OzoneParkGuy
New member
Well as much as I Dip all my corals that I purchase and sometimes get. These small creatures can become elusive and enter your sytem and become a problem in our reefs.
So this is my story on Red Bugs(Tegastes acroporanus).
I would say about 45 days ago I began noticing issue's with my Acropora sp corals (Tri Color Valida, Australian Delicate,Turquoise Stag, PearlBerry, Aqua Delight,Blue Turaki,Ice Fire Enchinata and a few others) that all started to loose there vibrant colors. Upon closer inspection, I noticed small orange/copper colored bugs crawling on them... polyps began receeding, and growth was at a standstill, more so on others. So I began dipping my corals in Coral RX, half strength. I watched as these little buggers came off and began moving irratically and dying. Boy did I enjoy that. But that was only the begining. I turkey basted gently as not to blow the skin off the smooth skinned acro's & I left the corals in the coral RX for a max time of 10 minutes. With-in those 10 minutes I bleached out a 20K Lokani and a Blue/Green Turaki mini colony.. So I advise agaist using Coral RX on extremely Sensitive Acropora sp species. I did more reasearch on-line and found a ton of info about these Red Bugs and how to rid them using Interceptor.
During this past week, I drove to a number of Vet places a few in Qns and a few in Bklyn and told them of my tale of the dreaded Reef Bugs. The vets were amazed to hear about this story and the so called cure for it. However there was one problem... the Vets that I had visited did not carry the pills... they had some other Heartworm medication made by Frontline and it had a different active ingredient other than Milbemycin Oxime the main ingredient in Interceptor . The vets were kind enough to refer me to Pet Meds and told me that they would call in the order for me, to help me out.. but I was too desperate to wait and needed them now... not in 7 days. (So the Vets are willing to help if you speak to them). I did find one location in Brooklyn that had the pills... but after hearing my story and them reading up on it on-line... they wanted $80.00 for the Box. You know what I said to my self... and walked out.
So I Then called a friend who has a Reef Tank and explained the situation. My friend stated come on over, that he had the pills because he has dogs! I was there in less than 30 minutes. LOL! Good to have Reefing Buddies!!!
The Dosage...
1 large Interceptor pill is 23mg, which treats a 380 gallon system.
4 5.75mg Interceptor pills is 25mg, which treats a 400 gallon system.
0.025mg per 10 gallons of water. Use of a digital scale to measure. Usually bought at a smoke shop.
I wanted the Red Bugs gone and dead, so I double dosed my system. Now I know a few people who have used the Interceptor who have done the same(doubled dosed) with no ill effects, and that was what I was going to do. 4 pills @ 5.75mg each for a total of 25mg for a 400 gallon system.
What I did was at 6:30 AM Tuesday. I crushed 4 Interceptor pills up with the back of the spoon untill it was a powder. I then preheated a cup of aquarium saltwater in the microwave and mixed it. I removed my airline tubing to the skimmer and just let it run without foam fractioning. I removed the filter socks and then disconnected the BRS Dual Reactors and cleaned them out and kept the cartridges submerged in RO water while I was out to work to kill off any red bugs.
At 7:00AM Tuesday I poured in the solution and got ready for work and left.
At 4:45PM Tuesday (9 hours 45 minutes later) I got home and peered inside to see the tank, thinking all I was about to see, was a completely bleached out, foul smelling tank and I was surprised to find all my fish and shrimps welcoming me home (Harley, Blue Coral Banded, cleaner and Fire).
Not a single solitary Red Bug in sight(nano scope)!! LOL!! Boy was I relieved!! Unfortunatly all the hermits and acro crabs were dead(as stated in the on-line articles, it will kill inverts).
I proceeded to do a 42 gallon water change with matching parameters and reconnected my airline tubing to the skimmer, added clean filter socks, and reconnected the BRS Dual Reactors filling with GFO & Carbon.
At 5:30PM Wed Corals appeared a little more vibrant than what they were. Fish are active and swimming. Shrimps still alive. NO RED BUGS! Tested Param's.
AT 4:15PM Thurs Same, NO RED BUGS!
