Red Bugs

[mb3210]

Hi there, sorry about the length...

I have what I think are red bugs on my relatively new purple tipped green acropora frag that i received from a museum I am friendly with. The museum has beautiful specimens and many frags. I don't see how they could have these things in their display if they are parasitic. I would suggest they weren't already in my tank as this is the first acro i have...

I saw the little bugs last night. Extremely hard to see. They look like red spider mites. Actually they look like mites that live on red spider mites they are so small.

Anyway I have been looking around RC and the web in general to see what I could find. I have come up with conflicting arguments as to the "danger" of these to my coral. On your website that lists strange things from the deep that make their way to our tanks you list "coral fleas". Are these the same? You say they are harmless. At this point I would agree because the coral looks great and has since it was introduced to my tank. It is encrusting over its plug with amazing speed and new branches are forming all over the place. Coloration is amazing, when I first put it in my tank it was brown with a green glow. Now it is green with purple tips and the purple portion is either growing out or what was green is turning more purple. Truly amazing, which is why I find it hard to believe it is under some stress.


Thanks
Matt

[rshimek]

Originally posted by mb3210

Hi Matt,

On your website that lists strange things from the deep that make their way to our tanks you list "coral fleas".

Actually, the "coral fleas" = stenothoid amphipods are from the shallow not the deep. They are pretty much ubiquitous on corals and soft corals in all shallow seas. They do no harm to their host.

Are these the same?

Without an image (magnified :D) or specimens, I can't say.

...which is why I find it hard to believe it is under some stress.

Probably, it isn't being stressed. :D