Can Interceptor Go bad?????

[rlabriola]

i noticed on my sps frag tank yesterday that red bugs had moved in. i had some Interceptor tabs that were given to me by a Vet. i have had them sitting on my shelf for a year, but no idea how long the vet had them. i took all of the snails out of the tank before a heavy treatment, and then treated it for 1 hour. in the end i found two snails and two shrimp in the tank still alive. i thought the main ingredient killed inverts. does this mean that the treatment didn't work? most of the redbugs came off, but i believe it is because i shook them violently underwater..Please Advise

[60Cubed]

No shelf life. You should be good.

[SHOmuchFUN]

interceptor does not affect snails... Mostly hermits and shrimp.

[jrpdriver]

I've read that the treatment takes 6-8 hours to effectively kill most of the red bugs and you don't tend to loose shrimp and crabs until the 2nd treatment. I don't think 1 hour is enough to do anything unless you did a very high dose like 10x the recommended

[rlabriola]

i used a 5.75 mg tablet in a 20 gal tank and treated for about an hour and it did not effect the shrimp at all. i was concerned that if it didn't kill the shrimp than it would not kill the red bugs. thanks for the advise

[Jefe12234]

Interceptor seems to need at least a few hours, preferably 6-8 in order to kill red bugs. I did not see red bugs drop off until around the 3 hour mark. Increasing the dose does not seem to kill them any faster. I would treat again. Also, the last time I treated I lost all my Acro crabs, but my pistol shrimp survived and I managed to catch and remove my fire shrimp after a few hours when he became lethargic from the Interceptor. He recovered after placing him in a different tank.

[ReefWreak]

As was mentioned before, and according to the original articles by Dorton and a revisit to the original Dorton article by E. Borneman, it looked like it was more of a duration of treatment than dosage that effected the RB the most.

In my case, I like to overdose and leave the chemical in for to long. I also believe that if any shrimp or crabs survive, you didn't kill the redbugs, but I'm sure some if not most people would disagree with that statement.

for 120g+29g sump, I have been doing 1 large dog interceptor for the whole tank, and left it in the tank with no changes for 12-24 hours. For quarantine before a coral enters the tank, I've eben doing half a large dog pill or one small dog pill plus half a fluke tab, for 6-24 hours, depending on the source of the coral itself. I leave them in a tub with a powerhead and heater to keep them alive and to keep the meds circulating around enough to squash any bastards that might have come on the coral.

[Philwd]

Yes opened interceptor has a shelf life. Sealed does not.

I also agree duration is more important than dose. I always went 12 hrs. It did kill my emeralds.

[rlabriola]

good to know. my next treatment will be in line with what you guys are saying. Duration = Death

[Blackgagt1]

I work for a veterinary clinic, we sell Interceptor. It has an expiration on the box, it is about 4 years but still an expiration.

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13010868#post13010868 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Blackgagt1
I work for a veterinary clinic, we sell Interceptor. It has an expiration on the box, it is about 4 years but still an expiration.

Most pharmaceuticals have expiration dates that are far sooner then what they should be.

[FinalPhaze987]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13010923#post13010923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Genetics
Most pharmaceuticals have expiration dates that are far sooner then what they should be.

While this may hold true for certain drugs, I can assure it is not the case for most. i.e Asprin. Smell the inside of a bottle of asprin (opened or unopened bottle) 3 days before the expiration date. In most cases (especially those not enteric coated) it will smell like vinegar, a sign it has gone bad.

The FDA establishes dates based on the drugs ED50 and in accordance to safety protocols pertaining to all pharmaceuticals (Rx, OTC, vet, etc.) designed to protect the consumer.

You wouldnt want to be in a hospital and glance over at the IV bag with an expiration date of 06/08.

IMO an old tab of interceptor shouldnt be bad. (depending on age ofcourse) If anything it may not have the same effectiveness, but as stated above by one who works with interceptor in their clinic, it has a shelf life of 4 years.

[sps1-2-b]

I would definitely recommend doing the 3 treatments. I did half of the large pill for 8 hrs in my 200 gal. After the first treatment no more red bugs. My cleaner and blood shrimps survived. The second treatment's to kill the hatched eggs 1 week later. My blood shrimp survived, my cleaner shrimp died. The third treatment was for my peace of mind. Just to make sure that I didn't miss any that may have hatched after the second. It's been 5 mos and I'm red bug free. HTH.