yosemite sam
Active Member
Red Bugs: Red bugs are very very small, bright orange/red arthropods that attack SPS corals. There is some debate as to the level of danger these pests pose to corals. Many people note loss of color and slowed growth. In my personal experience with them I have seen actual tissue recession in some of my Acropora corals. The following treatment information comes from my conversations with other reefers I know in New York and information posted on this and other bulletin boards.
The most common treatment for them is a heartworm pill for dogs called interceptor. This drug is by prescription only, but some veterinary clinics may sell you some if you talk to the doctors and tell them it’s for an aquarium. The treatment calls for the large
[hr]
(there are three different sizes of
[hr]
available, but the size used is for 51-100lb dogs) at a dosage of 25 mg per 10 gallons of water treated. The crushed pill is dissolved in a glass of tank water, and then put in the tank. Don’t run carbon, turn off the bubbles in your skimmer, and allow the medicine to work for 6 hours or so. After 6 hours, do a 20%-25% water change. Most of the people I have talked to repeat this treatment twice more, each spaced about a week apart, in order to kill offspring from unhatched eggs missed during the first treatment. Please do a lot of reading before doing any treatment with interceptor, as this is admittedly a cursory description of the treatment procedure.
Since interceptor kills arthropods, any crabs, shrimp, and pods will be at risk. Snails are not. People I have discussed this with advise against quarantining crabs and shrimp, since you may reintroduce the red bugs when you put the crabs and shrimp back in the tank.
This is a photo I took of several red bugs on one of my Acropora frags, most of them are on the bottom and left sides of the coral, with a few right at the top of the photo. Note they are extremely small, much smaller than the polyps of the coral.
The most common treatment for them is a heartworm pill for dogs called interceptor. This drug is by prescription only, but some veterinary clinics may sell you some if you talk to the doctors and tell them it’s for an aquarium. The treatment calls for the large
[hr]
(there are three different sizes of
[hr]
available, but the size used is for 51-100lb dogs) at a dosage of 25 mg per 10 gallons of water treated. The crushed pill is dissolved in a glass of tank water, and then put in the tank. Don’t run carbon, turn off the bubbles in your skimmer, and allow the medicine to work for 6 hours or so. After 6 hours, do a 20%-25% water change. Most of the people I have talked to repeat this treatment twice more, each spaced about a week apart, in order to kill offspring from unhatched eggs missed during the first treatment. Please do a lot of reading before doing any treatment with interceptor, as this is admittedly a cursory description of the treatment procedure.
Since interceptor kills arthropods, any crabs, shrimp, and pods will be at risk. Snails are not. People I have discussed this with advise against quarantining crabs and shrimp, since you may reintroduce the red bugs when you put the crabs and shrimp back in the tank.
This is a photo I took of several red bugs on one of my Acropora frags, most of them are on the bottom and left sides of the coral, with a few right at the top of the photo. Note they are extremely small, much smaller than the polyps of the coral.