Coral dosing

[ecossebear]

I’m hoping for some advice from experienced coral reefers. I’m keen to try and build up the corals in my tank (assuming my lemon peel doesn’t look at them as a snack) and wondered what peoples experience was with coral dipping? I’ve never had much success setting up a QT for fish far less coral so I don’t often put anything new in my aquarium. Does a coral dip kill things like Ich or Velvet? What is the best way of ensuring new corals won’t carry anything that can kill my fish?

 

[Lavey29]

The chances of coral bringing that into your tank is very rare. Dipping kills off pests not bacteria. You would need a coral QT tank and leave them fallow in there for 45 or more days to be certain they are safe for your DT. But same applies to inverts also. Fish QT is different though and treated with various medications to ensure health prior to adding to your DT. I do dip my corals generally but not always per vendors recommendations.

 

[ecossebear]

Thanks for your prompt reply! Yeah I had a disaster with Brooklynella and lost an entire tank worth of fish a few years ago. So after I left it for a few months I then added all the fish I wanted at the same time (Lemonpeel angel, coral beauty, 2 x clowns, purple orchid, gobby and a lawnmower blenny) but never adding anything new to a tank can be dull after a while. I may go for a Mandarin as I have a refug full of copepods but the main additions I plan are coral (probably a bad idea as I’m sure some will just become very expensive treats for my Lemonpeel!!). I was just worried that I may risk the fish with the corals but that sounds reassuring. I added a Gorg last week and used the dip etc and I’ve not had much luck with it so just wondered whether I was doing more harm than good to protect my fish.

 

[Lavey29]

Thanks for your prompt reply! Yeah I had a disaster with Brooklynella and lost an entire tank worth of fish a few years ago. So after I left it for a few months I then added all the fish I wanted at the same time (Lemonpeel angel, coral beauty, 2 x clowns, purple orchid, gobby and a lawnmower blenny) but never adding anything new to a tank can be dull after a while. I may go for a Mandarin as I have a refug full of copepods but the main additions I plan are coral (probably a bad idea as I’m sure some will just become very expensive treats for my Lemonpeel!!). I was just worried that I may risk the fish with the corals but that sounds reassuring. I added a Gorg last week and used the dip etc and I’ve not had much luck with it so just wondered whether I was doing more harm than good to protect my fish.

I had a brook disaster early on also. Some form of fish QT is desirable but others take it a step further and QT inverts and corals also. Some vendors don't recommend dipping after shipping because the coral is under stress. I would be more concerned about nuisance pests then fish disease from coral frags. Inverts can bring disease to but it's rare and most are kept in invert only tanks with no fish. You can always set up a small 20g frag tank to QT corals and feel safer.