Frag tank and hitchhikers question

JAMSOURY · Aug 31, 2017

Im new to setting up a frag tank and I got a question about hitchhikers. Do the hitchhikers travel from frag to frag, or would the frags or live rocks have to be in contact for them to spread to other frags/coral?

Tautog · Aug 31, 2017

Pests come in many forms, and each have their own nightmare, I use Revive X, be careful not to overdo the dipping, but I dip all corals from any source, especially a fellow reefer who may have a new pest

lou dog420 · Aug 31, 2017

Yes, once in your system they will spread ..

JAMSOURY · Aug 31, 2017

lou dog420 said:
Yes, once in your system they will spread ..

Do they carry parasites like ich and velvet as well?

lou dog420 · Aug 31, 2017

Not that I am aware of.

saltyfilmfolks · Aug 31, 2017

JAMSOURY said:
Do they carry parasites like ich and velvet as well?

They can yes. But if the frag tank is fishless, it's technically fallow. So Just keep track of that time.

And if it's just frags, you can use the tank as a coral qt as well. Then, if you get bugs , you can nuke the frag tank. Like with flatworm exit for nudibrachs or interceptor for spiders ,etc. using that stuff in a DT can be rough.

JAMSOURY · Aug 31, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
They can yes. But if the frag tank is fishless, it's technically fallow. So Justin keep track of that time.

And if it's just frags, you can use the tank as a coral qt as well. Then, if you get bugs , you can nuke the frag tank. Like with flatworm exit for nudibrachs or interceptor for spiders ,etc. using that stuff in a DT can be rough.

Cool makes sense. Thanks!

Big G · Aug 31, 2017

JAMSOURY said:
Im new to setting up a frag tank and I got a question about hitchhikers. Do the hitchhikers travel from frag to frag, or would the frags or live rocks have to be in contact for them to spread to other frags/coral?

Yeah, that's why lots of folks think it is wise to cut-off the old frag disk/plug, then dip in Bayer, etc., rinse, rinse, then attach a new disk/plug before placing a new coral into your frag tank. I know - it's brutal to think about doing that to your new purchase, but it comes down to your peace-of-mind. Cheers!

JAMSOURY · Sep 1, 2017

Big G said:
Yeah, that's why lots of folks think it is wise to cut-off the old frag disk/plug, then dip in Bayer, etc., rinse, rinse, then attach a new disk/plug before placing a new coral into your frag tank. I know - it's brutal to think about doing that to your new purchase, but it comes down to your peace-of-mind. Cheers!

Yeah saving the long run stress will be worth it. I'm gonna give it a try!