Unidentified Critters All Over Glass

[helidude]

Hi All,

I've only been into SW for about three months and have become quite the addict

I've had a 15g ViaAqua reef up and running since I started. LS,LR,Fire Shrimp,CB Shrimp,Couple hard corals,soft corals,enemones,feather dusters,snails and a pair of clowns. All water parameters are perfect!

I just put together a 75g which has just finished cycling.

My two clowns just came down sick. No white spots. They both totally stopped eating. The female's mouth is constantly wide open as if she's having trouble breathing. Both do stay constantly in front of the pumps current.

I moved everything into the 75g so I can treat the 15 with clowns using Cupramine. This is what two of the LFS suggested.

Unfortunately,when I moved everything over to the 75g the little white critters made their way over there also. I can actually see them moving all over the glass. They are white. And there a litteraly 10s of thousands. I'm treating that tank with herbal Ich-Attack.

It's been several days and I'm not seeing any decrease in the things. In either tank.
However,there is a white film on the surface of the 15g. It appears to be the little dead things.

This morning when turning on the lights on the 15g I noticed what looked like a shrimp maybe 1/8" in length crawling on the substrate. It had two tentacles,was white.

At first my wife thought that we had ich. My thought was velvet.

Is is at all possible that one of my shrimp had babies? Is it also possible that there are so many the fish are having trouble breathing?

They both look like heavily Calcium dosed tanks.

BTW,I've been keeping my CU right at .3ppm in the 15g.

My problem is not getting better. If anything,it appears to be getting worse with no relief.

Should I go out and buy a microscope to try and verify what it is that I have? How would I get pics from the scope for ya'll to see for verification purposes?

I've heard of a few horror stories where folks had to let EVERYTHING dry out to rid the diseases,if thats what it is.

I'm afraid that would be the end of this hobby for my family. Which would be a darn shame. I truly do enjoy the time my wife and myself spend doing this. Shoot,we even have species posters covering every wall in our living room. Just spent big $$ on a complete MH/PC light set-up for the clams we were picking up this weekend. Which I cannot back out on the deal now.

I must admit. Everything in the 75g is thriving. Even growing with the addition of the new lighting. With the exception of a Heteractis Magnifica(sp) wich was just flushed along with his killer. The large Hermit Crab.

Anyways,thank you in advance for any help you may have.
Roy

 

[Anonymous]

No, darlin', you should buy some books. What you have is a perfectly normal (and DESIRABLE) copepod population explosion. The parasites you're so worried about cannot be seen with the naked eye when they're free-swimming (well, at least I've never seen them, and I've got fairly decent vision at 20/13).

However, I am exceedingly curious as to why your LFS would have you treat your clowns with copper when they're not showing signs of any parasitic disease? What they could be suffering from is Brooklynellosis (though I couldn't say for certain with your description), for which copper will do nothing. Formalin with malachite green and freshwater dipping are generally the treatments of choice for this FAST ACTING disease. It seems to be "going around", too, lately.

Also, please don't buy specimens before you learn everything you can about them (such as that anemone, it never should have been placed in a new setup like that, and shame on your LFS for selling it to you knowing you're so new at this). Please! Don't flush anymore animals, either.

In short, my advice is books, books, and more books. And when you can't get more books, read Advanced Aquarist.

 

[helidude]

Hi seamaiden.

Books,huh?

Successful SW Aquariums
Starting A Marine Aquarium
Miniature Reef Aquarium in your home
Discus
The Marine Aquarium Handbook
Book Of Coral Propagation
Marin Reef Aquarium Handbook
Aquarium Corals
The Simple Guide To Marine Aquariums
Natural Reef Aquariums
The Guide To Starting a Marine Aquarium
Clownfishes
The New Marine Aquarium
I've read all cover to cover except Reef Invertebrates which came today.

Perhaps I was a tad overzealous with the hermit crab. However,after eating numerous snails then making a feast of the Ritteri. My patience were at an end.

Copepods huh? Possibly.

I find it very unusual that the clowns came down sick at the same time as the (copepod?) explosion.

I will look into the copepod versus parasite infection ASAP.

Please dont hammer me too bad. My LFS employees now run when they see me comin' I'm a pain in the you know what because I ask so many questions. I do believe knowledge is power.

And as far as the Ritteri goes,the LFS did ok selling me it. I have a half dozen other anemones that are very healthy. In fact,they are much happier than before I bought them. To take this a little further. One in particular came down sick right after acclimating him. We nursed him back to good health. It was a learning experience and took alot of work.

What can I say. We love everything in our tanks

Thank you for the reply,darlin.

Roy&Patti

 

[Lostmind]

well, I can say that at 3 months, both tanks I know (mine and my friend who set his up just after mine) had a HUGE explosion of white things on the glass.

tiny tiny tiny white things that look like small silverfish (the bug) and are only a millimeter or so in length.

Also, round things with small legs/appendages radiating out from the round body. Not sure what these are, but have been told they are just different forms of good copepods.

So, I would say its normal, as far as I know

As for you having 6 anemones in a 15gallon? wow, how do they fit?

 

[Anonymous]

I never meant to imply you didn't care for the animals you take under your care. I apologize if that's how I came across.

I'm very glad you got "Reef Invertebrates", I would also strongly recommend Bob's last book, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". It is, in my very biased opinion, a great addition to any library.

I figured you may not be very familiar with many things ("pods" included, though it may not just be copepods, but also isopods, small arthropods, and so on). They often look much like tiny, white fleas. I am dismayed, however, that the LFS employees don't care for all your questions. How are you going to learn if you don't ask questions? I was the very same way, many, many.. well, let's just stop at that many many's.. let's just say it was a few years ago. (Who am I kidding?) If it weren't for a few very dedicated, and very knowledgeable LFS employees who really knew their stuff, and their authors, I wouldn't have met with the success I did.

As for the clowns, is the labored breathing the only sign of illness? Brooklynellosis (another parasitic illness, but which is better treated with a formalin combination) seems to be running rampant lately. Search our library here http://www.reefs.org/library as well as the database of Advanced Aquarist online (it's a huge database). Just another consideration.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Lostmind,

I have the same exact thing, and check the LR and sand for them too. I have learned that these are amphipods, and what you describe is exactly what I have.

 

[helidude]

Thank you all for your replies.

The more I research the copepod theory,the more I agree.

Everyday my test kits seem to be outgowing the TUB their in.

With the rapid breathing problem the female has,I decide to do a FW dip. RO water,BS to adjust PH. Tank water to bring up salinity to 1.010. 10 mins and I didnt take my eyes off her once. Actually,at 9 mins 45 sec she started freaking. Back in with hubby she went!

I also ran a O2 test. Red Sea stated that at 78.7 deg and a salinity of 1.022 it should take 30 drops to turn blue. It only took 6 drops. I ran the test twice to verify the results.

The filter was cleaned two days ago. I also did a 25% water change.

Not sure why the O2 was so low. So I installed a air stone. Their breathing is better this morning.

However,the female is now swimming in a circular/spiral motion.

Both have a dusty look to them.

I suppose it gets worse before it gets better.

Thank goodness for Google search engines.

Thank you all!

Roy&Patti

 

[Anonymous]

/agrees with seamaiden.

i have nothing else to add.

 

[Anonymous]

For future reference and peace of mind, if something is crawling on your glass, it's not a fish parasite.
Also, there are realatively few common parasitic threats to marine fish that you can see with the naked eye in free swimmin stage. There are some parasitic isopods that are fairly large, but they rarely show up in the hobby, and they would be on the fish, not the glass.

Best regards
Jim