Safe Interceptor Dose | Coral Boring Spionid Worms.

Charlie’s Frags

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I think I will follow your method, but go 1/2 the dose for my 100/G system.

Prior to dosing:
I will remove the skimmer cup.
Remove GAC.
I’m not running UV.

1st Week:
I will start with 2 tablets (46mg). I’ll dose the tablets a few hours apart as you said unless I can get it to mix clear beforehand. I’ll put the skimmer cup back on after 48 hrs. Then document and watch the worms for those 7 days.

2nd Week:
I will try 4 tablets (92mg) if I don’t see any worms die. Then document and watch the worms for 7 days.

3rd Week:
I will continue 4 tablets (92mg) if I see the worms dying with that dose. If not, I will increase the dose to 6 tablets (138mg). Then document and watch the worms for 7 more days.

After the treatment is complete:
I will deploy some fresh GAC, and do a 20-30% water change. Then continue to document for the next week or two.

Charlie, how is the solubility of these tablets. Just to confirm, you’re using the classic Interceptor correct? The large dog tablet that “only” contains 23mg of “Milbemycin Oxime” correct? No Praziquantel.


I think I will wait for @Sisterlimonpot to gather more data first before I start.

Hopefully she can keep ramping the dose up weekly as she documents any changes or die off with the Spionid worms. Her pics are very clear and she indeed has the exact species I have. The truth is that most people have them, but nobody really knows.
I just crush the tablets with a spoon and add it to 750 mls of room temp ro water and shake it up for a couple minutes. If you let it sit too long the mixture turns into like a gel
 

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I must be getting old if nobody knows who Dustin is anymore. Dustin Dortin if you want to google some... throw ORA in there. I guess that you only see him in black and white photos next to graduated cylinders, beakers and those glass tubes and stuff. He goes down in the annals of time like Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur and the like.

Here is a formula for Dustins original to treat red bugs, if it helps.

Maybe this was the ORA lab?
Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 9.44.21 AM.png
 

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I must be getting old if nobody knows who Dustin is anymore. Dustin Dortin if you want to google some... throw ORA in there. I guess that you only see him in black and white photos next to graduated cylinders, beakers and those glass tubes and stuff. He goes down in the annals of time like Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur and the like.

Here is a formula for Dustins original to treat red bugs, if it helps.

Maybe this was the ORA lab?
Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 9.44.21 AM.png
That's great to see again. The calculator is for red bugs and seem to follow what everyone is suggestion as the traditional dose. I'm sure, his contribution can be accredited as the foundation for treating for red bugs.


I'm treating for white bugs, where the dose is more potent. Reefoholic is dosing for spionid worms which seems a to require even more.
I do 2 pills/50g anytime I add new corals bc the dips do not kill the white/brown/black bugs.
Are you saying you do this in your main tank? Of are we talking about a coral qt tank?

And if it's in the main tank, how often are you getting new corals?


Vermatids will, unfortunately, be unaffected but interceptor the only thing I can think of that wiped out all of spionid worms.
Can you clarify what you're saying here? It's either missing a word or a word is accidentally used in place of another to make it ambiguous.

I think I will wait for @Sisterlimonpot to gather more data first before I start.

Hopefully she can keep ramping the dose up weekly as she documents any changes or die off with the Spionid worms.

Currently, I'm comfortable doubling my dose. If Charlie frag responds in time, I will consider upping it even more.

As of right now I'm going to toss in a box of interceptor (6 pills 23mg each) in my 350g this evening.

Reefoholic, based on your observation of these spionid worms, can you tell me if they prefer to be out at certain times of the light cycle? Do they hole up at certain times?

I'm asking so that I can figure out the best time to introduce the medication.

I know someone said that light degrades the medication, how true is this? I don't think I've associated that with milbemycin and wondering if that's a concern that was carried over from antibiotics??
 

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That's great to see again. The calculator is for red bugs and seem to follow what everyone is suggestion as the traditional dose. I'm sure, his contribution can be accredited as the foundation for treating for red bugs.


I'm treating for white bugs, where the dose is more potent. Reefoholic is dosing for spionid worms which seems a to require even more.

Are you saying you do this in your main tank? Of are we talking about a coral qt tank?

And if it's in the main tank, how often are you getting new corals?



Can you clarify what you're saying here? It's either missing a word or a word is accidentally used in place of another to make it ambiguous.



Currently, I'm comfortable doubling my dose. If Charlie frag responds in time, I will consider upping it even more.

As of right now I'm going to toss in a box of interceptor (6 pills 23mg each) in my 350g this evening.

Reefoholic, based on your observation of these spionid worms, can you tell me if they prefer to be out at certain times of the light cycle? Do they hole up at certain times?

