First off great site. Second, im a total . And lastly, This is my first post, yahoo! I can now say that im getting all my saltwater reef tanks questions answered by reviewing and asking question on this forum, great site with loads of usefull information.
"With that being said" hehe, (Rob) I have little red bugs on one of my acropora. I've searched and found vitoria's method, which uses the Intercepter Drug that is only prescribed by vets. I have no dogs, so how would one go about getting this stuff. Do you just call the vet and say i need this stuf to kill stuff of my coral? That might sound a little wierd no?
Also are there any other methods that you know of that works and is fairly safe to use, (won't kill coral) Thank you in advance for anyones help.
I've had to do the Interceptor treatments once...it does kill all shrimp and crabs. But I have a Lab so I have Interceptor. You need the Large Dog (over 50 pound tablets)...three consecutive weeks, water change and then carbon. Its best to do dips with iodine and NOT get redbugs...IMO!
I have used Interceptor to treat redbugs as well. I happened to have a frien who had some, but there is a vet just down the road from me that will dispense Interceptor to reefers. Look for a vet that doesn't just deal with dogs and cats. th particular vet is "exotic friendly", meaning the trea dogs, cats, birds, rabits, reptiles, etc. Check around and see if you can find an exotics friendly vet. Riverside is a big place, surely someone there has needed Interceptor for redbugs before. Find the right vet, and I bet they're familiar with the treatment.
Best (as said above by David P) is to find a local SPS'er in your area and buy one off of them. A great alternative is to talk to a vet and honestly explain what you will use it for. Third, you can just live with RB's. They don't kill SPS.. it's a common myth that they suck up the slime but it's all anecdotal experience. I know plenty of SPS'ers who have RB's and at the same time have beautiful thriving colonies. RB's are NOT destructive like Monti Eating Nudis and AEFW's.
Finding an exotic vet is best but often if you call the local vet and let them know why you need it they will give you an Rx. Or check for a college that has veterinary medicine (technician, assisting, etc) classes. The instructors there may be able to help.
Third, you can just live with RB's. They don't kill SPS.. it's a common myth that they suck up the slime but it's all anecdotal experience. I know plenty of SPS'ers who have RB's and at the same time have beautiful thriving colonies. RB's are NOT destructive like Monti Eating Nudis and AEFW's.
I "lived" with them for a year or more. My SPS were growing so fast, I stopped dosing kalk and just did water changes. The colors were brilliant. Then.. after getting a new coral from someone, I noted that the growth on my acro's started to slow down. I began dosing again, and no change. I then noted my Larry Jackson acro was turning a duller shade of purple. I changed out all my lights. The growth of the corals then came to a creeping halt; even the encrusting bases. Even though I was still dosing.
I then treated the tank for the red bugs. Within a week after, the colors started popping again. Within three weeks, I had incredible growth spurts.
Personally, I think that even if they did "kill" SPS, it would be a long, drawn out process. The actual death could be from anything, but starts as a weakening by the parasites. In the wild, no problem. There are pipe fish, wrasse and other things that could probably keep them at bay (Some hobbyists have noted fish that do consume them). In the enclosed tanks, without predation, I think it could be a problem.
Can the corals "live with them". Maybe.. for a while, but I think that eventually, they begin to weaken, and then you get secondary issues that would wipe em out.
I went to my local fish store and they said they didn't have anything that would really 100 percent kill them. But he said that an option that i could try is Kent lugols solution. Well i mixed up a dip using the instructions on the small bottle and dipped the coral in the solution according to the bottle for 10-15 minutes. I decided to give it a try and dipped for 15 minutes. After this was done, i used a turkey baster and blew strongly but not violently, to try to mechanically remove the bugs. When the first treatment was completed i put the coral back where it was originally sitting. I only saw three bugs, but they were not moving. I will post again, in another week or so to see if that fixed my red bug problem. After removing the coral from the dip bucket there must have been hundreds of those little buggers on the bottom of the bucket.
they say to do the dips or interceptor treatment every6-7 days to be sure that you get al of the eggs. red bugs only have a 5 day life cycle so dipping every 6-7 days for a few weeks should do the job.
__________________ Bobby
"I FORMERLY glued animals to rocks" NO TANK RIGHT NOW, but you never know when I might throw one together !! I have everything I need but the time!!
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. And lastly, This is my first post, yahoo! I can now say that im getting all my saltwater reef tanks questions answered by reviewing and asking question on this forum, great site with loads of usefull information.
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