Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
I've got thousands of them on about 90% of my acros. What do I do? I can't get a pic. Those things are super tiny. I got a magnifying glass to see them. They almost look like little red spiders.
Red bugs!!!!????
- Thread starter Hiker4twenty
- Start date
Bifferwine
I am a girl
As far as I know, the only treatment is a medication called Interceptor, which is for dogs. You have to get it from a veterinarian (or another reefer that has also battled red bugs).
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
Lucky for me I have Interceptor for my dogs. I'll have to wait and treat over the weekend so I can do a water change the next day. Hope it really works!
Smitty
Reef pro
I'm sorry to hear that bro...those red bugs are a common issue with sps's...mainly acros. Good luck getting rid of them.
Rufio808
Reefing newb
You have to take out all your shrimps though. If you have tons of snails and hermits.... I think those are fine... not sure.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
I just spoke w/ a friend of mine who had a red bug infestation about 2 years ago. He treated his tank with Interceptor and it worked out just fine. He said it's really easy to do.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Can someone tell me how to prevent from getting them? I have some new SPSs coming next week so now I'm a bit scared. Will dipping them in coral dip kill the red bugs?
fastrd400
It wasn't me!
You should dip all your new stuff Dave. Unless you have personal knowledge of the person you are getting it from, and the condition of their system, and even still you can run the risk of pests.
dcantucson
Reef pro
I dipped in the very beginning of this hobby but haven't in a long time. I've been afraid of somehow harming them.
fastrd400
It wasn't me!
The Sacramento reef club over here bad a bad infestation of red bugs. They all came from one members tank after a club swap. Just goes to show, even if you kknow the person, you can still get them if you don't dip or QT.
You won't hurt them as long as you follow the directions. Alot are dip for a few minutes, rinse with RO and drop in tank.
You won't hurt them as long as you follow the directions. Alot are dip for a few minutes, rinse with RO and drop in tank.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
So I decided to treat the tank w/ Interceptor late last night just to get it started quickly. I'm going to a frag swap this weekend and have 72 frags sold so I don't want to pass these along to other people. I checked the acro's this morning and the RB's were all gone. I'm running a fresh load of carbon to make sure it pulls out any toxin they have have left behind. I'll be doing a WC this evening after work and then treating again just to make sure.
fastrd400
It wasn't me!
Good luck Dave. Glad you caught it before the swap.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
I've been doing a lot of reading about people who have had them and treated with Interceptor. Everyone who treated had the same results with the RB's being completely killed in 1-2 treatments. About 1/2 of the people experienced die off with shrimp, crabs, hermits, etc. I didn't see the pep shrimp this morning, but that's nothing unusual. I did see the hermits moving around so they seem to be ok. I feel quite confident I beat them, expecially with me doing a 2nd treatment this evening.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
I dip every coral, no matter where it came from. I've had three different types of flatworms hitch hike in on stuff that I've bought! And none of them were visible until I dipped the corals.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
I'm happy to report that after 2 treatments with Interceptor all the red bugs are gone. When I got home from work yesterday there were still a few hanging around. I did the 2nd treatment and as of this morning I see nothing at all.
Smitty
Reef pro
I'm glad to hear that you got them taken care of. :)
Bifferwine
I am a girl
That's great news. I hope they stay away...
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
You and me both! :bounce: After the initial panic of having red bugs it really wasn't all that bad. The treatment is super easy and doesn't cause any negative effects to the tank. I'd much rather red bugs than flatworms.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
So its been pretty much 48 hours since I started the treatment. Just checked again to be sure and all red buds dead so that's a godo thing. The negative side is it definitely will kill most if not all of your inverts. All of my blue leg hermits are dead and so is the lone pep shrimp. The astrea snails are still acting like normal and none have died....YET? Hopefully they will be ok.