I'm asking so that I can figure out the best time to introduce the medication.

I know someone said that light degrades the medication, how true is this? I don't think I've associated that with milbemycin and wondering if that's a concern that was carried over from antibiotics??
Interceptor has no effect on vermatid snails ime (in my experience). I do not know for sure if interceptor has an effect on spionid worms but I had them pretty bad before I started treating my tank with heavy interceptor and now I have none.

Yes…I dose the 2 pills in my main 50g sps dominant system. 1 pill and then the second pill a couple hours later.
 

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Yes…I dose the 2 pills in my main 50g sps dominant system. 1 pill and then the second pill a couple hours later.
Thanks for the response. One last question, are we to assume that your 50g sps dominant tank has all the makings of a reef tank? Ie, fish, pods, snails etc?
 

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Thanks for the response. One last question, are we to assume that your 50g sps dominant tank has all the makings of a reef tank? Ie, fish, pods, snails etc?
Yes
I have everything except shrimp and crabs bc interceptor wipes those out. I have never had any issues with fish, corals, snails or urchins when dosing interceptor.
 
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I must be getting old if nobody knows who Dustin is anymore. Dustin Dortin if you want to google some... throw ORA in there. I guess that you only see him in black and white photos next to graduated cylinders, beakers and those glass tubes and stuff. He goes down in the annals of time like Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur and the like.

Here is a formula for Dustins original to treat red bugs, if it helps.

Maybe this was the ORA lab?
Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 9.44.21 AM.png

Thx for that Jda. Interesting how their dose is pretty close to the other standard doses. I think it is good to see all the information to make a decision that is best for each individual tank and what that reefer is trying to go after. The Bugs seem to need the most aggressive treatment.

IMG_1333.jpeg
 
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Reefoholic, based on your observation of these spionid worms, can you tell me if they prefer to be out at certain times of the light cycle? Do they hole up at certain times?

I'm asking so that I can figure out the best time to introduce the medication.

Not that I can tell. They always seem to be out in my tank. HeHe. You can see them very well with a high powered LED flashlight at night. They’re all over the rock edges, on frags at the bottom, and probably in about 90% of the Acro’s at the base. I’ve also seen them in the middle of the rocks, but they definitely appear thicker at the edges. I still haven’t figured out if they prefer corals or if they’re just crawling or swimming around and end up in random areas. It appears to me that they’re not really “hunting” corals, but that the population is large enough to where they just kinda end up everywhere. I’d say they’re similar to Aiptasia. I read somewhere that they secrete acid to bore into the rocks and coral skeletons. Not sure if that’s a fact, but sounds logical to me.

I know someone said that light degrades the medication, how true is this? I don't think I've associated that with milbemycin and wondering if that's a concern that was carried over from antibiotics??
We know light degrades some antibiotics like Cipro, but I’m not sure about Milbemycin Oxime. It’s a broad spectrum antiparasitic. I think it’s in the same family as Ivermectin, but less potent.

I found this on Wiki:

Milbemycins are products of fermentation by Streptomyces species. They have a similar mechanism of action, but a longer half-life than the avermectins. Milbemycin oxime is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus aureolacrimosus. It opens glutamate sensitive chloride channels in neurons and myocytes of invertebrates, leading to hyperpolarisation of these cells and blocking of signal transfer.

Milbemycin oxime is active against a broad spectrum of nematodes. Its miticide spectrum includes Sarcoptes and Demodex. The drug is FDA-approved for prevention of heartworm in dogs and cats, although it is less potent against heartworms than ivermectin.

The drug has been used in marine reef aquaria to control parasitic Tegastidae copepod infestations on captive hard coral colonies. Other arthropod invertebrates will be killed by the treatment.
 
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Interceptor has no effect on vermatid snails ime (in my experience). I do not know for sure if interceptor has an effect on spionid worms but I had them pretty bad before I started treating my tank with heavy interceptor and now I have none.

Yes…I dose the 2 pills in my main 50g sps dominant system. 1 pill and then the second pill a couple hours later.

So Charlie is dosing 46mg to his 50/G SPS tank which is 11X the recommended ORA dose, and he’s not having any issues with SPS. Dustin Dortin (ORA) recommends 4.20-4.30mg for his 50/G water volume. He’s also doing this frequently for new arrivals.

It seems to me that Milbemycin oxime is fairly safe if you don’t have a ton of crustaceans. I’d definitely pull all the shrimps, crabs, and Hermits that you can before dosing, but other than that…SPS seem to tolerate this treatment pretty well.


Charlie, do you have a FTS you can share here?
 

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So Charlie is dosing 46mg to his 50/G SPS tank which is 11X the recommended ORA dose, and he’s not having any issues with SPS. Dustin Dortin (ORA) recommends 4.20-4.30mg for his 50/G water volume. He’s also doing this frequently for new arrivals.

