what is it??? type of "harmless copepod"... or a pest ?? - not FW! (PICS fwiw)

WarrenAmy&Maddy · #1 12/28/2007, 10:07 PM

i posted this over in the noob section
and it was suggested these might be "a harmless copepod species"

tiny red quick moving 'mite' like critters
so small their individual shape cannot be discerned - just look like a tiny red dot moving around. - they stand out on the white pvc overflow of fuge...

size ??? = the tip of a fine point ink pen or slightly larger then needlepoint

there has not been anything added new to this system
in probably 5 mos atleast and they were just noticed today for first time.

have a pic fwiw
not easy to see what i am talking about... in the photo the big red spots = coralline... these things are the smallest red specs on the pvc ... the critters are barely visible in this photo but a weblike netting is also visible on the side pvc...

a weblike netting
around the overflow that looks like vermatid netting but there are none on the overflow - no vermatids... so dont know if this web is assoc w/ these things or where it came from.

in the past have researched a lot of different pests/id
have yet to come across anything like this.

if its a copepod 'species' as has been suggested
then would like to find out what type it is if possible.

so what is it a copepod or some other pest???

skippy2 · #2 12/28/2007, 10:24 PM

I don't know about the red things but you need to get rid of all that aptasia.

Pmolan · #3 12/28/2007, 10:28 PM

I agree.. You have worse problems than bugs.

WarrenAmy&Maddy · #4 12/29/2007, 12:44 AM

hey if you guys want to buy some -
buy one get 10 free for your buddies!

actually those are part of an 'aiptasia' filter
(so they are actually welcome - right now atleast)

any ideas on the red bugs down in the fuge?

regards

WarrenAmy&Maddy · #5 12/29/2007, 11:31 AM

anyone?

Paintbug · #6 12/29/2007, 11:50 AM

there is no way to Id those from that pic. they could be anything. the web like netting is probably some type of algae, and these creatures are living off of it.

yellowwatchmen · #7 12/29/2007, 12:08 PM

Can't see them in the pic. But sounds like red bugs. They are bad, they eat sps.

WarrenAmy&Maddy · #8 12/29/2007, 02:01 PM

they are not red bugs

these things are tiny like needlepoint size.

unless someone else chime in w/ possibly more info - am going to assume these are some type of 'pod'

Boca Kris · #9 12/29/2007, 02:18 PM

I had the same thing for a long time. Mine were really quick moving...sorta stayed together in a pack. I was armed with some interceptor for a long time, but I never noticed anything bad really. They always stayed in one place. Then, I added a piece of polyped rock right near where they were, and I havent seen em since. Dont know if they moved or what. I also added a mandarin goby about 2 weeks later....havent seen em at all! Keep an eye on em...especially if you have and SPS. Otherwise, they might not be pests...but keep watching your tank just to be safe.

Stealth91RT · #10 12/29/2007, 02:28 PM

I believe i have the same tiny red Mite looking creatures in my 10gal but on a larger scale like a million of them on the glass and they are about 1/3 of the size of the copepods. i was useing it as a copepod farm and would transfer them to my main tank but since i have discovered them i have not transfered anything in fear that they where red bugs and they would eat my coral.

Now can anyone tell me if red bugs survive on such a large scale in a tank with nothing but sand and an air stone?

Also i was using this tank as a kind of grow all at once tank and added Reef Nutritions Roti-feast and Phyto-feast to get an all in one culture going so i could use it for coral food and what not, could they be eating off of that?

My battery is dead in my camera but i'll try and take a close up pic as soon as it is charged and post it

Stealth91RT · #11 12/29/2007, 02:53 PM

WarrenAmy&Maddy · #12 12/29/2007, 04:43 PM

am leaning more towards these being pods of some type (until further research atleast)

am noticing the weblike structure getting larger today and shown in the pic below.

Boca Kris
thanks for the reply - glad to hear it didnt turn into a problem in your system... any idea what they actually might be called?

Stealth91RT
how magnified are those pics you took... bec unless you used high magnification then these are not the same thing... in your pics look like regular copepods ???

what i am seeing the shape cannot be discerned - they look simply like tiny red dots moving around

Boca Kris · #13 12/29/2007, 05:32 PM

I never did find out what they were...tried looking up some junk on wet web media, and on some melev id sites....but nothing definitive. hopefully, you'll be as lucky! but if it does turn out to be red bug, do some research on interceptor. i guess alot of people use that....just try to get all your inverts out...read before you decide one way or the other!