Remember to inspect, dip and qt your new frags!
- Thread starter Vincerama2
- Start date
Vincerama2
Supporting Member
My qt tank has red flatworms in it now, but they are not seemingly prolific (yet!) I'll have to get some of the bayer dip before transferring over to DT. BUT then ... how do I know they are gone? So I Might have to do total tank dip and 100% WC on the qt tank.
V
V
Coral reefer
Past President
And manual removal routinely for a little while before to minimize the amount of death there will be in your qt
Airline tuning works pretty good to suck em out without taking out too much water, or you could use that awesome 3 micron sock I know you probably still have somewhere to catch the planaria as you siphon water through the sock into a sump or buck
Vincerama2
Supporting Member
LOL!
Soon? Picking up our first frag from fellow club member tomorrow and in reading this, I want to make sure I have a good procedure.
I see a couple of great procedures listed in this thread and hoping someone will weigh in on their favorite.
I get three key steps right now: acclimating from frag water to tank water; visually inspecting/manually cleaning; and the dip in Bayer. (Not necessarily in that order.)
Thanks, all! And can't wait to see @ashburn2k tomorrow.
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Vincerama2
Supporting Member
L/B Block, you are missing the part that I advocate the most ... setting up a quarantine tank!
It can be a small 10 gallon tank with hang on back (HOB) filter to provide water flow and to break the surface of the water (for gas exchange) and a heater. Or it could be a full blown nano tank set up with skimmer.
Acclimating a frag is to ensure that it has the best chance to survive being put into your tank with a possibly large change of salinity, temperature, etc, etc.
Dipping a frag is to kill off any unwanted pests (or attempting to kill off pests) that may come over from the donor tank (flatworms, acro eating bugs, etc, etc)
Quarantining a frag protects your other corals and your main tank from possibly other issues that may come from the donor tank, and may catch things that the dip did not get.
QT also allows you to observe the frag without fish in your DT eating at it, etc, etc. And to make sure it is healthy before putting it into your DT. Also, you may want to pre-mount it on a rock which is in your QT for transfer to the main tank.
Etc, etc.
You need to protect your frag from your tank, and your tank from the frag.
V
It can be a small 10 gallon tank with hang on back (HOB) filter to provide water flow and to break the surface of the water (for gas exchange) and a heater. Or it could be a full blown nano tank set up with skimmer.
Acclimating a frag is to ensure that it has the best chance to survive being put into your tank with a possibly large change of salinity, temperature, etc, etc.
Dipping a frag is to kill off any unwanted pests (or attempting to kill off pests) that may come over from the donor tank (flatworms, acro eating bugs, etc, etc)
Quarantining a frag protects your other corals and your main tank from possibly other issues that may come from the donor tank, and may catch things that the dip did not get.
QT also allows you to observe the frag without fish in your DT eating at it, etc, etc. And to make sure it is healthy before putting it into your DT. Also, you may want to pre-mount it on a rock which is in your QT for transfer to the main tank.
Etc, etc.
You need to protect your frag from your tank, and your tank from the frag.
V
Following this process! I also have some CoralRX but I like a process that I can follow. So I'll do the above. Drip acclimating now.
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roostertech
Guest
My "process", know the tank that the frag come from. If that tank is better kept than mine then I just toss it in 
RandyC
Supporting Member
I also remove coral from any frag plugs or rocks if possible and replace with new ones. Most eggs/cysts supposedly live on plugs or rock.
Flagg37
Guest
That's funny, but it was you that just posted about all the different pests you had found in your tank right?My "process", know the tank that the frag come from. If that tank is better kept than mine then I just toss it in
Do what you can to avoid getting pests but in the end I think it's kind of a rite of passage that everyone goes through. Part of the hard part is recognizing what to look for.
roostertech
Guest
I'd link to think that my tank has great "bio diversity"
Flagg37
Guest
I like that. The only problem is that pests have a way of becoming the dominant life in the tank.
Question: how long should the "dip" on the Bayer be? We thought 7-8 minutes, but that is a soak not a dip... we've not had luck with our frags, vs. the corals we got from Aquatic Collection (we didn't dip) - so I'm wondering if we dipped too long!
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RandyC
Supporting Member
I usually dip/soak up to 10 min in Bayer. Usually around 7 min. There isn't a coral in my tank I haven't used Bayer on.
My guess is we are starting the corals too high in the tank, and need better control over the lighting! But good to know we've got the protocol right. (2 corals lost so far... the green leather toadstool to lighting we think; and the rhodactis mushroom, which L butchered trying to pull it from the plug when we found bubble algae.)
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