Small white "critters" on glass, need help!

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AdrienneBuckman

Registered Member
Oct 10, 2004
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75 gallon with 2 pieces of live rock. (and much more dead rock, don't worry)
fish: pink tail trigger, anthias, damsels
new setup, have had some fungus/bacteria problems? i've treated tank with melaflex/primafix for a week, yet my trigger still has small white patches (i'm pretty sure it's not ich/velvet) all over his body and tail fin

Just yesterday lyre tail anthias developed a cloudy eye (not pop-eye, yet)

on glass i've notices some small white "creatures?"... they have a circular center with hairy arm like protrusions... the are about 1-2 mm in diameter... is this a type of parasite to be worried about or just a calciferous little bug from the live rock... live rock has a lot of purple, oysters, and small anenomes.

i'm considering bombing the tank with copper! tell me something good before it's too late!

Thank you! feel free to email me at: Yoadrienneb@hotmail.cem
 
How did you cycle the tank? Sounds like that's the root of the problem--ammonia toxicity. Test your water, post your readings, and we can advise. Water changes are your--and the fishes--best friend right now.

The critters are likely a small crustacean--not a bad thing. Most parasites are not found off of their host.
 
Does the "circular center" resemble a spiral? There is a polychaete that is often a hitchhiker in newly established systems called a Spirorbid Polychaete, and they are harmless filter feeders. Very small - only a couple mm in size. They tend to have a population bloom depending on nutrient availability, and slow down as a tank matures. Here is a great photo of several spirorbids.

450Spirorbissp.jpg
 
cool picture, but those aren't the little things on the glass of my tank. i asked the guy at the store and he said that it's a seasonal thing, he has them in his reef tank too.
i did a 15 gallon water change (DI water), and have started another week of treatment with pimafix, melaflex. bought 2 cleaner shrimp and the anthias and trigger are begging to be cleaned, but the shrimp haven't responded yet.

running out of things to do? oh pH 8.2, (i use a marine buffer that sets keeps the pH from not going over 8.3)

my trigger (along with white patches) also has little white dots, (about 20), i'm considering dipping him? he still eats and acts healthy...
have any further suggestion as to different antibiotic txs, anything??? thanks for the help!!
 
also

tank has been up and running 3 months... cycled with damsels/clownfish... live sand/dead and live rock... running a hangoff skilter 450? with a protein skimmer, and a wetdry underneath
 
What do the shrimp look like? There are many fish sold as cleaners, but sometimes they are not the real deal. My cleaner shrimp will clean everything--fish, each other, the other shrimp, snails, my hand...
 
Go buy a garlic supplement and start using it in the food. Parasites have a hard time living with garlic in their blood stream. It might take a week or two. Always works for me and its natural. I would also keep up with the water changes.

Mike
 
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