I will start this thread off by saying that there are some very good
treatments for coral pests and use whatever works best for you. I chose
to break new ground and do something different by using natural
predators to minimize the negative effects of coral pests in my captive
reef aquarium.
My 50 gallon SPS reef has been set-up for 4.5 years. The
Acropora were initially attacked by AEFW and Acropora red
bugs. After successfully killing off the AEFW with iodine dips, and
basting, I chose to wage war against the red bugs. First, I researched
this topic thoroughly and picked organisms that were shown in the
literature to have a positive effect on Acropora health. In nature,
Acropora are inhabited by many species of organisms with some that feed
on coral tissue and others that protect the coral from predation or
overgrowth by algae. Initially, Interceptor was not effective in my tank
and contributed to a strong rise in nitrates which were caused by the
death of resident nontarget organisms. I chose not to continue with the
Interceptor treatment.
I observed from one of my earlier reef tank experiences that
Acropora which had red bugs that were later colonized by Gobiodon
histrio became free from red bugs. So off to Preuss's I went and
introduced a single green clown goby (Gobiodon histrio) to the
tank. This particular goby is a copepod feeder. Beware of other species
of clown gobies such as Gobiodon citrinus which feed almost
exclusively on coral polyps. I also found several black masked
Acropora crabs (Tetralia species) at various shops and
introduced them as well. Within a month, heavily infested acros
inhabited by my army of commensal organisms were almost free from red bugs.
Today, my reef is not entirely free from red bugs, but the red bug
population has been reduced to where damage to Acropora is
practically nonexistent! Polyp extension and coral color have improved
too. Growth has been spectacular after adding the coral commensals as
well as increasing the alkalinity to 8DkH.
In conclusion, my use of biological control organisms has been
successful at reducing, but not eliminating red bug population from my
50 gallon SPS reef tank. Acropora now flourish due to active predation
of red bugs by Tetralia and Gobiodon histrio.
As Always,
Jim
Tank Details: 50 Gallon Breeder with 20 gallon sump with Mag 7 for
return water
Filtration: Euro Reef Skimmer, Home-made Sulfur Reactor, 1 mesh bag of
Zeolite
Water Circulation: Vortech MP10, 2 Tunze circulation pumps, Sea Swirl on
return line
Water Chenistry: 1.026 SG, Calcium 390-425, Alkalinity 7-9DkH,
Nitrate=Trace
Additives: 1 gallon kalkwasser nightly with 2 tsp Acetic Acid, Seachem
Buffer and Calcium, 10 drops Potassion, 2 drops Lugols Iodine
Lighting: 3 Blue Plus and 1 Aquablue Special over-driven with an Icecap
660 ballast.
SPS: Montipora capricornis Orange, Green Montipora
digitata, Pink Montipora digitata
Purple Stylophora, Acropora tortuosa, Acropora
echinata "Hawkins", Acropora millepora Sunset, Acropora
millepora "Palmer's Blue, Acropora millepora Green,
Acropora species purple with green polyps, Acropora green
with blue polyps, Pink fuzzy Acropora, Purple tip table
Acropora, Acropora lokani, Acropora Light Blue
Staghorn, Acropora Green Slimer, Acropora Red Planet,
Acropora blue tip table, Acropora blue tip purple,
Acropora granulosa, Acropora teal with blue tip Staghorn,
Soft Corals: Anthelia glauca (weed), Clavularia species, plus assorted
zoanthids
Fish: Green Clown Goby, Spotted Leopard Wrasse, Yellow Watchman Goby, 2
Ocellaris Clown Fish, Cherub fish
Inverts: 2 Tiger Pistol Shrimps, Blood Shrimp, 2 Peppermint Shrimps, 3
Tetralia Acropora crabs, 1 Trapezia crab
50 Gallon Breeder Reef Tank 12/16/21012
Acropora echinata "Hawkins"
Acropora Crab in Green Acropora millepora
Assorted Zoanthids
Gobiodon histrio
Yellow Watchman Goby