Dip??

[lickyricky]

I saw a post about dipping corals before putting them in your tank...what does this mean?

 

[wysiwyg]

dip them in a solution that would kill any invasive pests that might be harboring on the corals that could destroy a tank full of corals if went un dipped

 

[Loki]

^^^yup! And that is for before you put them in your tank. There are dips for everything. It's just putting coral/fish/whatever into a solution for a period of time (usually from 3-20 minutes) that is preventative or trying to alleviate a problem

 

[lickyricky]

^^^yup! And that is for before you put them in your tank. There are dips for everything. It's just putting coral/fish/whatever into a solution for a period of time (usually from 3-20 minutes) that is preventative or trying to alleviate a problem

So do I just purchase this dip solution from my LFS? Do I need a separate tank to keep salt water in? I was planning on purchasing my water instead of mixing it myself.

 

[Loki]

I love coralRX! I dip everything in it. I use the water that the corals come in and dip them in the bag (just add the dip into the bag with the coral). Then start the acclimation process.

 

[Loki]

If you want to dip a coral you have in your tank remove the water from you tank and dip it in your tank water. It's best to remember that every time you move a specimen to different saltwater you have to acclimate it. It's best to limit acclamations to only when necessary.

 

[lickyricky]

I love coralRX! I dip everything in it. I use the water that the corals come in and dip them in the bag (just add the dip into the bag with the coral). Then start the acclimation process.

So when you dip in the bag? how do you keep the dip water out of your tank after the acclimation process? do you just take the coral out of the bag and add it to the tank? I guess I am just worried that some of that chemical would get into my tank water.

Speaking of acclimations, what is the best process for this?

 

[Loki]

It's advisable to never add water from a tank not maintained by you to your tank. Because there can be medications in their water that could wipe out your tank.

So acclimate in the bag or a bucket if you have several bags and then lift the corals out of the bucket and place into your tank. Some things are best to not be exposed to air (or so I have been told) I have exposed everything (starfish, clams, anemones, fish, coral, etc) to air with no I'll affects.

 

[Loki]

I use the drip method. The first thing I do is check the salinity of the outside water against mine to determine how long I am going to acclimate. I try to go for 10 minutes for every 0.001 it's off.

For example:

New coral in bag and their salinity is 1.022 and mine is 1.024. I would drip acclimate for 20 minutes.

I also put a finger or two into my tank and then the bag to compare temp. If its close I don't adjust temp (usually)

 

[Loki]

For the equipment to drip I have ~8 feet of RODI tubing and a ball valve. I start a syphon from my tank and drip the water from my tank into the holding container. I try to double the water in about 1/2 the acclimation time, then remove half (making the remaining water 1/2 the newbies and 1/2 my tanks) and go the rest. Now it is in roughly 3/4 my tank water. I then remove the coral and put into my tank.

 

[Loki]

^^ if any of that didn't make sense let me know and I'll rephrase it. I haven't slept much today so my thoughts aren't forming correctly.

 

[Steelerfan747]

I love coralRX! I dip everything in it. I use the water that the corals come in and dip them in the bag (just add the dip into the bag with the coral). Then start the acclimation process.

How long do you keep the solution in the bag before you start the acclimation process?

 

[Loki]

Since my acclimation varies the time varies. If its a quick 10 minute one then I'll leave it the full amount of time per the instructions so that I don't dilute the dip before hand. Then in 5ish minutes half should be gone, 5 more and it's in my tank. If it is a longer one say 30 I'll start at the same time as the dip. CoralRX is a "10 minute" dip but I have left an acanthophyllia (that was in my tank so no acclimation) in there for over 30 in a 2x concentrated dip and it is doing wonderfully now

 

[Tinola]

i just float the bag of corals. Then pour contents into tank water + revive dip. Wait 5 minutes, rinse corals with tank water without the revive dip, then throw in the tank.
For fish, I just do the typical acclimation process, not the dip. Float bag of water, then pour in a cup of tank water a few times every 15 minutes.