It seems to me that Milbemycin oxime is fairly safe if you don’t have a ton of crustaceans. I’d definitely pull all the shrimps, crabs, and Hermits that you can before dosing, but other than that…SPS seem to tolerate this treatment pretty well.


Charlie, do you have a FTS you can share here?
IMG_3088.jpeg
IMG_3089.jpeg
 
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Those might be the worst pics I’ve ever posted on this site

Well, I see PE and the corals look healthy w/o STN/RTN.

Let me ask you this…has there ever been a weird incident after a 46mg treatment? Have the acro’s ever lost PE, or have you ever had a few check out? Any nutrient swings, pH swings, alk swings, or anything at all other than dead shrimp, crabs, pods, etc.?
 

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I just added the 2nd dose, this time twice the amount (one 23mg pill per 50 gallons).

I said I was going to record it, but didn't have the rig set up.

I split the dose into half and wating 30 minutes to add the 2nd half.

Here's a photo of it 20 minutes after the full dose.

20231103_211731.jpg


20231103_211656.jpg


One thing to note is that the tentacles are retracted. This might be a good sign.

I will check again in the morning to see see if they pop back out.
 

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Well, I see PE and the corals look healthy w/o STN/RTN.

Let me ask you this…has there ever been a weird incident after a 46mg treatment? Have the acro’s ever lost PE, or have you ever had a few check out? Any nutrient swings, pH swings, alk swings, or anything at all other than dead shrimp, crabs, pods, etc.?
Your acros will probably lose PE and maybe even slime a bit when the mixture goes into the water but it will rebound in a matter of hours. I’ve had more sliming and signs of stress from doing large water changes than dosing interceptor.

I can’t remember if ph or ORP drops but it always returns to normal. My alk is always all over the place, so you’re asking the wrong person. I rarely test nutrients.
 

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I just added the 2nd dose, this time twice the amount (one 23mg pill per 50 gallons).

I said I was going to record it, but didn't have the rig set up.

I split the dose into half and wating 30 minutes to add the 2nd half.

Here's a photo of it 20 minutes after the full dose.

20231103_211731.jpg


20231103_211656.jpg


One thing to note is that the tentacles are retracted. This might be a good sign.

I will check again in the morning to see see if they pop back out.
Interceptor doesn’t kill anything on contact or even within a couple hours. Pods, crabs and shrimp take at least 24-48 hrs to die.
 
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I just added the 2nd dose, this time twice the amount (one 23mg pill per 50 gallons).

I said I was going to record it, but didn't have the rig set up.

I split the dose into half and wating 30 minutes to add the 2nd half.

Here's a photo of it 20 minutes after the full dose.

20231103_211731.jpg


20231103_211656.jpg


One thing to note is that the tentacles are retracted. This might be a good sign.

I will check again in the morning to see see if they pop back out.

Nice! They definitely aren’t out anymore. Die Spionid’s!
 
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I just added the 2nd dose, this time twice the amount (one 23mg pill per 50 gallons).

I split the dose into half and wating 30 minutes to add the 2nd half.

Here's a photo of it 20 minutes after the full dose.

Well, we can definitely see they did not like that at this dose. 23mg per 50/G might be “the one”

Can’t wait for more updates. Strong work!

IMG_1355.jpeg
 

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Interceptor doesn’t kill anything on contact or even within a couple hours. Pods, crabs and shrimp take at least 24-48 hrs to die.
I wasn't suggesting that they died, I wanted to see if they'd react. It would've been great to record it to see what took place and when they retracted.

Although, I never paid attention to their habits, if they retract during lights out or not. The next few days should offer some insight as to how much they were effected by the dose.
 

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Well, we can definitely see they did not like that at this dose. 23mg per 50/G might be “the one”

Can’t wait for more updates. Strong work!

IMG_1355.jpeg
I'm glad you took the time to identify location on the photos, I had to move the suction cup and was concerned that it wouldn't be the same frame.

I have a buddy that's a coral farmer, who is doing a test in a 10 gallon tank with the 23mg per 25g. Not so much on spionid but how the corals react to the stronger dose. Not that I don't trust Charlie's frag, but I can't hang my hat on one person's account and risk my entire tank.

I feel that I'm risking a lot as it stands. There is a part of me that is dreading going downstairs and turning the corner to look at my tank in a couple hours.

As for pH and orp. It appears neither have any significant change.

Screenshot_20231104_074031_APEXFusion.jpg


Kind of looks like it's trending up since the 1st dose, but I did increase ozone about the same time, which can account for the rise.

Screenshot_20231104_073951_APEXFusion.jpg
 

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