Voyager2 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 9:01 pm
I've got a red bug infestation on many of my corals, and it's come out of nowhere - literally, I had no idea this was coming. Doesn't really matter how it happened, though.
I also found some black bugs on my montipora.
Thinking of going with a Sentinel treatment.
Had a similar issue with red bugs about a year ago, treated it with Bayer dip. Since then, I've moved the tank twice - most recently 10 days ago, when I switched to a bare bottom setup. Haven't added any new coral in a couple of months, so I'm curious - can eggs just sit dormant in the sand? Did I stir up this problem when I was messing with the substrate?
Getting rid of those pesky red bugs turned out to be a huge win for my tank. Overnight, everything just seemed to perk up and now my growth is really taking off. I had no idea they were causing that much trouble.
Torvix8 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 10:20 pm
You treated the entire tank with Bayer dip, or just the individual corals that were affected?
As for the sand, I highly doubt the red bugs would be able to burrow in it, given their need for a host, typically SPS corals. Having recently gone through three rounds of Sentinel treatment myself, I feel compelled to warn you that you may experience some collateral damage - specifically, the loss of your shrimp and crabs, as well as a potential die-off of other tank inhabitants. It wasn't until the third round that I noticed a significant algae bloom, but with aggressive use of GFO and heavy skimming, my tank is slowly recovering.
I know this is slightly off topic, but I wanted to share my recent experience with Sentinel treatment. While it's unfortunate that you'll likely lose some of your tank's inhabitants, rest assured that the treatment itself is relatively safe. What's truly remarkable is the rapid improvement in my SPS corals' health after the first treatment - it was almost overnight.
Oddly enough, the red bugs just showed up out of nowhere, almost as if they materialized overnight. The sudden appearance has left me wondering what might have triggered it, and I recall someone mentioning that a temperature shift could potentially be the culprit.
Voyager2 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 9:01 pm
I've got a red bug infestation on many of my corals, and it's come out of nowhere - literally, I had no idea this was coming. Doesn't really matter how it happened, though.
I also found some black bugs on my montipora.
Thinking of going with a Sentinel treatment.
Had a similar issue with red bugs about a year ago, treated it with Bayer dip. Since then, I've moved the tank twice - most recently 10 days ago, when I switched to a bare bottom setup. Haven't added any new coral in a couple of months, so I'm curious - can eggs just sit dormant in the sand? Did I stir up this problem when I was messing with the substrate?
I noticed a single red bug on one coral, then it vanished for the most part. I got sidetracked with other issues, and months later they'd infested everything, nagging at my corals. I dealt with an alk swing and other problems along the way, but once stability returned, the red bugs disappeared and my SPS growth, polyp extension, and color are now better than ever. These little pests are a nightmare. After this ordeal, I've implemented a full Bayer dip treatment to avoid going through this again.
