

I'll post pics of the QT tomorrow. Wish me luck with Operation Eradication REDBUG.

One more thing, GO WARRIORS.

good luck, man... you got a beautiful tank there, hate to see it destroyed by the bugs.

Thanks. I need it. But I'm thinking my main display is no longer in any "danger" since I moved out all of the acros last night. It does look bare with most of my SPS removed though. Only the millis, monticaps and birdsnest remain as far as SPS goes.

DAY 1 in 10G Quarantine. Lit by 150W 14k halide


Everything looks moderately happy in there, EXCEPT the infested brown/purple colony on the left. It's starting to show a little stress, from the redbugs no doubt. Finally, I learn the primary reason why it hasn't colored up as quickly as I'd hoped. I'm curious to see how quickly things progress once they're rid of ALL the evil pests. Again, I'm putting these 9 acros (or anything that even closely resembles an acropora) in quarantine based on the ASSUMPTION that redbugs cannot live without their hosts for more than 7 days. I'll have them in here for 2-3 weeks just to be sure enough time has passed for all remaining RBs to die in the display tank. No Interceptor yet, but as soon as it arrives I'll be administering double the recommended dosage.

Reading threads about AEFWs other bad bugs made me wanna dip my acroporas to see what else I might find. I put 3 cups of the tank water in a clear container and added 4 drops of FWE and 4 drops of Lugol's. Didn't want to cause excessive stress on the acros so I only dipped and swirled them around for about 30-40 seconds, then rinsed them in clean saltwater before adding them back to the quarantine tank. So I found a few mini snails and harmless flatworms, not the AEFW or rusty variety THANK GOODNESS.

For better contrast, I placed the clear container on top of a white sheet of paper. And there were the redbugs. 100 or more, dead at the bottom. I was surprised to see them b/c I read nothing else kills them but Interceptor. I'm not assuming they're all wiped out, but I know for sure that they're numbers have been reduced. After 2 weeks of Interceptor treatment, I think I'll dip them again to make sure none of them remain.

DAY 3 of Quarantine

Got some Interceptor in the mail today. Removed carbons and dosed the 10G tank a crushed 23mg pill for a 51-100lbs dog. 15mins into the treatment I noticed polyp retraction in most of the acros. 6 hours from now, I'll be changing 25% of the water and adding fresh carbon. Die REDBUGS DIE!

thats to bad man..well least u have everything needed to kill em all!!


keith

Ok, I'm not too much of a man to admit that I made a mistake, so today I FUKKED UP ROYALLY. 4 hours into the treatment I realize that I fatally OD'd my quarantine tank with Interceptor!@#! Recommended dosage is 25mg per 10G of water. I mistakenly used an ENTIRE TAB, thinking the advisory reading of 23mg was just under that, so why not use the whole thing? But that was 23mg of Milbemycin Oxime, where the tab itself is 1 full gram! That's about 40 times the recommended dosage to kill redbugs.

I performed a 90% water change with all params in line except temp, which was a little cold by 3 degrees. Running activated carbon now. The good news is that I'm pretty confident ALL of the adult redbugs are dead (along with everything else). Snails, worms, and anything that previously moved was found writhing in agony or completely lifeless at the bottom of the QT.

All I can say is that I'm glad that I opted to setup a quarantine tank to treat my acros. Otherwise, all life in my display tank might now be extinct. I did hear that it is nearly impossible to OD with this stuff though, so I hope the acropora frags make it out okay. There's easily 4-500 bucks worth in there. I may dose the QT one more time, a much lighter dose in another 7 days, but right now I'm more concerned about the corals getting through this initial drug overdose. Damn, I was so worried about those little red bastards eating my acros, but I may have killed them off myself. Pray for them.

Hope they all pull through for you Randy.

Here is to praying they all pull through.

Yeeeeowch!!!
Well, I'm definitely learning a lot from this experience of yours.

Here to hoping that the acros pull through . I guess you will for sure have killed the pests though....

Day 4 - Post Drug Overdose

Thanks for your concern.

