Melafix..red bugs

[gas4544]

I remember Melafix from back when I had a freshwater angelfish tank. Its very pungent stuff.

I picked some up at Petsmart on the way home and treated an acro frag that has had redbugs. I went with an approximate 30-minute soak in a medium sized white ceramic bowl. I started out with approximately a teaspoon of Melafix in the bowl with water. I added another teaspoon at the 15 minute mark. A couple of times, I removed the frag from the soak and flushed it with tank water over the sink. I also used a soft bristled tooth brush to removed a couple of immobile redbugs. When I was done, I counted about 20 redbugs in the bottom of the bowl. One or two were swimming around, but the others were immobile.

Now I'll watch the treated acro to see how it does.

I also picked up a small bottle of Pimafix. Someone over on the Manhatten Reefs board uses either Melafix or Pimafix as part of treating their LPS like hammers. Has anyone tried using Pimafix?

Gary


Gary

 

[snapperface]

I remember Melafix from back when I had a freshwater angelfish tank. Its very pungent stuff.

I picked some up at Petsmart on the way home and treated an acro frag that has had redbugs. I went with an approximate 30-minute soak in a medium sized white ceramic bowl. I started out with approximately a teaspoon of Melafix in the bowl with water. I added another teaspoon at the 15 minute mark. A couple of times, I removed the frag from the soak and flushed it with tank water over the sink. I also used a soft bristled tooth brush to removed a couple of immobile redbugs. When I was done, I counted about 20 redbugs in the bottom of the bowl. One or two were swimming around, but the others were immobile.

Now I'll watch the treated acro to see how it does.

I also picked up a small bottle of Pimafix. Someone over on the Manhatten Reefs board uses either Melafix or Pimafix as part of treating their LPS like hammers. Has anyone tried using Pimafix?

Gary


Gary

Yep thats what i did did a 30 min dip in pint size cup with with 5ml of malfix and two weeks later i see it again.....

 

[alki]

Hey Im bringing this back from the dead, as I just found out I have red bugs.

So my take from the people who used melafix, is that they will all fall off when you do an extended dip, but the will come back in the tank?

Was anyone successful in getting rid of them for good?

Thx

 

[trido]

Hey Im bringing this back from the dead, as I just found out I have red bugs.

So my take from the people who used melafix, is that they will all fall off when you do an extended dip, but the will come back in the tank?

Was anyone successful in getting rid of them for good?

Thx

If you have red bugs in your tank, you will have to treat with interceptor to get rid of them. Otherwise melafix is only good for a quick dip on new corals. Of course, QT'ing is always better.

FWIW, I just found red bugs in my display tank.

 

[alki]

bummer.

I only have 2 sps that I just got recently. They are all over one, but not on the other. I can still get this out of my tank easily and dose in a bucket, but I take it they will come back since im sure one or 2 would jump off the coral as I take it out?

I guess I have to find a vet then

 

[user 2204]

Does anyone have any pictures of the red bugs maybe on an acro? And maybe some pictures of the AEFW?

What is the remedy for AEFW? And how does someone buy interceptor if it is only available by perscription?

Thanks for the help,
Alex

 

[brandyrb]

Does anyone have any pictures of the red bugs maybe on an acro? And maybe some pictures of the AEFW?

What is the remedy for AEFW? And how does someone buy interceptor if it is only available by perscription?

Thanks for the help,
Alex

Below are few good sites on red bugs and acro eating flatworms that include pics, treatment, etc.

Original Red Bug Treatment posted by Dustin Dortin: http://www.reefs.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=439155
Red Bugs w/pics: http://www.melevsreef.com/redbugs.html
Red Bug Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_acro_bug

To get interceptor from a vet, print the treatment posted by Dustin Dortin (above) and take it to your vet explaining what you need the interceptor for. The vet may require you to bring in an infected frag. You may also be charged for an office visit as well as the meds.