At 6:00PM Fri Same, Coral polyps are begining to open up. So far so good!
So this is my story on Red Bugs(Tegastes acroporanus).
I would say about 45 days ago I began noticing issue's with my Acropora sp corals (Tri Color Valida, Australian Delicate,Turquoise Stag, PearlBerry, Aqua Delight,Blue Turaki,Ice Fire Enchinata and a few others) that all started to loose there vibrant colors. Upon closer inspection, I noticed small orange/copper colored bugs crawling on them... polyps began receeding, and growth was at a standstill, more so on others. So I began dipping my corals in Coral RX, half strength. I watched as these little buggers came off and began moving irratically and dying. Boy did I enjoy that. But that was only the begining. I turkey basted gently as not to blow the skin off the smooth skinned acro's & I left the corals in the coral RX for a max time of 10 minutes. With-in those 10 minutes I bleached out a 20K Lokani and a Blue/Green Turaki mini colony.. So I advise agaist using Coral RX on extremely Sensitive Acropora sp species. I did more reasearch on-line and found a ton of info about these Red Bugs and how to rid them using Interceptor.
During this past week, I drove to a number of Vet places a few in Qns and a few in Bklyn and told them of my tale of the dreaded Reef Bugs. The vets were amazed to hear about this story and the so called cure for it. However there was one problem... the Vets that I had visited did not carry the pills... they had some other Heartworm medication made by Frontline and it had a different active ingredient other than Milbemycin Oxime the main ingredient in Interceptor . The vets were kind enough to refer me to Pet Meds and told me that they would call in the order for me, to help me out.. but I was too desperate to wait and needed them now... not in 7 days. (So the Vets are willing to help if you speak to them). I did find one location in Brooklyn that had the pills... but after hearing my story and them reading up on it on-line... they wanted $80.00 for the Box. You know what I said to my self... and walked out.
So I Then called a friend who has a Reef Tank and explained the situation. My friend stated come on over, that he had the pills because he has dogs! I was there in less than 30 minutes. LOL! Good to have Reefing Buddies!!!
The Dosage...
1 large Interceptor pill is 23mg, which treats a 380 gallon system.
4 5.75mg Interceptor pills is 25mg, which treats a 400 gallon system.
0.025mg per 10 gallons of water. Use of a digital scale to measure. Usually bought at a smoke shop.
I wanted the Red Bugs gone and dead, so I double dosed my system. Now I know a few people who have used the Interceptor who have done the same(doubled dosed) with no ill effects, and that was what I was going to do. 4 pills @ 5.75mg each for a total of 25mg for a 400 gallon system.
What I did was at 6:30 AM Tuesday. I crushed 4 Interceptor pills up with the back of the spoon untill it was a powder. I then preheated a cup of aquarium saltwater in the microwave and mixed it. I removed my airline tubing to the skimmer and just let it run without foam fractioning. I removed the filter socks and then disconnected the BRS Dual Reactors and cleaned them out and kept the cartridges submerged in RO water while I was out to work to kill off any red bugs.
At 7:00AM Tuesday I poured in the solution and got ready for work and left.
At 4:45PM Tuesday (9 hours 45 minutes later) I got home and peered inside to see the tank, thinking all I was about to see, was a completely bleached out, foul smelling tank and I was surprised to find all my fish and shrimps welcoming me home (Harley, Blue Coral Banded, cleaner and Fire).
Not a single solitary Red Bug in sight(nano scope)!! LOL!! Boy was I relieved!! Unfortunatly all the hermits and acro crabs were dead(as stated in the on-line articles, it will kill inverts).
I proceeded to do a 42 gallon water change with matching parameters and reconnected my airline tubing to the skimmer, added clean filter socks, and reconnected the BRS Dual Reactors filling with GFO & Carbon.
At 5:30PM Wed Corals appeared a little more vibrant than what they were. Fish are active and swimming. Shrimps still alive. NO RED BUGS! Tested Param's.
AT 4:15PM Thurs Same, NO RED BUGS!
At 6:00PM Fri Same, Coral polyps are begining to open up. So far so good!
Polyps are mostly out as well now. LPS & Softies were not affected at all. 
