Not trying to be a Negative Nancy

Zagreus · Apr 14, 2021

But I really dislike welcoming a brand new batch of corals I received by dipping them into some Bayer-BioAdvanced complete insect killer saltwater. In fact it does not matter what dip I use...The whole process is unnerving from the 5 different buckets , matching salinity, temp and basic parameters, avoiding cross contamination. All while hoping your killing everything accept the coral. I suppose I will feel better when the corals open up and show extension....but until then this is one of the responsibilities I always seem to like least. How about you?

F i s h y · Apr 14, 2021

I agree, it is a necessary evil. Hoping the poison is right, and doing what you want without being to much...

Jekyl · Apr 14, 2021

I've never dipped a coral or quarantined livestock. Tank is over 2 years old with no issues.

Zagreus · Apr 14, 2021

Jekyl said:
I've never dipped a coral or quarantined livestock. Tank is over 2 years old with no issues.

Many moons ago I did the same drop and pray and I got lucky a few times with no personal stress and or secondary tank outbreak. But then I got unlucky a few times and got hammered or even wiped out by hitchhikers on coral or brook, velvet, uronema & ich on my fish which made me feel worse than doing the dip and the qt.
For my fish even with my LFS or mail order running a QT system, I am doing @Humblefish copper/general cure prophylaxis 30 day QT on all my fish before admitting them to my display. While still a 30 PIA work out, it is not as bad for me as coral dipping which even now I don't do perfect because I don't have the confidence to cut a frag from the plug with some margin before dipping out of fear I will kill something I just paid $$$. But I suppose I will man up soon enough.

Ghost25 · Apr 14, 2021

I don't like Bayer. I used it for a while but I'm convinced even with washing twice with tank water the frag plug held some of the Bayer causing some inverts to die.

Now I use Coral RX which is significantly more gentle but seems to do a good job. In my opinion matching salinity and other parameters is unnecessary. Corals really are pretty hardy. I add the coral RX directly to the water that the corals came packaged in then remove them and drop them in the tank.

Always inspect your corals carefully, no dip is perfect and careful observation is the best tool.

ReeferBean · Apr 14, 2021

Dip container, and two rinse containers. Then plop them in.

mdb_talon · Apr 14, 2021

Jekyl said:
I've never dipped a coral or quarantined livestock. Tank is over 2 years old with no issues.

I am glad your luck has been good, but do it long enough and especially with the coral i am afraid you will regret it. Monti nudis, zoa nudis, aefw, etc can decimate a tank. With a lot of work and appropriate livestock some can be managed but extremely difficult to eradicate once got a foothold in an established tank with a lot of coral.

Heck i been pulling hair out for 2 months trying to eradicate monti nudis in my QT and that is just on 4 frags. Would cry if they were in my DT.

Only a very few vendors i am confident wont have pests, but even from them i dip and QT

Gtinnel · Apr 14, 2021

I was really uncomfortable using Bayer at first but I've gotten to where I'm now comfortable with it. I haven't had a single coral have any issues with the Bayer. I got a shipment of corals today and the company I bought them from recommended Bayer, from what I understand it's one of the easier dips on the corals.
I do agree with everyone who said to rinse really well. I dip and then go through 4 separate rinse containers just to be sure I got it all off.

Jekyl · Apr 14, 2021

mdb_talon said:
I am glad your luck has been good, but do it long enough and especially with the coral i am afraid you will regret it. Monti nudis, zoa nudis, aefw, etc can decimate a tank. With a lot of work and appropriate livestock some can be managed but extremely difficult to eradicate once got a foothold in an established tank with a lot of coral.

Heck i been pulling hair out for 2 months trying to eradicate monti nudis in my QT and that is just on 4 frags. Would cry if they were in my DT.

Only a very few vendors i am confident wont have pests, but even from them i dip and QT

I'd agree with that. My luck has been pretty good. Aiptasia, bubble algae and Ich are the only real pests that I've seen in my tank.

iMi · Apr 14, 2021

I dipped and still got zoa spiders... finally got them all out.

Montiman · Apr 14, 2021

I don't do many aggressive dips. Usually just coral RX and lugols. What I find interesting is all of the pests people seem worried about like Ich, Aiptasia or algae I don't care about at all. My fish are healthy enough to get over ich, My CBB eats any introduced aiptasia within a week, tangs munch on algae all day.

What I am worried about is AEFW and Montipora Nudibranchs. As my user name suggests I love Montipora and Nudis are an absolute nightmare. I would rather have velvet, or brook than nudis hands down. I have lost thousands of dollars worth of corals that represented years of growth to these pests.

It seams to me that people are now confused on what a truly bad pest is.

Cell · Apr 14, 2021

It's definitely a process. My biggest peeve is when I can't swap out the vendor frag plugs for whatever reason. I don't like dipping plugs in Bayer, but sometimes a frag cannot be removed.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Apr 14, 2021

I use iodine base dips and put all the coral and water together. 1 cap or half cap depending on the water and corals.
Than i just let them sit. Swish em. Hold em upside down swish em. U wanna stir the dip for sure.
Last i just shake em off and in the tank.

If you use coralRx or revive i would use a rinse container and do the same process their in that container. Hths
D

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Apr 14, 2021

I use bone cutters to snap the bottom plugs off so they are discs. Than glue after acclimating.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 14, 2021

I Only use Coralrx OR Revive

Zagreus · Apr 14, 2021

Ghost25 said:
I don't like Bayer. I used it for a while but I'm convinced even with washing twice with tank water the frag plug held some of the Bayer causing some inverts to die.

Now I use Coral RX which is significantly more gentle but seems to do a good job. In my opinion matching salinity and other parameters is unnecessary. Corals really are pretty hardy. I add the coral RX directly to the water that the corals came packaged in then remove them and drop them in the tank.

Always inspect your corals carefully, no dip is perfect and careful observation is the best tool.

Thank you and I am paranoid too about Bayer residue. After i dip i do at least 3 different clean water bucket washes before adding to my display. But i am sure there is still residue. I am also looking at some other dips. Revive keeps coming up as Iike Julian's products. Also Tropic Marin is iodine based but also looks promising. Onward and upward.

Gtinnel · Apr 14, 2021

Cell said:
It's definitely a process. My biggest peeve is when I can't swap out the vendor frag plugs for whatever reason. I don't like dipping plugs in Bayer, but sometimes a frag cannot be removed.

I've always heard that replacing the plugs is a good idea both because of pests and the Bayer. I don't do it but I've considered starting. There are still some corals I'm not sure I'm comfortable taking off of the plugs (basically zoas).

Waynerock · Apr 14, 2021

Some Wearable magnifying glasses and a good light is all I ever use in my 18 odd years. I have rejected some online orders with questionable marks and used peroxide on 3 occasions for algae between zoa. Getting rid of the frag plug really helps. Yes I have been lucky but I attribute that to patients and really scrutinizing the corals. I don’t have moneys to buy big colonies so that helps with inspections and growing them into big colonies is the fun part anyway. The only thing that has gotten past me where 2 instances of pyramid snails which dashed my hopes and dreams of clam ownership, and A giant flatworm that was living in the head of a torch I bought.