Coral Dip really works!

[jaganshi066]

This is my first time buying a coral at a store, which ended up being a zoa. I acclimated it then dipped it and to my surprise so many things came off of it. I saw red/pink long thin worms moving, even a clear small see through shrimp came off of the coral. I don’t know if it was good or bad, but it looked like a really really small ghost shrimp. Just posting to say how relieved and happy I am to see that dipping works so well. Sorry still new to corals friends.

 

[mdb_talon]

Just remember dipping is the first step. Even if you dont QT at a minimum you should manually inspect very closely. Look for eggs, spiders,etc. The dips do well with most pests...but pretty much useless for eggs.

 

[jaganshi066]

Just remember dipping is the first step. Even if you dont QT at a minimum you should manually inspect very closely. Look for eggs, spiders,etc. The dips do well with most pests...but pretty much useless for eggs.

Oh no, now I’m worried I didn’t do that, nor do I know how eggs look like or whatever pests I’m looking for.

 

[mdb_talon]

A few post down this thread has good pic of zoa nudibranch eggs. These are some of the more common pests thst the dip is useless for(the eggs that is).

Zoa eating nudibranch infestation

I admit, I've sort of been neglecting my 28 gal tank and been focused on setting up my new 75 gal tank, I haven't really been looking in my tank as I should. Few nights ago, I found a zoa eating nudibranch. since then, I've been finding and pulling about 5 a day. I inspect my zoas, and do not...

www.reef2reef.com

Look for spider looking things the dips do a poor job of killing them as they sometimes are partially in the coral or protected by slime coat.

Here is a link thay shows the most common zoa pests so you know what to look for.

Salty Underground: Zoanthid Pests and Diseases

A few of the more common pests you may encounter include zoanthid eating nudibranchs, sea spiders, and sundial snails.

saltyunderground.com

 

[jaganshi066]

Oh man I’m really worried now @mdb_talon

 

[mdb_talon]

Oh man I’m really worried now @mdb_talon

Haha dont get too worried. Generally speaking they are not that common. The concern(and why i QT) is because once they make it into an established tank they csn be devastating. In your case if just starting coral even if they get in not too big a deal just let them die out.

 

[fishguy242]

Oh man I’m really worried now @mdb_talon

hi,don't be worried,just aware.. better safe than sorry...

 

[jaganshi066]

Haha dont get too worried. Generally speaking they are not that common. The concern(and why i QT) is because once they make it into an established tank they csn be devastating. In your case if just starting coral even if they get in not too big a deal just let them die out.

Thank you so much for that pests link I quickly glanced over it and now I know a little more. The nudibranchs die to coral dip right?

 

[mdb_talon]

Thank you so much for that pests link I quickly glanced over it and now I know a little more. The nudibranchs die to coral dip right?

The nudis yes...just not the eggs. Luckily the eggs are generally very easy to identify upon inspection just takes some time

 

[jaganshi066]

The nudis yes...just not the eggs. Luckily the eggs are generally very easy to identify upon inspection just takes some time

I didn’t really inspection it though so I feel worried. Also the spiders do t come off when you dip the coral and use a basket to push water to take anything off of the coral?

 

[mdb_talon]

I didn’t really inspection it though so I feel worried. Also the spiders do t come off when you dip the coral and use a basket to push water to take anything off of the coral?

They may - it depends on where they are and if they are protected by the zoanthid or not. I have seen spiders completely inside a closed polyp. Have also seen them burrowed underneath the stalk of a zoa. In my experience spiders can be the hardest zoa pest to spot even with close inspection.

 

[fishguy242]

i do have to jump in here 1 more time..
treat all zoa and palys as toxic ,wash your hands 3x ,do not touch face ,wear glasses when handling "swishing in dip"
not to scare ya..just be careful...

 

[jaganshi066]

They may - it depends on where they are and if they are protected by the zoanthid or not. I have seen spiders completely inside a closed polyp. Have also seen them burrowed underneath the stalk of a zoa. In my experience spiders can be the hardest zoa pest to spot even with close inspection.

