Started Treatment for Redbugs, Again!!

R

Rick

Well today I started running a treatment for redbugs again. The second time running a full blown treatment. The first time was sometime last March so about 11 months ago. I also did a one time hit of them in November/December with just one shot of Interceptor. Last year I did the recommended dosage and followed the three time treatments over 4-5 week period. Doing it the first time I thought I had gotten rid of them, till about six months after the treatment then I started seeing them come back. Recently they look at about the same infestation as they were when I treated the first time. Though I thought I had knocked them down a little when I did the single treatment in Nov./Dec. Apparently it really did little good.
This time I am bound and determined if this stuff is ever going to completely get tem out of a system this will it.
I am dosing 50% more than the recommended dosage. And I am going to treat the tank over a variety of weekly intervals 6 times. The first treatment I did today with the additional 50% dosage of Interceptor certainly made them disappear. The first time using the recommended dosage it took till the second treatment before I actually saw them all disappear like they did today.
I did the treatment left it in the tank for six hours, then did about a 20% water change, turned the skimmer, ozonizer, and the carbon all back on. Additional I added a second huge bag of carbon and a polyfilter at the same time.
I will follow through with the same process in about a week, then two weeks, then one week, then three weeks, then one week later.
If this does not get rid of them I don't think there is any hope.
 
Don't get down, Rick, misery loves company.. We're in the middle of a two week long, every other day dip for some lovely zoos completely infected with nudibranchs. (not a stony coral, but still *grin*)
 
@NathanSE wrote:
Rick said:
From the time of the treament a year ago till I saw them again I did not add any new acros. When I saw a return of them after six months was from within the system.
Click to expand...
 
@Rick wrote:
[I]@NathanSE wrote:[/I][quote="Rick said:
From the time of the treament a year ago till I saw them again I did not add any new acros. When I saw a return of them after six months was from within the system."]

That's got to be pretty frustrating! How did your earlier treatments go? Did you lose a lot of inverts or get a large algae bloom?
Click to expand...
 
I lost about 20 acro crabs, cleaner shrimp, peppermints, and some hermit crabs. The first treatment this time, I still have the cleaner shrimp, and have not seen any losses of hermit crabs yet. But I think it was the second or third treatment last time that did in the shrimp and crabs.
 
That's so sad! What is the prevention of these things? I've never had them, I don't think. I might just be lucky. I do a Lugol's treatment to any new sps that I put in my tank. Would that take care of them?

I've had enough ich that I've finally gotten rid of (hope) that I hope I don't have to deal with those too. I love my shrimp, would kill me to lose them. Can you catch them out and put them in qt?

Kay
 
Kay I have heard that lugols not get rid of redbugs when you dip in a solution that is not dangerous to the coral. The only thing I know of that kills them is the Interceptor product.
 
Kay the only real prevention is to dip all the acros you get in a six hour bath with megastrength Interceptor BEFORE they are in the system. Taking them out and doing it will do no good as they will still be in your system and there is no way to spot treat unless you remove all (meaning every last sliver) your acros and quarentine. Once in your system the interceptor treatment seems to work pretty well but as you can see in Rick's case not always. It also will kill some the crustation inverts (shrimp, crabs, pods, etc)

They are a major pain in the backside. Fortunately in my old tank when I did the full treatment I never saw them again but I broke the tank down only nine months later so who knows.
 
Keith, Steve has since found them again in his tank. And he was pretty carefull adding anything since his treatment. Dipping new acros in interceptor.
 
Rick. I would guess though they probably came back from in the tank like yours so I think once they are in you are in for a tough battle.

If you do it from day one you should be OK though I would think!
 
Here are the pictures - http://melevsreef.com/id/redbugs.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top