AEFW w/pics: http://www.melevsreef.com/aefw.html

I have personally never experienced AEFW yet and I do preventative dips on all new corals to keep it that way. I also quarentine all new corals and treat them in interceptor whether I see red bugs or not. Before adding the new corals to my display, I'll dip the corals in either tropic marin pro coral cure or melafix to check for AEFW. I also look at the frags with a magnifying glass for the period of time they are in quarentine (usually four weeks). I just switched to using melafix as I read it is easier on the corals.

When I had red bugs, they were in my display and I had to treat the whole display. I now treat in a quarentine tank to keep the display tank pest free.

To get more info, do a google search or even a AEFW or red bug search on reeffrontiers as I know there are several posts about these pests here.

 

[alki]

Damn dude. Can those aefws live in the refugium?? I have seen things that look like that on my refuge wall. Hopefully they are some kind of slug, which is what I thought they are.

I only have 2 pcs of sps, one is covered with the red bugs, the other one the color is very faded from when I got it, I thought it was light difference, which I guess it still could be.

 

[user 2204]

Thanks for the info and links Brandyrb.

Looks like my Acro might just have the AEFW. At least from the photos at Melevs site. Now that sucks for me big time. Had to deal with the standard flat worms years ago and now a differnet type of FW. Ahrgg. Looks like I'll be fragging and saving what I can in a Q tank soon.
I've been meaning to frag it anyways. *lol*

Cheers and thanks again,
Alex

 

[user 2204]

Here is a picture of my Acro and you can see that it is turning red from the base up into the coral branches.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Don't see the bite marks of AEFWs

 

[user 2204]

Don't see the bite marks of AEFWs

So they leave bit marks? I've been curious as to what this is for about 6 months and it is growing into the branches now. I was just comparing the pictures at Melevs website to my picture and they looked very similar.

Thanks for the help,
Alex

 

[roscoe]

So they leave bit marks? I've been curious as to what this is for about 6 months and it is growing into the branches now. I was just comparing the pictures at Melevs website to my picture and they looked very similar.

Thanks for the help,
Alex

Is that a poccilopora in the pic? If so I don't think AEFW would attack them. Also like Mike mentioned I also don't see any bite marks that AEFW would make.

 

[saltwaterfishes]

Are there any type of fish like a wrasse that will eat these bugs? I have 2 small acro frags and a lot of lps.

 

[user 2204]

Is that a poccilopora in the pic? If so I don't think AEFW would attack them. Also like Mike mentioned I also don't see any bite marks that AEFW would make.

Well when I purchased it at Blue Sierra a few years back it was sold and marked as a Acro frag and was about an 1" tall.

Color rendering in the photo really bleaches the whole coral out as the coral is actually a nice green color except around the base where it has truned white. Also Polyp extention has been fabulous.

I have assumed that the coral was an Arco but it may very well not be.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[brandyrb]

Damn dude. Can those aefws live in the refugium?? I have seen things that look like that on my refuge wall. Hopefully they are some kind of slug, which is what I thought they are.

I only have 2 pcs of sps, one is covered with the red bugs, the other one the color is very faded from when I got it, I thought it was light difference, which I guess it still could be.

I don't know if AEFW will live in a refugium or not, but you may be seeing a different kind of flatworm on your glass or possibly copepods. There is a harmless species of flatworm that eats copepods often seen on aquarium glass when there is a strong copepod population.

See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fltwmid.htm

 

[user 2204]

I should also mention that there is a quite a bit of flow around the corals and around the sps in question.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Many will eat RBs, have yet to find anyone noting conclusive evidence that any fish will irradicate them. Yes, that coral in the pic is a poci, and not bothered by AEFWs nor redbugs. The AEFWs leave bare spots where they have consumed the tissue. Often oval markings. Acropora are their target. Tricolors, torts, and other smooth tissue acros are a favorite for them.

 

[user 2204]

Here are some better pictures of the coral itself. These actually show better what the coloring is and how the polyp extension is.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

http://images.google.com/images?hl=...=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=green+pocillopora&spell=1