What to expect when expecting SPS

[KingReef16]

Hello All,
I am very new to R2R and to this hobby. I just received a shipment of coral frags from WWC (I got sucked into their live sale last weekend!) and I am just wondering what is normal/ok to see on a frag plug and what is not.
Upon opening, I already see I have some sort of tiny swimming hitchhiker. What should I be on the lookout for?? I'm scared I'm gonna kill everything in our tank lol
I appreciate any advice!

 

[pelphrey]

@hatfielj just went through a similar experience with this.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I just got mine today too from the live sale. Found some copepods and a mysid on mine. I used a cheapo usb microscope to go over them while acclimating.
That said.
If have the space and funds a coral qt is the way to go regardless what type of coral and who from.

What to look for are flatworms, red bugs, and if kept in a fish system what you cant see the non motile stages of fish parasites.

 

[KingReef16]

I just got mine today too from the live sale. Found some copepods and a mysid on mine. I used a cheapo usb microscope to go over them while acclimating.
That said.
If have the space and funds a coral qt is the way to go regardless what type of coral and who from.

What to look for are flatworms, red bugs, and if kept in a fish system what you cant see the non motile stages of fish parasites.

Thanks!! I am not set up to quarantine, unfortunately. The instructions with the shipment tell you to put them in your reef first and then dip 10-24 hours later. I'm apprehensive to do tank first and dip later. And we do have fish. ("We" being my husband and I don't want to kill his fish.)

 

[Gareth elliott]

I would follow the directions.

Corals do not dip well after a long travel, plus acclimation stress.

The chances of infecting your reef that first day are low.

 

[happyhourhero]

I always dip when I get the coral. I have not experienced any losses this way. I have never seen a pest drop from a WWC coral but I still dip them.

 

[Foothill Corals]

I know WWC is a very reputable vendor but you should plan on dipping any and ALL frags that go into your system regardless of the source.

 

[KingReef16]

Can anyone tell me what this little guy hanging on the side is?

 

[Waters]

Can anyone tell me what this little guy hanging on the side is?

Looks like an Aiptasia.....definitely don't want to add it to your tank.

 

[Foothill Corals]

That is an Aptasia anemone Very bad not something you want in your tank.

Did that come from WWC? That is pretty disappointing if so. I would definitely complain about that. FYI Dipping will not kill that.

 

[DarthSimon]

Apstasia...

 

[bubbaque]

100% dip your frags before putting them in your tank. Red/black bugs (which I seen on their frags) don't think they aren't allowed off the frags when you put them in your tank. It won't be worth the hassle later on if you have to remove corals to dip them anyways because you found a pest.

 

[Foothill Corals]

Hopefully it is just attached to the plug and you can pop the coral off.

 

[KingReef16]

Looks like an Aiptasia.....definitely don't want to add it to your tank.

OMG thank you! No I definitely do not want that in my tank. Best way to get rid of it??

 

[happyhourhero]

Dang that aip came from WWC?

 

[ChrisW]

If you spent the $$$ on the frag pack whats $20-$40 on a 20gal tank? Def worth the investment. I have a cheap 20gal still in the box bc Im so freaked out about contaminating my tank. I havent even got to buying frags yet but Im ready to QT them when I do finally get there

 

[ChrisW]

Thats a little unsettling coming from WWC innit??

Dang that aip came from WWC?

 

[jda]

Inspection - check. Remove from old frag plugs. Dip in Bayer for a while. Remount on fresh frag plugs. This is about as good as it gets without a QT or frag tank.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I would never consider adding frags to my tank prior to dipping. I have added over 60 SPS frags in the past several months, and dipped every one of them. I have also removed every one of them from the plug they arrived on and glued them to fresh sterilized plugs before placing them in my display. I have not lost a single frag. That being said I do have one frag that STN'd, but is now recovering. Placing the frags directly into your tank then dipping them 24-48 hours later defeats the purpose of the dip, which is to prevent introduction of a pest in the first place. Once the frag is in the tank, any pests that are on them are in the tank too.

 

[KingReef16]

If you spent the $$$ on the frag pack whats $20-$40 on a 20gal tank? Def worth the investment. I have a cheap 20gal still in the box bc Im so freaked out about contaminating my tank. I havent even got to buying frags yet but Im ready to QT them when I do finally get there

Wellllll, see what had happened was...I got excited about adding coral and didn't really think this through. Very unlike me to not do thorough research before jumping into something. So now I'm having a what the heck was I thinking moment. I definitely won't be doing this again without a QT tank. SMH.