First coral expo

[Brew12]

Yesterday I went to my first coral expo. It was in Huntsville, AL and I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping to learn to get better in this hobby. The few vendors were so busy they really didn't have time to interact other than for sales. Not a big deal, it is understandable given the location of the expo. The room was very small and only had few venders.

What did shock me was the amount of hitchhikers on the coral pieces. I saw what I think was aptasia all over one of the sellers corals. I picked up a few frags from a different vender since I think my tank is about ready. Did a Bayer dip and was surprised at what came off them. Quite a few little bugs. Is this common for a coral expo? Is it wrong to expect these "experts" to offer clean, bug free plugs?

 

[helen ann]

Awwwww sorry you were disappointed!
My local swaps are usually ran by the local club and all have been fantastic.

 

[Brew12]

My local swaps are usually ran by the local club and all have been fantastic.

The local club in our area was disbanded. North Alabama Reef Club. That may have contributed to it.

On a separate note, does a Bayer dip kill aptasia?

 

[JaimeAdams]

No bayer does not kill aptasia. Aptasia on frags kind of sucks.

When you say bugs came off of your frags, what kind of bugs are we talking, flat worm, nudibranchs, red bugs or are we talking copopods/amphipods?

 

[Brew12]

No bayer does not kill aptasia. Aptasia on frags kind of sucks.

When you say bugs came off of your frags, what kind of bugs are we talking, flat worm, nudibranchs, red bugs or are we talking copopods/amphipods?

I'm pretty sure they were copepods. Not 100% sure. It was really the aptasia that surprised me the most. And unfortunately, I think I see one on one of the frags I picked up.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I got a small rubble rock with palys on it that had a ton of aptasia on it. I cut each one off and mounted on plugs. Then there were small tiny aptasia on the actual paly stalks. I very carefully scraped them off with a razor.

 

[Brew12]

I got a small rubble rock with palys on it that had a ton of aptasia on it. I cut each one off and mounted on plugs. Then there were small tiny aptasia on the actual paly stalks. I very carefully scraped them off with a razor.

This coral plug only has 2 good heads on it and the aptasia is right in between them. Not sure I could scrape it off or super glue it without damaging the heads.

 

[Brew12]

I very carefully scraped them off with a razor.

I tried it and think it I may have got it removed. Scraped it off and rinsed the frag with tank water. Hopefully that worked and thanks for the idea!

 

[helen ann]

The local club in our area was disbanded. North Alabama Reef Club. That may have contributed to it.

On a separate note, does a Bayer dip kill aptasia?

See you have your answer already.

 

[Brew12]

See you have your answer already.

I'd be so lost without this forum. In fact, if not for this forum I would never have tried doing this. Always wanted to but never felt like I knew enough.

 

[helen ann]

I'd be so lost without this forum. In fact, if not for this forum I would never have tried doing this. Always wanted to but never felt like I knew enough.

Believe me, you will never know everything in this hobby, I learn something new every day!!! R2R is a great resource with great people willing to help us newbies navigate this new world.

 

[steve&mari]

Swaps we been to have had mostly clean frags. Yet it's why we dip and inspect and clean up if needed before putting in the tank. Always enjoyed the swaps. How can hanging with reefers for a day ever be a bad day lol.