i have red bugs
 

damn...

After talking to michika at the reef meet today I went home with a morbid feeling that I lost the one colony of mine to red bugs. I got home and confirmed it. I have red bugs on a few pieces in my tank. It needs treatment.

Thankfully I got some interceptor off a fellow reefer and I begin treatment tonight. I'm pulling all the hermit crabs out i can and putting them in a little 5g temp tank. I think they'll do ok for the duration of the treatment.

Wish me luck!

that blows... good luck... lucky to have the interceptor. I was never able to land any myself when I tried, but have one pill from a fellow reefer which I am hoarding like gold until the time comes that I really need it.

Pssst....you can get if from your veterinarian....for your "dog" of course... :)

btw checked out some articles on it. almost all said the same thing but this one said it in the easiest to understand way:

http://www.melevsreef.com/redbugs.html

Unfortunately all the vets I talked to would have nothing to do with dispensing meds for a fish tank. "We will not give a prescription without an examination, and we will not examine corals." It was a very frustrating experience as I even talked to several vets who had helped other reefers in the past.

yeah michika explained that problem and she even worked for a vet at that time. I managed to get 4 tablets so I have almost a lifetime's supply worth.

I had difficulty figuring out how to divide the tablet into 1/8th pieces for my tank so instead I diced it up with a razor blade and mixed one tablet in 250mL of RO/DI water. I'll do the math from there (1/8th the 250mL) for the doses.

I have no experience with using a razor blade to dice powder into lines but I can say I did pretty good :lol:

So get it for your dog. You can request it at the annual exam. Or ask someone with a dog to do so. Interceptor is just a dewormer. I can see them not wanting to accept the liability of prescribing something off-label but once it's in your hands ....Not that I would recommended most drugs for off label use of course...But it's not like it's a street drug....
It's a pretty decent dewormer ;)
For your dog.
Don't be clumsy tho....those pills are slippery....bouncing right into the fish tank....silly things.

(legally your vet needs to have a client-patient relationship to prescribe this dewormer...for your dog)

pssssst....it's not just a dewormer but also treats for Heartworms...but yeah just get someone to pick some up for you that has a dog....

yes...heart....worms.... :razz: *grin*

Dirofilaria immitis is technically a nematode, a nematode is a worm.

(But if you're meaning it's more "serious" than you're typical worm then you are right! you should always test for heartworm if you live in, or visit a heartworm endemic area BEFORE using a product that kills heartworms)

What are red bugs?