Live rock dip

Umbra · Dec 31, 2017

I'm looking for ribbon worms but since nowhere seems to actually sell them, I'm going to resort to buying a bunch of live rock and trying to find them myself. I know people tend to find them when they dip rock to flush out pests - is there a dipping method I can use to flush them out without immediately killing them? I've only ever dipped uing things like Coral RX which just kills them. Would a quick higher salinity dip work for my purpose?

P.S. if there is anyone in Ontario, Canada that wants discounted live rock after the dip I'll be willing to sell most of it post dip for a good amount cheaper than what it sells for in the local lfs.

Thanks!

Daniel@R2R · Jan 2, 2018

I'm not aware of any dipping method that wouldn't be toxic to the inverts. In general, I wouldn't dip LR anyway. If you're buying it live, it seems you would want the fauna that comes with it. Otherwise, it would be better to just buy it dry.

In your particular case, I'd actually recommend trying to find someone who has the worms that they've gotten as hitchhikers and could sell you some. That way, you would avoid any potential problems and know that you're getting exactly what you're hoping for.

Umbra · Jan 2, 2018

Thanks for the reply! I will be setting up several small nano tanks for ribbon worms so I will need some live rock anyways. I spoke to a wholesaler who said that I can keep the rocks on eggcrate with just the very bottom touching the waterline. That will drive out a lot of the critters into the water below. I've also heard of people removing mantis shrimp/eunicid worms via salinated soda water with no apparent harm to the culprits so maybe I'll try a bit of that as well.

Either way, I'm always on the lookout for anyone who finds ribbon worms as hitchhikers, thanks for the advice! If you ever find any, you know who to contact