Red bugs on Acros

[Joeganja]

So I had a post on here about a few weeks ago having a lot of red bugs on my Acros. I ended up dipping all the Acros in coral rx pro and getting rid of them. A week later I see a couple pop up. Definitely not as much about 80-90% have died and I still have a few. Any suggestions?

 

[MermaidTail]

So I had a post on here about a few weeks ago having a lot of red bugs on my Acros. I ended up dipping all the Acros in coral rx pro and getting rid of them. A week later I see a couple pop up. Definitely not as much about 80-90% have died and I still have a few. Any suggestions?

They say a dragonface pipefish will pick them off!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Eggs are not killed by any dip. You need to do repeat dips to kill hatching eggs.

 

[kschweer]

You're probably going to need to do a series of dips. #1 you may not get all of them in a single dip and #2 they may be laying eggs which are hatching after the dip which is why you're seeing them again.

 

[Joeganja]

They say a dragonface pipefish will pick them off!

I have a lot of flow in my sps tank.

 

[Joeganja]

You're probably going to need to do a series of dips. #1 you may not get all of them in a single dip and #2 they may be laying eggs which are hatching after the dip which is why you're seeing them again.

Okay my main question is do they lay eggs on the Acros only or rocks too

 

[ksc]

I believe redbugs are live bearers. I guess you'd just have to keep dipping regularly and hope you get every one of them. The best method is to do an in tank interceptor treatment.

 

[kschweer]

So a little more Research shows ksc is correct they are live bearers. I found some people using coral rx with success doing a series of dips. Daily for a week, every other day week 2, every 3 days week 3 and once a week for weeks 4-6. Interceptor still seems to be the easiet most efficient method

 

[Joeganja]

I'm gonna order a dragon pipefish tonight from live aquaria.

 

[Joeganja]

So a little more Research shows ksc is correct they are live bearers. I found some people using coral rx with success doing a series of dips. Daily for a week, every other day week 2, every 3 days week 3 and once a week for weeks 4-6. Interceptor still seems to be the easiet most efficient method

I have to many sand sifting snails and crustaceans that are far to many to remove.

 

[MermaidTail]

I'm gonna order a dragon pipefish tonight from live aquaria.

I love mine! He's so fun to watch. And while the jury is out on whether or not they make a huge difference in red-bug control, a lot of people agree that if you have a light issue with them, a pipefish can help!

 

[Joeganja]

I love mine! He's so fun to watch. And while the jury is out on whether or not they make a huge difference in red-bug control, a lot of people agree that if you have a light issue with them, a pipefish can help!

How's hard are they to keep or to feed.

 

[MermaidTail]

How's hard are they to keep or to feed.

They eat copepods, and are constant grazers, so a lot of liverock in an established tank is recommended. I've had mine for three months and he's fat and happy, always skimming around for food. He's recently been showing interest in the mysis I feed, so that's cool, too. They're super easy going and playful so not recommended if you have aggressive tank mates or other livestock that primarily eats pods (because of competition)

 

[Joeganja]

They eat copepods, and are constant grazers, so a lot of liverock in an established tank is recommended. I've had mine for three months and he's fat and happy, always skimming around for food. He's recently been showing interest in the mysis I feed, so that's cool, too. They're super easy going and playful so not recommended if you have aggressive tank mates or other livestock that primarily eats pods (because of competition)

And flow? I have a lot of Acros and my return is about 900 gph

 

[MermaidTail]

And flow? I have a lot of Acros and my return is about 900 gph

They're lightweight and more like sea horses in swimming abilities than fish, so as long as there is substantial areas of lower flow- especially around caves, overhangs, and the substrate- you should be good. Mine actually seems to like drifting in high flow areas at night.

 

[Joeganja]

They're lightweight and more like sea horses in swimming abilities than fish, so as long as there is substantial areas of lower flow- especially around caves, overhangs, and the substrate- you should be good. Mine actually seems to like drifting in high flow areas at night.

Alright thanks.

 

[Joeganja]

one more dip before I take any other actions.

 

[klp]

One link that may help if you cannot get Interceptor.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-bugs-on-acros.246547/?utm_source=newsletter_1&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=April_29_2016