Red Bugs Out in the Open

[jhale]

if you don't know what to look for here is a photo showing what the bugs look like to the human eye, even this pic has been magnified quite a bit.

 

[jhale]

This is something you want to avoid at all cost.
The treatment for red bugs will kill all your blue legged hermit crabs, emerald crabs, and most of your pod population.
You will have to treat the tank three times which involves a lot of time and salt.
I have over $100 worth of crabs that will die unless I catch them all, then there's the $50 of salt I'm going to waste, and all the extra RO water I have to make up, and the time I'm going to have to spend for all this, getting red bugs just sucks.
It's well worth setting up a QT and putting EVERYTHING in it for at least four weeks.
After I go through these treatments I never want to deal with this again.
I'm also worried for my mandarin, though Shaun told me the pods he eats will not be effected, I'm still not sure. I've read many conflicting reports.

 

[spykes]

dang john sucks being you. thank god im moving to a smaller tank. if any case this information has helped me alot ID this stuff.

 

[ctxmonitor]

Good luck with your treatment, John.

If anyone want a really close up shot of the redbugs go this site.. It has a link to a superior enlargement of the redbug.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/redbugs.html