Interceptor

[phixman]

I have a 20 gallon tank,and I'm starting my red sea 350. Before my trip to Europe, I noticed my sps had some red bugs. I was told interceptor was good, and 3 treatments should kill them off. Since I was leaving a week later and didn't want to treat the tank before leaving, I decided to dip my sps. I'm sure red bugs survived, but I think that would have been enough until I came back, which is in about 2 weeks. I want to treat the tank prior to moving my coral to their new tank, so I want to treat them with interceptor in the smaller tank. I know 1 large tablet will treat 400 gallons I think? so I'd have to cut it into 20 pieces which would be difficult. So my questions are, does anyone know of an easier way / smaller pill I could use? Also, where can I get this without prescription, thanks again.

Ps: I hope I posted this in the right place

 

[29bonsaireef]

Check on eBay/Craigslist. The 51-100lbs dissolvable ones is what you want, not chewy. I have done halves of these pills in my 29gal before. Knocked every bug out in one treatment. Just make sure to try and get out any crustacean you want to live. I wait 24-48hrs after adding it then change out about 50% water...wait a few days, and do another decent WC. I've had bugs at least a dozen times through my years in this hobby and Interceptor has worked well every time.

 

[phixman]

I can't seem to find a dissoluble pill, just the chewy ones, the image above is the 50-100lb treatment. Any idea how many pills come in each box?

 

[jda]

I have used the flavor chews before. They work fine, but you need to get them all dissolved up. I did use a whole chew, though.

You can buy smaller pills for smaller dogs and not have to cut as much. Just go off of the MBE mg count.

Overdosing appears to be coral safe, but this is where you get mixed results with crabs, pods, starfish, etc. Staying near the dosage recommended by Dustin has the highest safety rate with other stuff while still killing the red bugs.

 

[phixman]

Who is Dustin? and where could I find the MBE mg count per gallon of water needed?

 

[jda]

Dustin is the man from ORA who pioneered this treatment for red bugs probably 15 years ago (ish?).

I do not remember the formula off of the top of my head about which pill treats which amount of gallons. My recollection is that 23 mg of MBE works up to 400 gallons, but please confirm this.

 

[phixman]

Is the calculator provided on this site accurate for newer interceptors?
I'm not sure if links are allowed, please remove if not.
https://reefs.com/acropora-red-bug-milbemycin-treatment-calculator/

 

[DHill6]

I’ve used it before on new coral.1/2 pill in 5 g bucket with heater and pump. Bath for 2 hrs. Worked fine. Prescription from vet, non-expired. He wrote it out for coral use.

 

[jda]

Check the MBE mg level on the package. The newer stuff has Prazi in it as well, so you can treat your angelfish for flukes at the same time... seriously, this stuff is reef safe at this dosage. The first iteration of Intercepetor had no Prazi.

 

[Scorpius]

Dr. G's Coral dip works the same as Intercetor, aka has the same main ingredient. Used it to kill my red bugs and I didn't have to argue with a vet.

 

[osceolas]

Dr. G's Coral dip works the same as Intercetor, aka has the same main ingredient. Used it to kill my red bugs and I didn't have to argue with a vet.

How did you dose this? Did you just dip the coral or you treated the whole tank?

 

[Scorpius]

How did you dose this? Did you just dip the coral or you treated the whole tank?

I dosed my whole tank way back when I had red bugs. I think I went with 1ml per gal.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I have never had to treat more than one time. Red bugs are live bearing and if you do the treatment right then they will be gone in one shot. Treating three times in a row is a little harsher than just once but still safe as can be in my experience. Pods bounce back to large populations very soon after the treatments.