Red Bug Treatment Journal

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by Myka

New plan of attack...

I'm going to bump up the dose a little bit, but not as much as some of you guys on here have used. I will grind up the tablet, and dose 4 Salifert spoonfuls which should be enough to treat ~130 gallons.

Day 1 - Remove carbon. Submerse the air intake off on the skimmer. Add Interceptor. Wait 10 hours. Do 25% water change. Add fresh carbon, turn skimmer air back on. [Tank is due for a water change anyway.]

Day 5 - Remove carbon. Submerse air intake on skimmer. Add 2nd dose. Wait 10 hours. Do 25% water change. Add fresh carbon, turn skimmer air back on.

***First dose is going in in an hour.***

So if you have removed inverts and are worried about putting them back in, you could also change out the carbon 24h after the treatment. I used to do that but am pretty lazy with my interceptor treatments now (I didn't even bother with the WC on the last one until my regular waterchange day 3 days later).

Oh and good luck, likely you'll be more stressed than any of your tank inhabitants I know I always was at the beginning.

[Myka]

Thanks Christy! I didn't notice the red bugs until the frags were already in the TMCC so I didn't have much choice. I find TMCC on its own is often quite rough on the corals. The frags were in such a small container that it only would have taken a couple of them to start sloughing flesh enough to pollute the little container enough to kill off the rest.

In the future I will have a kind of QT for SPS frags...I am setting up a small Zoa/Paly tank (inc some LPS), so it will work well to house new SPS frags since there will be nothing in that tank they can contaminate.

[Myka]

[vent]I am SO frustrated!!! I'm leaving out of province in a week and won't be back until May long weekend. Now I have to deal with this stupid crap, plus I have to hook up the Osmolator and dosing pumps, and I don't have time!!!!!!!!

So...now I can't find that last tablet of Interceptor that I have. I had it in my hand a week ago. The TMCC is back where it's supposed to be, but not the Interceptor. Grrrr!!! Now I gotta go find a vet because none of the reef stores are open on Monday around here. Now my fish room is a mess because I turned it upside down looking for that weeny little tablet. This tank has really been picking my butt lately.

Oh for hell. [/vent]

[saltynuts]

so if a guy had np pellets. they would have to go too.

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by saltynuts

so if a guy had np pellets. they would have to go too.

I don't think so, I'd just keep them running. As a matter of fact, I did keep them running. I didn't see any change in performance (mind you I have yet to see them actually perform).

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by saltynuts

so if a guy had np pellets. they would have to go too.

Not sure that's been tested.

[Aquattro]

With my last treatment (last week) I added half a large tab. Turned air off on skimmer and removed carbon. I also turned the lights off. UV kills the meds.
After 12 hours, I added the carbon back, turned the air on and that's it. I'll maybe do my regular WC tonight. Lost my 1 acro crab, and don't have many pods to begin with.(which may be an entirely different thread one day).
I have used probably a 30x greater dosage for 4 hours in a QT tank on new frags, never had a problem.
I hate these little f'ers!

[Myka]

Well, I found a vet that would prescribe Interceptor for me. I will give the tank its first dose tomorrow morning.

Thanks Brad, it's good to know that OD'ing isn't a big worry.

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I hate these little f'ers!

Agreed. They have done quite the damage on my favourite coral. It is mostly bleached out now with very thin tissue.