Urgent - LF Pipefish near Walnut Creek

Bergenholtz

New member
I found some red bugs in my tank probably came from local fish store since I have not had them for almost 6 months until I recently added a coral that I bought from a local store.

I heard pipefish eat red bugs. I need it one now to save all my sps.
Please Help.
 
You can relax, red bugs aren't going to kill anything over night or even the next month. I had them in one of my tanks for a good amount of time before I realized what they were. I've never heard of pipefish eating them but it kinda makes sense. Search for Interceptor or Bayer treatments if you want get rid of them for good.
 
I saw slimy coat on my corals. I know it is not dying but it is stressed out. I was afraid it might lose tissues because all the bugs were hanging out right by the polyps.

I did find some info on interceptor but it would kill almost everything except corals in my tank so I was afraid to do so. And also dipping is not an option for me since all the corals are attached and encrusted on the rocks..

Thanks for the info tho. What a relief! So it would not kill my sps that fast or ever. I have one six line wrasse and one melanurus wrasse. Hopefully they like the taste of the red bugs! =)
 
The pipefish you're looking for is the dragonface pipefish (Corythoichthys sp.). I've had them in the past and I can tell you that they can't control a red bug infestation. It's been said that they do eat them, but they're not used to eradicate them completely.

That said, they're actually pretty cool and do well in high flow SPS environments.

The other option for Interceptor is Sentinel.
 
Gotcha. I dont think I saw any lfs selling dragonface :(
I heard interceptor can only be purchased from vets. Any other ways of getting it? I work long shift everyday so pretty much i cannot shop around unless its sunday and sunday they dont open...
 
Use bayer complete insect available a home depot or hardware store. Their are threads on here on reef central on use and dosage. No vet prescription required.
 
Cool. Thanks! I will try that one. Seems like these red bugs reproduce pretty darn fast.. I see more and more every minute!
 
take coral with red bugs and dip it separately in a bucket of tank water. rinse when done with tank water. the red bugs only effect the acropora.
 
Here's how I see it:

1. Bayer is typically used for dipping frags or colonies. Once red bugs are in the tank, Bayer doesn't have much purpose because the assumption is that red bugs have spread throughout the tank, so removing colonies for dipping does not guarantee complete eradication.

2. Treating the entire tank with multiple doses of Interceptor/Sentinel does completely remove red bugs. You will need to remove all crabs and shrimp or they will die, and be prepared to re-stock your pod population. Interceptor is no longer sold in the U.S. and Sentinel is available only with a prescription. Getting it from a local vet can be difficult if the ask is for a reef tank and not say, a dog.

3. Do not purchase a pipefish if you plan to use Interceptor/Sentinel. I dosed Interceptor in the past and my DFP was dead the next day. I definitely think the two were related.

I'm PM you with more information about Interceptor.
 
Oh wow great info dnak!
I really want to keep my tank as safe as possible staying away from any kind of chemicals. I love wrasses so I put two(one melanarus the other sixline) in my tank. My sixline picks something on rocks and corals but not sure if its pods or red bugs, and the other wrasse i had them for really long time, he does what cleaner shrimps do eating parasites off of fish and also eating algae in my tank. Hopefully those two can help me out!
 
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