+cyrus Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 As a good lot of you know I am an avid collector of the Euphyllia Corals Anything that floats waves and looks pretty really. Anyhow hammers being my primary collection as I have ten different strands right now. I grow concerned when they well, just die. Originally I thought brown slime but after the last ones were simply sloffing off with no brown I have grown increasingly worried as to the culprit. I began washing them at random in coral rx. Today I found a new bug that I can not identify on my pastel purple wall hammer. It was to small to successfully photograph but maybe someone can help me with an ID. It was about 2mm long, clear with 2 small black dots which I assume were eyes along with visible "guts" behind the eyes. The bug was similar to a common pill bug and it had a hard shell. It moved rapidly and lasted almost 10 minutes in the coral rx. Can anyone identify? Could this new bugger be making a meal of my hammers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Off hand it sounds to me like a "sand flea", pretty innocuous little shrimp that get up to about half an inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 How about this? I had a big one of these survive coral rx. Its speed scared me, but then I found out it's beneficial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 A crustacean of a bug. Not a sand flea though my tank is loaded with them, this guy is flat like a pill bug. I have at least 100 stomatas in my growth tank and I'm sure it is not a snail. It jigs around like a sand flea when bothered however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Did you check on chucksaddiction or melevsreef sites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 A lil. I sent an email to the the pod queen aka Dr. Adelaide Rhodes . If anyone knows she does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 There are quite a few parasitic marine isopods... generally clearish with black eyes and pill bug shaped (pill bugs are also isopods). While I've heard of many that are fish predators, I don't know of coral predators - but it's certainly a possibility. This is the chuck's page that mentions them, there are a few additional links: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I wonder if interceptor would kill them, that might be a solution. I always use coral rx pro at 1.5 strength, I know from experience that only at this strength can you knock off the big bugs. I go the full 10 minutes and have never lost a coral to dipping this way. Actually to be more specific at 1.5 strength barely knocks off the adult pests (nudi,aefw, planaria). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yeah I barley had my pastel in for 4mins and its still suffering. I drew it up at 1.5 or more. I don't think 10mins would be good. Pretty sure its an Sphaeromatidae family of Isopods. Looks like the first guy in that group http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yeah I barley had my pastel in for 4mins and its still suffering. I drew it up at 1.5 or more. I don't think 10mins would be good. Pretty sure its an Sphaeromatidae family of Isopods. Looks like the first guy in that group http://www.chucksadd.../hitchpods.html So you had a pastel hammer react badly? When you says its still suffering do you mean its just closed up? I'm curious b/c I haven't had any problems with dipping my softies at that strength. I don't want to recommend that to people if it is going to harm the coral. Did you make it higher than 1.5? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yeah I barley had my pastel in for 4mins and its still suffering. I drew it up at 1.5 or more. I don't think 10mins would be good. Pretty sure its an Sphaeromatidae family of Isopods. Looks like the first guy in that group http://www.chucksadd.../hitchpods.html So you had a pastel hammer react badly? When you says its still suffering do you mean its just closed up? I'm curious b/c I haven't had any problems with dipping my softies at that strength. I don't want to recommend that to people if it is going to harm the coral. Did you make it higher than 1.5? yeah it was pretty strong, i think 12 drops in about a quart and half. the hammer is still half closed today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I put about 45 drops per gallon, so about 12 drops per quart. So my mix is actually a little stronger. My hammers probably didn't open right away either, but I never worried that they were overly stressed by the dip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 I wonder if interceptor would kill them, that might be a solution. I always use coral rx pro at 1.5 strength, I know from experience that only at this strength can you knock off the big bugs. I go the full 10 minutes and have never lost a coral to dipping this way. Actually to be more specific at 1.5 strength barely knocks off the adult pests (nudi,aefw, planaria). how much interceptor do you recommend for 290G? how many times do I dose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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