I have redbugs

[McCrary]

Lol, although if I'm unable to sell any coral I may be stuck, lol. I just looked at both my sell threads and I have had 0 responses, lol.

 

[SWSaltwater]

your stuck!!!!!!!! Keep it and be a happy. The little buggers are kinda cute if you ask me.

 

[SWSaltwater]

Did you figure out the source of em yet, no Red Bugs seen on that frag you gave me yet. Still gonna get another dragon pipe to be sure

 

[McCrary]

No, there is no way that I could tell where they came from. But the last things that I added came from DFS, but those frags don't seem to be infected.

 

[ZOAKEEPER]

RED VW BUGS

RED VW BUGS

Hey Matt, I can't tell by the pictures in this thread what the red bugs look like or what there doing to your coral. (hint,hint) Maybe if you post a better picture all of us newbies will be able to see what it is your talking about. And does everybody treat with Interceptor? Or is there a more natural reef type fix? Everybody feel free to jump in.

 

[ZOAKEEPER]

Thought i'd "pipe" in on Southwest Saltwaters original idea. I call this "natural" fixes. Which I like.


Dragon Pipefish
Corythoichthys haematopterus

Quick Stats: Dragon Pipefish
Family: Syngnathidae
Range: Coral Sea, Indo-Pacific
Size: Up to 7 inches
Diet: Carnivore
Tank Set-up: Marine: Mature reef with plant life and algae, rocks with caves and overhangs
Reef Compatible: Yes
Tank Conditions: 72-78ºF; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Minimum Tank Capacity: 30 gallon
Light: Medium
Temperament: Peaceful
Swimming Level: Bottom
Care Level: Difficult
Reproduction: Pouch Brooder


The Dragon Pipefish, also known as the Dragonface Pipefish, Messmate Pipefish, or Reeftop Pipefish, is a long sleek fish with a body shape similar to that of an eel.

The Dragon Pipefish is difficult to keep in an aquarium for the beginner, but is well suited for the advanced aquarist. It should be maintained with other pipefish and seahorses in a 30 gallon or larger aquarium. This pipefish will not harm ornamental invertebrates in a reef setting, and requires plenty of hiding places such as caves or overhangs. The Dragon Pipefish will use its tail to anchor itself to coral branches and other structures when searching for food, and is a very interesting addition to the home aquarium. The Dragon Pipefish reacts poorly when harassed by other more aggressive fish such as: blennies, larger wrasses, large gobies, triggerfish, and porcupinefish.

The diet of the Dragon Pipefish should consist of small, live invertebrates such as brine shrimp, amphipods, tiny grass shrimp, mosquito larva, and daphnia. It will need to be fed several times per day, and is a very slow eater because of its tiny tubular mouth.

This species of pipefish has been found to consume micro-amphipod, commonly referred to as the dreaded "Red Bugs" that have now become prevalent in reef aquariums that contain Acropora coral. Red bug infestations on Acropora corals have been shown to inhibit polyp extension and growth, while causing shifts or loss in coloration. After the pipefish is accustomed to the surroundings and tankmates in the reef aquarium, it will quickly seek out these red bugs as a food source.

 

[McCrary]

I will try to get a picture of them up, but it is very hard to get a good photo of them because of how small they are. You can google them or search RC for some photos. Interceptor seems to be the standard treatment because it works. I'm sure there are other treatments, but there has to be a reason that people bother to go to a vet to get a prescription and then pony up $50 for the pills. Not to mention it kills all your copepods, snails and hermits and such. Anything that you can't get out of the tank (other than fish, coral and rock) aren't going to last long. But the nice thing is that its a pretty sure thing (as far as I know). The dragon pipefish work for some people's systems, but they are delicate and usually don't last long in most typical systems.

 

[McCrary]

The damage to the coral is pretty obvious if the person is familiar with healthy SPS. The polyps are closed and the coral looks less vibrant and just less healthy in general. Its pretty easy to tell whats going on. The coral doesn't seem to be dying, but it doesn't grow or look good.

 

[SWSaltwater]

it might be the coral is getting enough food by the waste from the red bugs that it no longer needs to feed. Kinda like a Goby host......Would make an awesome research project.

 

[idareefer]

Don't let the red bugs discourage you! just treat your system and enjoy this great hobby, interceptor does not kill your snails, hermits yes, some shrimp may make it, & not all your pods will die, lots will survive & in no time will reproduce like crazy again.

 

[McCrary]

Yea, there has been such a lack of interest in all my SPS it doesn't look like I will be leaving the hobby quite yet. But I can't blame people for not wanting coral that are infested with red bugs. I am going to try and get a lot of stuff out of the tank so that I can treat it with interceptor.

 

[jhendu]

Matt, I may be interested in some of them, I just don't have room/cash for all of them. I'll know by tomorrow if I'll be interested (if you even want to piece-meal stuff out). Like I mentioned before, I want blue stuff. I should find out by then if I am being sent to Germany for the next few years.

 

[aztbs]

They really should be called yellow bugs. They only have a tiny red head and are like a grain of sand on an SPS. I thought I could see them easily with the naked eye, but on many many corals, they are invisible. The rumor that they don't get on millies is BS too.

I lived with them for over a year and had no losses. I still got pretty awesome growth and color from most things too. I finally broke down and did the Interceptor treatments and it was so easy, I kick myself for not doing it earlier. Growth on the more seriously infected items has taken off explosively and color has improved. You don't know how poor the coral is until the bugs are gone.

Sorry about the bugs Matt. As far as pests go though, they are the easiest ones!!

 

[McCrary]

Yea, it was weird because this blue tip was growing like crazy and then just started slowing down and then stopped. I finally saw them all over the coral and decided that it might be a good time to get out with this all happening. What I didn't count on was nobody wanting like 30 pieces of SPS for $400, lol. I guess nobody wants some redbugs with their coral. I am going to interceptor the tank soon. How much should I use?

 

[aztbs]

I used one full large dog pill for each treatment on my 180 gallon tank w/60 gallon sump. My xx-large pistol shrimp survived. I didn't run any carbon, I just did a 30 gallon water change the next day.

 

[McCrary]

Yea, I was thinking 1/2 pill for my 110 with it sitting in there for 8 hours, then doing a 60 gallon water change and then doing another 1/2 with another 60 gallon water change. I was also planning on running lots of carbon as I was told this stuff was pretty nasty.

 

[Satori]

I've treated them similar to aztbs. My pistol shrimp and coral banded shrimp survived, and the pods made a quick rebound. Like she said, I also used one full tablet for my 180. I didn't run carbon at all, and ended up not getting to a water change until the following weekend. The latest word at that time is that the red bugs are live bearers (not eggs) and that Interceptor dissipates pretty rapidly and becomes inert. (within hours)

 

[McCrary]

Sweet, I might just do 2/3's and leave it at that and do a water change the next day. Hell, I'll try that and tell you guys how it turns out. I borrowed a book from Scott and read how to treat for red bugs, but it doesn't seem to be really accurate and complete on treatment.

 

[McCrary]

Well my cleaner shrimp is still doing fine, so I hope this stuff works. I used about 2/3's so I'm hoping that will work, cause I don't have much more, lol.

 

[jhendu]

Good luck