How's my Interceptor plan?

[Snowboarda42]

I'm treating red bugs, I have the big tablets which are good for 380 Gallons.

My tank is a 40B, about 35 gallons water, a 20L sump thats 3/4 full. My water volume is appx 50 gallons total.

380/50=7.6

I cut the tablet into 8th's (like a pizza) and I plan on dosing one piece for each dose.

Plan is to take out all my hermits and crabs, leave my snails, my conch, and my Cleaner (can't catch it), dose 1 piece, wait 6 hours, change 10G and run carbon. Do the same a week later and once again another week after that.

How does my plan sound?

 

[Bainic]

I don't know how to treat red bugs but it sounds like you've put some thought into it, one good place for research is Wet Web Media. They have very accurate and detailed information on just about every subject. Good luck!

 

[twilliard]

I treated my 110G once with 1/4 tablet

no red bugs AT ALL
I treated my tank and just carried out as normal.

Sounds like a good plan at removing what you can. This stuff WILL kill some of your inverts. I lost a good portion of my hermit crabs. To minimize the loss I dont feel you need to treat a tank more than once.

 

[Snowboarda42]

I'm kinda worried about my Pistol Shrimp, maybe I'll try to keep him burrowed for the 6 Hour duration...

 

[twilliard]

If you can get him out, I would.
Interceptor is a POTENT substance in our waters.

 

[Sherman]

Man... that sucks about the pistol shrimp. However, I've seen cleaner shrimp make it through the Interceptor at triple dose (Not to say that's the rule, though).

Were I in your shoes, I'd cut that thing into quarters, and dose a full quarter pill each time, just to be sure. It would really suck to go through all that trouble, kill off some of your desired livestock and pods, and not fully eradicate all the red bugs. Having gone through Interceptor once myself, I don't want to have to do it again, so I'd make sure I got 'em. Got 'em good.

 

[class clown]

Elliot - you have a good plan outlined. One thing I didn't see mentioned was disolving the tablet in some fresh RO water before adding to your system. Warm water helps to disolve. I wouldn't do boiling water though for fear it'd take away some of the active ingredients (although I've never seen any studies to prove that theory). Sherman's suggestion to do 1/4 tab is probably fine. I've used very large quantities of this stuff before in concentrated dips and haven't really experienced any ill effects on the corals except maybe some heavier sliming. You would probably kill off some more pods and possibly risk the life of your cleaner more so though with a 1/4 tab vs. 1/8.

good luck.

P.S - both of my cleaner shrimps made it through (although they were very slow and acted a bit drunk). I followed the recomended dosage and was able to rid myself of the bugs. I'd say try to catch the cleaner if you can b/c obviously the stuff isn't good for them, but if you can't, there is some hope that he'll pull through.

 

[CarlaW]

When I treated for bugs in my 300, I went according to the recipe, treated 2 times and I got rid of the bugs. I used 1 pill each time, one week apart, did the water changes afterward. My cleaner shrimp made it thru the first shot, but not the second. I also lost alot of pods, crabs, and snails, but I couldn't get them all out, it would have been just about impossible.

Good luck, and I hope you get rid of the little pests, they are a pain.

 

[trido]

Ive dosed interceptor four times on my 120 and once on my 40. On the 120 I did the three week method the first time around and then recently treated both systems with a one time shot. Ive always followed the recommended dosage with the pill and have never done as big of a WC as recommended. My cleaner shrimp in the 120 has survived every treatment without showing any effects at all. It is one tough shrimp. When I treated the 40 recently I actually forgot about my inverts. A peppermint shrimp and a single hermit were the only survivors. I lost my cleaner and five hermits that time around.

IMO treating with interceptor isnt that big of a deal for a reef if you dont have a load of hermits and shrimps. Ive always had a load of visible pods survive the treatments. The recommended dosage works just fine.

 

[twilliard]

and remember to shut that skimmer off while treating.

 

[CarlaW]

and remember to shut that skimmer off while treating.

Amen to that!!!!

 

[loohunter]

do all three treatments. i did one and i thought i was done. several months later with no new additions i had full blown red bugs again

 

[twilliard]

I feel I need to clarify my statement

If a person takes anything out of the loop while treating, the chances of them (red bug) coming back are great.
When I say "make sure to shut that skimmer off" I don't mean unplug it and take it out of the loop.
I meant to turn the air off and leave the water running at a high level.
There should be no reason that the red bug comes back after treating unless something got missed or pulled out of the loop.
Remember- this stuff is poisonous to our tanks. don't use it like candy

 

[loohunter]

what about eggs

 

[CarlaW]

I feel I need to clarify my statement

If a person takes anything out of the loop while treating, the chances of them (red bug) coming back are great.
When I say "make sure to shut that skimmer off" I don't mean unplug it and take it out of the loop.
I meant to turn the air off and leave the water running at a high level.
There should be no reason that the red bug comes back after treating unless something got missed or pulled out of the loop.
Remember- this stuff is poisonous to our tanks. don't use it like candy

Good point, just let the water circulate thru the skimmer like he said.

 

[trido]

what about eggs

The life cycle of the Red bugs isnt exactly known. That is why its important to treat three times.

 

[loohunter]

The life cycle of the Red bugs isnt exactly known. That is why its important to treat three times.

that was my point, i treated once and several months later( i don't remember exactly how many) they were back, full force

 

[Snowboarda42]

I just got done with the treatment. Six hours after treating with ~1/8th tablet dissolved in RO/DI right out of the unit. I removed all my hermits, one of my two emeralds and took my sponge filter out that I had in the sump, which is now in my QT tank with my new fish. I couldn't catch the cleaner shrimp, or the pistol shrimp, and I didn't care about the big nasty Emerald I couldn't get.

During treatment, I saw the Cleaner slow down his swaying motions, but still move around. I saw the Pistol Shrimp out and about digging his burrow like nothing was wrong, and the Big Nasty stayed in one or two spots for the entire duration. The coral that was mostly colonized by the bugs never slimed up, never had any stress issues, and I can't seem to find any on it. In a few days I'm going to pull it out and look at it closely. I might even just end up taking all 4 Acros out and putting them in a 10G with powerhead and interceptor for a few hours like Melev did. Hopefully we shall see...

Thanks for everyone's input!