Smooth skin sps
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mylittlejade
Active Member
I dip all my sps corals in the Bayer without any problems. I actually just dipped a Purple Dragon Eyes the other day and left it in the solution for close to 20 minutes. I took it out and dipped in tank water then put it in the tank and polyps were immediately out.
Bryan
Bryan
Why would you dip a healthy coral? Why would you add a coral that isn't healthy to your collection? Is it worth it? If you think you need to dip it you why would you put it in your collection? Prophylactic dipping is black magic. If your aren't doing it for a specific pest then you are risking you animals with out cause. I don't dip corals with out cause and would never put a coral that I had to dip into my collection with out some serious quarantine.
solar
Valuable Member
Dipping is the best advice I ever got.
Not dipping well good luck hope you never get aefw or redbugs. There are alot of unknowns out there, even from reputable sources!
mylittlejade
Active Member
^^knowing a little about Dave's system I'm sure he will be ok. He has more experience then most in the reef community. In my opinion though, I feel that if I don't know the system I'm getting corals from I'm going to dip to try and prevent any problems. Now corals that come from people like Dave's or some friends I have close by I can feel better about not dipping knowing they haven't added any corals to their systems in a long time.
Bryan
Bryan
Zack
Valuable Member
Why risk introducing a pest into your system?
So are you saying that you actually put frags into your tank without dipping them first if you believe they came from a reputable source? I would rather dip a frag and risk killing it(even thpugh bayer has never killed any frag) than risk infecting thousands of dollars of acros.
No offense meant, im just kind of suprised.
Have you ever had a pest?
Generic "dipping" is not a reliable way to keep from introducing AEFW or red bugs into your system. Dipping with Bayers, may help if a coral has flat worms but even that is hit or miss with a single dip. If you are dipping for a specific pest, perhaps dipping will lower the chance of introducing that pest into your system. That is probably a good idea , however, I think though that most of the people here don't mean a specific dip of a specific chemical for a specific pest. They are talking "dipping" with something or other before they put a supposedly "healthy" coral into their system. Once again. why dip a healthy coral in "revive" or some other non specified dip because it " might" lower the risk of introducing a pest into your system. I honestly think its gives people a false sense of security, more of a lucky charm than a real risk reduction strategy. Dipping is not a reliable way to keep from introducing pests into your systems. If that is why you dip, then you should do more. Otherwise you will get pests.
I dealt with a pretty serous flatworm infestation in 2005. Saw my first red bug in 2004. So yea I have dealt with a few different types of non desirable species over the years. Lost over a hundred colonies, mostly due to my attempts to kill the flatworms but that's another long story.
But I very seldom add a frag to my system. When i do, I don't depend on dips to keep pests from coming in with it. If I was going to add a coral from a source that I haven't seen and known long term, then I would quarantine that piece for quite sometime before i risked my entire collection for the sake of a new frag. Specific dips for specific pests are medicine, not prophylactic solutions to prevent infections.
I dealt with a pretty serous flatworm infestation in 2005. Saw my first red bug in 2004. So yea I have dealt with a few different types of non desirable species over the years. Lost over a hundred colonies, mostly due to my attempts to kill the flatworms but that's another long story.
But I very seldom add a frag to my system. When i do, I don't depend on dips to keep pests from coming in with it. If I was going to add a coral from a source that I haven't seen and known long term, then I would quarantine that piece for quite sometime before i risked my entire collection for the sake of a new frag. Specific dips for specific pests are medicine, not prophylactic solutions to prevent infections.
I am not saying that dipping a coral into Bayer for AEFW or some other solution for red bugs isn't a good idea if you think the coral is infected. I am saying that if you think a generic "dip" protects your tank from infection then you should do more because it doesn't. If you think the dip, "somehow" helps your corals adapt to the "stress" of moving then I believe that is a mistake and kills many corals that might otherwise had lived.
Healthy coral just like healthy people, it's more than appearances. Pests can survive without undermining the overall host for sometime. Appearances can also be deceiving and even experienced reefers can find it hard to spot pests on frags, let alone less experienced reefers.
Dipping, like quarantining has risks.
Just some of the concerns with qt tanks: Most qt tanks usually do not have the stability, lighting, flow, ecology, chemistry of a display tank for many reasons and therefore there is usually an increased risk to the frag. I am by no means suggesting qt tanks are risky, I am saying they are generally not as optimal an environment as a display. I also think they are a necessity or at least nearly so.
Some of the concerns with dipping include: additional trauma to a new frag and real risk of death
No one method is foolproof, yet between 1) observation, 2) plug removal 3) dipping and 4) quarantining, the likelihood of pest introduction is reduced albeit with increased frag mortality. I think all of the safety precautions are important and I advocate them all. Dipping may ultimately cause the demise of your frag, but that cost is just one frag versus your display being infected. I have lost frags because of dipping and i have lost frags in quarantine although very few.
But just like with people, because you know the family, background and everything looks healthy does not mean it is so. Pests are endemic to reef keeping. Safety and appropriate precautions are always paramount.
Dipping, like quarantining has risks.
Just some of the concerns with qt tanks: Most qt tanks usually do not have the stability, lighting, flow, ecology, chemistry of a display tank for many reasons and therefore there is usually an increased risk to the frag. I am by no means suggesting qt tanks are risky, I am saying they are generally not as optimal an environment as a display. I also think they are a necessity or at least nearly so.
Some of the concerns with dipping include: additional trauma to a new frag and real risk of death
No one method is foolproof, yet between 1) observation, 2) plug removal 3) dipping and 4) quarantining, the likelihood of pest introduction is reduced albeit with increased frag mortality. I think all of the safety precautions are important and I advocate them all. Dipping may ultimately cause the demise of your frag, but that cost is just one frag versus your display being infected. I have lost frags because of dipping and i have lost frags in quarantine although very few.
But just like with people, because you know the family, background and everything looks healthy does not mean it is so. Pests are endemic to reef keeping. Safety and appropriate precautions are always paramount.
