Reb Bug Problem

[nater]

So i found some red bugs on my Ora Borealis frag two weeks back. I bought lugol's solution and dipped it , they went away for a while, then came back. dipped again , gone and then i found them on another frag. How can i rid of them in my system? Should i be dosing the tank with iodine? Help Please

 

[reefdan]

iodine does nothing for them. you need interceptor (dog heartworm medication). search for threads on application all over the internet.

also, dragonface pipefish are natural redbug predators. i wouldn't go this route unless you have lots of pods and/or find one that eating prepared foods.

 

[JR's Reef]

you will have to treat with intercepter

 

[fishypets]

The only way to rid these little *******s is to do a full tank treatment with Interceptor. You must get the large breed tablets from your vet. Tell them what you are usin them for and they should sell it to you.

 

[nater]

Got ya. I appreciate the responses , i will be getting some tomorrow. If anyone knows how to dose the tank properly and would share , that would be great. Thanks all

 

[nater]

wow , i am in for a load of fun with the treatment. Lots of things dying and lots of water changes. Guess it's all part of the game. I am know going to dip any new arrivals in my system? Will dipping corals stop from red bugs making it into the tank?

 

[mark_molly]

have most people had luck getting their veterinarian to give them interceptor for something like this? We had a problem a while back and no vets in the area would prescribe the drug for this problem. Just wondering how people have convinced them.... maybe bringing in printouts online would help?

 

[gilmour01]

melevsreef has a good write up on interceptor treatment complete with dosing instructions. i just went thru this a couple months ago.

 

[Acezwild]

1 interceptor pill treats 400g you will need to crush the pill into a fine powder stir it in a cup with some aquarium water then pour in. I like to overdose any new frags before going into my reef to avoid getting them again. you will need to do this treatment 3 times to make sure they are all dead for good you also need to remove your inverts cause it may kill them aswell.

 

[650-IS350]

I cured my 100 with interceptor. pretty potent.

 

[las]

petmeds.com
u can purchase on their site....

 

[nater]

awesome. Acewild , do you have to run carbon as well? And if so , how much and how long should I? I have about 120 gallon total water volume. Thanks

 

[Acezwild]

I added the carbon once I was done with my 3 treatments after a good water change I never saw any side effects to any corals but u can lose some of your inverts

 

[nater]

thanks alot for the information. Did you do water changes after every treatment? also , how long in between treatments? Sorry to pick your brain , but i want to do this soon and right. Thanks

 

[Murfman]

The "CURE" for Red Acro Bugs : General Reefkeeping Discussion

 

[Murfman]

I don't do water changes after. The medication becomes benign after a day or so. Ohhh, I only do one treatment. Red bugs are live bearers. I have come to the conclusion that I will probably end up treating my tank once a year or so. My corals have shown no ill effects from the treatments.

 

[reefdan]

inverts will typically survive too unless you really overdose.

 

[reefdan]

i would only do a water change a few days later for sake of removing any ammonia or whatever from die off of pods and stuff. this is usually negligible but a lot of people would rather be safe than sorry. with that said, i waited a week before doing one last time

 

[nater]

Murf , did you run carbon? i don't run carbon as of right now. i read i have to run carbon to remove any left over intercept. what do you think ?think i am just going to dose fairly accurately on the intercept and do a water change after 12 hours or so and possibly run a carbon in my filter sock sock for a couple hours.

 

[Acezwild]

I don't think the carbon is a must but doesn't hurt either I dosed 3 times cause they kept coming back without me addig corals. I would add interceptor every other day and did my water change a week later my snails, clam and crabs lived. My emerald crab turned pale white but lived well