Preventative Protocol for New SPS Coral Purchases

[Myka]

Originally Posted by ReefMadness

a lot of times a new addition in a larger tank requires being moved around the tank for light acclimation and to find it's happy place. how do you go about relocating a coral that no longer is affixed to a plug?
finally, have you ever lost a coral to associated dipping process trauma?

Moving the coral around is why I glue it to rock rubble after removing the old plug and dipping it. I then glue the rock rubble holding the coral to my rock work. If it needs moving it's easy to pop the rubble off and move it without disturbing the coral itself.

I have lost corals within 24 hours of dipping, but these are corals that were looking sad to begin with (bleached, browned, etc). Personally, I'd rather lose a coral than not dip it. Losing the coral is very little concern to me.

Originally Posted by DKoKoMan

Is there a so called "runner up" to Bayer? Anything we can use that is local and not illegal lol. I'm sure it may not be as good at the job, however I am curious as to what other people have used with success.

As said, it's not illegal to use Bayer.

You can use Coral Rx or Revive. It doesn't work as well as Bayer. I don't find that Coral Rx or Revive will knock off AEFW (they will knock off adult MEN though), but the dips do give the worms that whitish coloring so you can see them. You definitely have to be much more meticulous in inspecting if you use Coral Rx or Revive. I find that Coral Rx and Revive are much harder on Acros than Bayer is. Oddly.

Originally Posted by Frogger

The biggest problem with Bayer Advanced insect killer is from what I know is it is not available in Canada. The active ingredient is "Imidacloprid". From what I know Imidacloprid is now banned in Canada. Kills bees.

I couldn't find anything online about it actually being banned yet. Last fall there was a proposal to ban it, and in January the government started to "phase out Imidacloprid use". Health Canada didn't find any correlation with bees, but their reasoning to phase out use was (ironicly to us) related to aquatic bugs (fish food). It's not illegal to be in possession of it.

I actually bought my current bottle of Bayer off Amazon.ca (yes the Canadian site) in Sept 2015 for $18 fulfilled by Amazon. I'm still using that same bottle, and my tank is pretty full, so I don't think I'll be using it all up any time soon. This is a pretty tiny amount considering how much someone would use to spray their yard, or worse yet, one of the farmers in Saskatchewan who would be spraying thousands of acres at a time. Farmers are the ones that freak me out - I worry about what's in the air around here!

[Frogger]

Unfortunately Amazon Canada does not sell Bayer Advanced Insect Killer anymore, unless you are a farmer you cannot buy imidacloprid anymore. Bayer Advanced Grub killer is a different active ingredient. Bayer Canada does not sell the insect Killer or at least it is not listed on their website.

The only way to get it now is to purchase it from the states or from a fellow hobbyist who may have some extra.

[Scythanith]

Do you clip the corals off the plugs or do you leave plugs on?

Depends on the type of plug. If it's a smooth surface with no voids and the glue is nice an smooth usually I leave it together. If there seems to be any spots for smooth criminals to hide away I snap the frag off and leave a little tissue behind.

What do you do with dead areas? Maybe a dead tip or a bit of skeleton showing near the base from gluing?

I don't take corals with dead areas. If one we shipped to me and it shows up with patches I'd snap off dead tips and if it were in the middle as a patch I'd cut it off all the way past the patch, leaving only the base.

What do you use for a dip? How long do you dip for?

Bayer, similar to Mindy with a 3-stage dip to make sure no Bayer makes it back into the main tank. Flatworm Exit and Coral dip separate from the Bayer for 5 min.

Do you wear personal protective equipment? Do you touch the dip water?

Bayer I don't touch the dip and I wear goggles and gloves. FWE and CD I put my bare hand right in there.

What do you think your choice of dip is protecting you against? (<-- this is fun!)

Pretty much everything aside from egg stages of most pests. I usually am pretty harsh on my scrubbing routine on newly acquired frags. I use a toothbrush and a nylon scrub pad to work the plug and even onto the first couple mm of coral tissue.

Do you dip all corals or only some corals?

I dip it all. Cheap or $$$

How do you decide if you dip or not?

See above

Do you examine the dip water afterwards?