It's definitely possible to OD on Interceptor. My large acro colony has turned ultra pale and the delicate coral has turned ghost white! The Blue Tort looks amazingly well as does the Chips acro, although not as healthy as before the treatment. As for the rest, we shall see. Performed another 90% water change at noon today. Leftover medication in the water should be well within recommended dosage now. I just keep thinking on the bright side, as it could have been much worse if I opted to medicate the actual display tank instead. I wonder if the stray redbugs left in the display are starting to die off now. Hopefully none of them survive long enough for any surviving acropora to be put back into the display tank. That would sukk. All I need is for 1 wanna be Rambo RedBug to live without food for more than 3 weeks, and I'm back to square one.

--
Some good news is that my new protein skimmer is kick ass. Pulls out so much gunk daily. The non-acro SPS left in the display are doing quite well!

Woah, nice looking tank you have there, the acros look real happy

Unbelievable. I see signs of LIFE. Polyps opening out of ALL 9 acros in the QT. Even the ghost white Delicate has green tips very slightly protruding from its ends! I'd be shocked if that one makes it through though. The purple acro colony has faded considerably but its polyps also decided to come out earlier this evening. No sign of redbugs anywhere.

Thanks again for all your concern.

AWESOME news, I hope things continue to look up!!!

Isn't it amazing how resilient life is? I'm crossing my fingers for ya!

+1

It certainly sounds like things are looking up! What drama!

--Diane

Truly amazing indeed. But that's exactly why I'm still watching out for redbugs!

DAY 5 of Quarantine
Tiny snails are now starting to move about in the QT. Polyps are almost fully extended from all of the acros, except the ghost white Delicate Coral which has only partial tips protruding. The blue roscoe became seriously faded from the redbugs no doubt, but today it's reaching out with its polyps further out than I've seen them in a long time. Redbugs must have constantly kept it irritated. Hopefully its polyps will turn a nice dark green and its body will become a deep dark purple like it once was when it was a wee baby frag.

I've been keeping nutrients high in the 10G, adding 1/2 drop of Elos A.A. and Pro Skimmer. Last night I added a 1/2 pump of LiquidLife CoralPlankton and this morning .25ml of DTs Oyster Eggs. For the next 2 weeks (unless I decide to dose it with Interceptor once more), I'll be changing 10-15% of the water every day.

Glad to hear that things are starting to look up although I'm sure they are not all out of the woods yet. That is awesome that they are all starting to open back up, even the Delicate Coral that you said was ghost white.

With your husbandry and dedication, I'm sure all of them will be back in action and better than ever.

Thanks for the encouragement, div.

DAY 9 of Quarantine
Water params have been fairly stable given that I only have 10G to work with. No redbugs in sight, but then again I haven't stared at each coral any longer than 20 seconds to be real confident about that. Here are some progress pics...

These are taken under a very yellow coralife 14k. The deep brown color of this one has faded considerably but the purple bluish tips have kept their color. Without the constant irritation from redbugs, its polyps are stretching out further now. I'm hoping they show more color under my 20k.


In terms of polyp extension, this Roscoe is doing better than ever! See the ghost white delicate to the right. You can only see its tiny green polyps under actinics.


Blue Tort. This guy looks exactly the same as when I put him in 9 days ago. It definitely has a deep blue/green color under 20k lighting.


After what these guys have been through so far, I'm seriously debating whether or not I should dose a 2nd time (using the proper dosage of course). Any advice?

Love the tank Purp - I can can see the real care and attention to details you've invested are paying off. Been following your thread, specifically with regard to the implementation of the rapids pro system. I was keenly interested in your conversion of the canister filter to a fuge with the addition of the chaeto.

I too have a rapids pro on my newly setup 30 gallon cube. After much tweaking and cobbling of replacement parts (I purchased mine used on ebay for a smoking deal) its finally now up and running cycling my tank.

I am a firm beleiver in chemical, mechanical and biological filtration - therefore I would like to also add chaeto to my canister however my only concern is that it would choke the return pump housed in the same space. Any issues with this? Is your chaeto still on one piece and maturing?

Thanks for following my thread Maric. As you might know then, I've disabled the RP4 protein skimmer and integrated an AquaC EV-120 into the side of the sump. It was a little pricey but very much worth the expense. After the mod, my phosphate pads and purigen were removed, and I now use only activated carbon and a little filter floss. Chemical filtration did work quite well for me before I adapted the new skimmer though.

