Over-dipped and killed my new Red Dragon

[Sierra_Bravo]

Did the same thing. I got a nice frag of Red Dragon and dipped it in Revive. I noticed that the Revive had a funny smell after dipping. That frag was pure white by the next morning.

Interesting - I noticed a different, unique smell as well.

 

[Rogergolf66]

I only read the firs 5 or so posted but this is unfortunately part of the hobby. My qt process is 8 dips over 8 weeks. I have lost many Frags and colony but it’s better then wiping out whole tank with pests

 

[Dsnakes]

Here is my undipped red dragon

My undipped has already completely RTN...so mine didn't fair any better ;Dead

 

[WWIII]

I've had 2 red dragon acro frags decide to RTN for no apparent reason. When they go, they go fast it seems. The skin peels off completely in less than 24hrs, probably less than 12 hrs. The last frag that did this was sitting on some eggcrate in the middle of about 20 acropora frags, it was the only one that did this. I think it can be a fast growing "easy" acro when it's happy, but also very sensitive. Wishing the OP better luck with the replacement purchases!

 

[KTTX]

I read in this thread someone was also replacing frag plug...are you doing that? What if it is encrusted? TIA

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I read in this thread someone was also replacing frag plug...are you doing that? What if it is encrusted? TIA

I am following the advice of many who recommend getting rid of the old plug no matter what and re-mounting on a clean, new one. If you are going to get a pest chances are much higher it's going to be on the plug. If it's encrusted, so be it - I'd rather it have to grow back than miss something hiding on the plug.

I also stopped buying the cheap frags off ebay, which I was doing as "test acros". I now only buy from well known, successful suppliers who are active on R2R and have a lot more to lose than I do if they allow pests in their own systems. Even then I swap out the plug.

 

[Sir Chris]

I lost my red and gold dragons. That killed

 

[burninreefer]

most deep water corals don't have slime and dipping will kill. red dragon is a deep water

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I paid for them both since it was my error, but Pieces of the Ocean was very responsive and I'm happy to report that both the Red Dragon and the Needle in the Haystack were replaced. This time I did a brief 2 minute dip and did not experience any issues.

Both frags were exceptionally clean and I did not see any pests on the frag or come off in the dipping solution. I'm of the opinion that it is more important with a smooth acro to ensure you buy it from an established, trusted vendor since you won't be able to perform a full dip routine.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Brad Montgomery]

I read in this thread someone was also replacing frag plug...are you doing that? What if it is encrusted? TIA

Cut the acro just above the plug even if it's encrusted! Bugs live under the base of the acro it's better to cut the frag off the plug and let it encrust on a new one. I learned my lesson the hard way and battled all summer with a black bug/worm type of pest. Not all pests are affected by the dips available either. The bugs I encountered seem to be unaffected by anything other than long hard dips. I used a half container of Bayer in about a quart of water and dipped for about an hour. Not sure if it killed them all or not. They lay thousands of eggs and the eggs are not affected by dips. The eggs are usually laid on the coral skin or under the encrusted Coral. Therefore cutting it and replugging is a must

 

[Brad Montgomery]

Some acro die not because of the dip but because of the stress of shipping and rehoming. Some acro are more sensitive than othe re and I've had many frags arrive dead. Others die writhing 24 hours in the tank. With Bayer it attacks the nervous system of pests. The acro doesn't have a nervous system and should be unaffected by the dip no matter how long it is dipped for. The problem is the temperature change of the water due to long dips. I can see this more of an issue than the dip itself unless you have a heater set to the same as your tank water for the event of long dips.