Yup, just with the naked eye and a 10x hand loupe if I'm concerned.

What do you do with the corals if you see something on the coral or in the dip water?

Give them an extra eye over and decide if I am going to snap the plug off anyways. Better safe than sorry.

Do you tell the seller if you find something? (<-- they never believe you anyway haha)

Yes.

Do you place the corals in a quarantine tank after dipping or straight into your display?

Just a frag system which is inline with my main system so it's not a quarantine.

Any other details???

I like taking long walks with my wife and dog. The fish and corals don't like it when I bring them along

[Myka]

I added more info regarding my experiences with TLF ReVive and CoralRx for those unable or unwilling to use Bayer.

Please add more info guys! (Looking at you West Coast guys!!!!)

[WarDog]

Good read.

[sobe]

Hi how do you bayer dip zoas and if the colony is encrusted to rock?

[Frogger]

The whole rock gets dipped

[WarDog]

Bump. Important read.

[Myka]

I wouldn't dip any corals in Bayer that are attached to rock. Bayer sticks to the rock.

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[Cujo#31]

Do you clip the corals off the plugs or do you leave plugs on?
No, they come off the plug, they are dipped and re-mounted. If the plug is real encrusted and established I'll leave it alone and just clean the S**T out of the bottom of the plug.I have a coral QT anyhow
What do you do with dead areas? Maybe a dead tip or a bit of skeleton showing near the base from gluing?
Watch it real close first before I decide on an action. Did I mention I have a coral QT tank?
What do you use for a dip?
Revive
How long do you dip for?
8-12 minutes
Do you wear personal protective equipment?
No, I'm sure I should, but I handle most everything with long tweezers
Do you touch the dip water?
Occasionally. Haven't had the urge to drink it yetthough
What do you think your choice of dip is protecting you against? (<-- this is fun!)
The list is long, yet distinguished. I dip to see what comes off, then I inspect the frag under my magnifier/ desk lamp. People that think a simple "dip n plop" philosophy is good enough. It ain't. Eggs survive the dip process, and missing one egg spells doom for your tank.Even clean dipped corals sit in QT purgatory until they have hit the 30 day mark. It also helps prevent nuisance algae from violating my display.
Do you dip all corals or only some corals?
If I can't dip it, it don't go in.
How do you decide if you dip or not?
I ask myself, "Do you feel lucky today punk? Well, do ya?" I have stopped playing the frag dip roulette game. Sure has put my mind at ease when I look at my display
Do you examine the dip water afterwards?
Yup, there might be some juicy treats! I'm always curious to see what might have been unleashed into my tank 2 minutes after I didn't dip it.
What do you do with the corals if you see something on the coral or in the dip water
Intio the circular file it goes. That hurts some times, but not anywhere near as painful as watching your display simply melt away.
Do you tell the seller if you find something? (<-- they never believe you anyway haha)
Yup. Cuz they might not know.
Do you place the corals in a quarantine tank after dipping or straight into your display?
QT. 30 days minimum
Any other details???
When I receive new SPS from a shipped source, I will only remove the plug and re-mount then into my QT to recover a bit from shipping before I expose it to the stress of dipping.Having a QT tank should rank up there with flow and lighting for reefers IMO
I learned a long time ago that the best practice to start with is to only deal with reefers and vendors you trust. If you don't know any, a simple forum inquiry will leave you with tons of resources.
If the guys I know don't have what I'm looking for, and a stranger does....I'll wait if I can't find anything out about the stranger.
I also have always practiced the FRAG ONLY policy for my display. I even turn my nose to mini colonies because the bigger the piece, the more hiding spots there are for the nasties. I am really lucky that I have the space for a QT. Some reefers don't and I'm blown away that they have not suffered serious pest setbacks.
I picked up a few words of wisdom from a very accomplished and well known reefer out here, Rich (bBlinks). He doesn't care how much a frag has encrusted, the frag comes off. "Why worry about growth? It will grow back.Why put a whole tank at risk because of a little encrusting?"
I am very interested in seeing how the new WWC product Purge pans out. Because if it does, It's definitely going to be part of my QT Regime.