Yes, the chaeto has been growing in my sump and so far hasn't gotten caught in the return pump. I think the filter sponge I use to block the pump intake helps a lot to prevent this from happening. Good luck with your tank!

Sounds like you are almost out of the woods.

Let me know when, and I can send over some montis.

I think so too! PALLEEEEEEEEASE save me one of each!

DAY 11 of Acro Quarantine
ALL of them made it through the Interceptor OD. Some are even starting to show some faint color improvement. After the 14th day, I may add the hopefully-redbug-free acros back to the display tank, where I know water conditions are optimal.

shoot man i hope everything pulls through..

keith

Thanks Keith. I think they'll definitely survive, but I know I'll have to work hard to restore their brilliant colors.

Day 12 of Quarantine
Last night, I decided to dose the QT one more time with the recommended dosage just in case any baby redbugs survived the first one. Everything looks alive and well. Added activated carbon late last night and changed 25% of the water this morning. On Monday, I'll probably add the acros back to the display. Hopefully, all redbugs in the display have died off without an acro to host. If even 1 has been able to keep himself alive during this incredible ordeal, I am afraid I'll have a re-infestation. Only time will tell...

I've learned a lot from this experience. Dip your new corals and observe them in a quarantine setup, before introducing whatever they might be carrying into your tank!

That's awesome - I am definately thinking of adding this additional filtration to my canister - could you detail a little more into the filter sponge mod you implemented into your return pump? Did you simply place the filter sponge pad under the intake and "snuff" the opening or was the sponge trimmed and shoved into the intake mouth of the pump?

Any help would be appreciated - thanks again!

BTW - I did notice your addition of your skimmer and have already disconnected my RP4 skimmer as it wasnt doing much with exception to airrating the water (if anything), though this probably contributed to microbubbles re-entering the tank. I will be running no skimmer until my tank is fully cycled and I am noticing a reasonable bioload on my tests (from coral feedning etc.) I plan on running Purogen, Carbon, Filter sponges, de-nitrate (which are these porous pebbles that remove nitrates and serve as bacterial colony homes when the denitrifying properties have worn off them, and fibre glass hexagonal media (best description I know of for them). I don't think i'll really need a skimmer until im well into my coral sotcking... of course i'll be doing my weekly water changes as well.

Basically, I cut a 2.5" square out of the blue overflow sponge that came stock with the RP4. Then I placed it right beneath the intake of the return pump. Its primary purpose in the beginning was to keep large particles from recirculating back into the display.


You might want to give the RP4 skimmer a chance, especially if you're not running one at all. It takes a good 3-4 weeks for it to break in. After it builds a consistent foam head at the top, make sure to clean the neck of the collection cup at least once a week. For the most part it did work, but if you're looking to keep SPS you'll probably want to purchase a better add-on skimmer.

Thanks for the tip on the sponge - i'll take a shot of it once installed.

Regarding the skimmer - since I bought the RP4 second hand on ebay I got a hell of a deal however, I had some parts missing which in the end I was able to cobble together through substitute components and make myself. In the end, I managed to get the system running with exception to the skimmer which is in part due to a mising part - the "flow controller" which supposedly connects the protein skimmer airline tubing and the Stellar air pump. The manual doesnt show a picture of this flow controller and I never received one with my shipment so in the end I am missing a part that I dont have any visuals on and therefore cant duplicate. I simply have the stellar air pump connected to the hard bent tubing protruding from the skimmer airline which prduces a lot of microbubbles in the skimmer water column but none reach the collection cup... and forget about trying to "adjust" the unit by sliding the air stone higher or lower into the column as the manual states.

Would you have a pic of this "flow controller" im missing? Maybe I can better understan how best to manage the skimmer if I knew where im falling short.

I think you might be referring to a round blue plug of sorts that prevents bubbles from re-entering the skimmer air channel, which basically routs the air bubbles up the water column. You might be able to use a wine bottle cork as a substitute. If that's not it, the "flow controller" could be a simple air flow restricter which doesn't make much of a difference.

--
Here's a pic of the tank without the 9 acros in place. I moved the birds nest lower last night b/c it was exposed to too much light. The upper half of its polyps have been turning white.

Funny, I don't have much room for the acros anyway!

still looks great man..