Live rock from a tank with red bugs

saltnut

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I took a friend out Saturday and we picked up 30lb.'s of LR from a member. I just raed that people who got coral from the same set up noticed red bugs. ::The rock is in a brand new tank and except for what ever life was on the LR that is all that is in the tank. Do we need to treat it for red bugs? If we do how do you treat it. Do we treat the whole tank or remove the rock? What about the sand?
 
i'd treat the whole tank if you new befor you put the rock in the tank then you could treat just the rock
 
If there are no acros in the tank and you don't add any until after I believe the 5 day mark, you will not have anything to worry about.
 
I did not know about the red bugs till I just read it in the coral for sale forum. The LR tank owner did not know or at least did not tell. The tank was started Saturday. Guess I try a search for treating the tank.
 
Yeah I guess interceptor. So I have some of this for my dog. Since this pest usually host smooth acropora and this tank is brand new with no corals and I read one large pill treats 400 gallons. Do you think I can use 1/3 of a table for 35 gallons and repeat 1 a week for 3 weeks total. Do you think that is enough?
 
I always overdose. When dipping frags I use 1/4 a pill for a large specimen container.
 
Yeah I guess interceptor. So I have some of this for my dog. Since this pest usually host smooth acropora and this tank is brand new with no corals and I read one large pill treats 400 gallons. Do you think I can use 1/3 of a table for 35 gallons and repeat 1 a week for 3 weeks total. Do you think that is enough?

Deb three treatments. second one seven days after the first, then wait 14 days for the third round. I started my treatment last Monday.

Feel free to give me a call if you need any help.
 
I'd def treat and if you don't have any corals in it (which sounds like that's the case) You should be fine after treatment and having a corelless tank for a while while it cycles...
 
Yes no coral the tank has not cycled yet it new. Thanks for the details Ray I did not know to wait 14 days between 2nd and 3rd treatment.
 
If you aren't going to put any acros in till the tank is cycled, there's no need to treat. The red bug life cycle is shorter than the cycle time of a new tank. Adding interceptor will kill some beneficial life on the rock and cost more money.
George
 
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IMO I would rather treat and be sure rather then not treat and find out down the road that You still have them. I also dont think it will increase the cycle time just how long you have to wait to add corals, which again IMO is better to wait longer.
 
I'm not sure of the "life cycle" but if it's as short as Arthur1 suggested I see no need to treat.

Jim
 
It all depends on what type of corals you are going to keep imo. If you are not going to be keeping acropora, then I see no need to treat. If you do plan to keep acropora, I'd treat it now. Don't sweat it too much either way. There are much worse things than red bugs out there.
 
If you aren't going to put any acros in till the tank is cycled, there's no need to treat. The red bug life cycle is shorter than the cycle time of a new tank. Adding interceptor will kill some beneficial life on the rock and cost more money.
George

IIRC the life cycle of red bugs isn't fully known. Do you have a website or anything that has info on that? Last I knew nobody has done any definitive research on the actual life cycle...

As for the money aspect interceptor is pretty cheap and a must have for a reef tank anyways...

IMO I would rather treat and be sure rather then not treat and find out down the road that You still have them. I also dont think it will increase the cycle time just how long you have to wait to add corals, which again IMO is better to wait longer.

Def better to be safe than sorry...

I def don't think it would lengthen the cycle time. People treat a whole tank without crashing the bacteria population...
 
I wouldn't waste the interceptor. With out a food source the red bugs will die all by themselves. By the time your done cycling they will have died off, if there were any on the rock in the first place.
 
IIRC the life cycle of red bugs isn't fully known. Do you have a website or anything that has info on that? Last I knew nobody has done any definitive research on the actual life cycle...

I def don't think it would lengthen the cycle time. People treat a whole tank without crashing the bacteria population...


http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic52127-9-1.aspx?Highlight=Tegastes

According to Eric Borneman, red bugs are live bearers that don't live for more than 5 days without a host. This was posted Nov 2006 and I don't know if newer information is available.

I agree it wouldn't effect cycle time, but it will kill the good pods that come in with the rock.
 
I'll agree with Don on this one.

Just stay away from Acros for the first few months. They'll go away on their own.
 
Just as a warning.... if you think there could be any leftover encrusted SPS's on the rock you bought, I would treat. They could live off these small bits left on the rock. Otherwise, I'm in the don't bother camp. I don't know what the rock looks like, so I can't make an educated recommendation.

I know if I sold my rock, it would have areas with pieces of encrusted coral.
 
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