I used a turkey baster* and one polyp was closed but the rest were opened so now I’m worried it’s inside the one polyp. that was closed. Is there anything I can do now to see if there are any pests? Can I take it out of my tank and dip it again and look closer

 

[mdb_talon]

Haha really dont worry that much about it! Closed polyps after transporting/during dips/etc is completely normal. I would just let it be in aquarium. If in a few days not all polyps are opening then take it out for inspection

 

[jaganshi066]

Haha really dont worry that much about it! Closed polyps after transporting/during dips/etc is completely normal. I would just let it be in aquarium. If in a few days not all polyps are opening then take it out for inspection

I’m about to stop buying any corals from fish stores cause they don’t quarantine or treat and it seems like one pest can do more harm than it’s worth.

 

[Alexopora]

Oh no, now I’m worried I didn’t do that, nor do I know how eggs look like or whatever pests I’m looking for.

Get a soft cheap makeup brush, preferably brushes that are used for eye makeup. The bristles are soft and gentle enough to not hurt or aggravate the coral. Use the brush to remove any algae and eggs off your corals.

 

[fishguy242]

I’m about to stop buying any corals from fish stores cause they don’t quarantine or treat and it seems like one pest can do more harm than it’s worth.

would not go to that extreme ,would also dip all corals coming from anywhere ,even if claimed qt'd

 

[mdb_talon]

I’m about to stop buying any corals from fish stores cause they don’t quarantine or treat and it seems like one pest can do more harm than it’s worth.

Honestly if they have reasonable prices and what you want i would support them. You can get a pest from anywhere even though some sources are certainly more reliable than others.

There are at least three of the large online vendor sponsors here at R2R that have had pests recently(not naming names cause then they delete all the posts and move this to vendor feedback!).

I know i am in the minority, but this is why I am a huge believer in longterm QT. Years ago i had battles with zoa nudis, aefw, sundial snails, and monti nudis at various times and i do everything possible to ensure thay never happens again. I bought about 40 frags a couple months ago....all still sitting in my QT as i had a monti from one vendor with nudis and zoas from another with spiders! I am confident spiders are gone but dang monti nudis are persistent! About ready to toss the 4 montis so i can move the rest of the coral eventually!

 

[Arabyps]

I know the feeling of the OP. Reefing is a wonderfully hobby but can also be very stressful. IMO coral QT can be difficult because you need to provide adequate light and if a new QT setup the result is significant algae growth. My process is to purchase from on-line sources who specialize in coral and maintain coral systems free of fish, inspect, use UV and other techniques to make sure the livestock is healthy and disease/pest free. Having said that, I also dip using the Billy Pipes method and when adding zoas use H2O2 per his recommendation.

 

[jaganshi066]

Honestly if they have reasonable prices and what you want i would support them. You can get a pest from anywhere even though some sources are certainly more reliable than others.

There are at least three of the large online vendor sponsors here at R2R that have had pests recently(not naming names cause then they delete all the posts and move this to vendor feedback!).

I know i am in the minority, but this is why I am a huge believer in longterm QT. Years ago i had battles with zoa nudis, aefw, sundial snails, and monti nudis at various times and i do everything possible to ensure thay never happens again. I bought about 40 frags a couple months ago....all still sitting in my QT as i had a monti from one vendor with nudis and zoas from another with spiders! I am confident spiders are gone but dang monti nudis are persistent! About ready to toss the 4 montis so i can move the rest of the coral eventually!

I understand but so far I got all my coral from reefers who dip/quarantine and I don’t have a problem. I got a monti from a store and I just noticed I think. Vermetid snails, I can post a picture later maybe you can help. They are nowhere else since I just moved to a new tank other than my monti so I hope they aren’t vermetids, but I’ll post a pic later. I don’t know I’m just annoyed cause I just started that new tank, I never see white string or anything so maybe they aren’t