Acclimating Corals

[reeformadness]

I am getting my first corals today. I was curious as to how to acclimate them properly. Should I float them or drip acclimate them? I have 440 W VHO's on my 75, so that could be an issue too. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[kfowler]

I do the following:
- Turn off lights
- Float bag 15 min.
- Add 1-2 cup water wait 15 min.
- Add 1-2 cup water wait 25 min.
- Add 1-2 cup water and then pour excess water into small container and add Lugol's iodine. Wait 15 min.
- Add to tank.
- Turn lights back on in increments if possible over next hour.

 

[reeformadness]

Thanks kfowler. unfortunately my wiring won't let me turn them on in increments. I'm thinking I'll let them adjust to the water before I try to turn the lights on. Maybe something like 4 hours on today, 6 tommorow, etc. I do not have Lugol's iodine, but I do have some Kent Tech-I. Should I just properly dose my tank when I finally put them in?

 

[reeformadness]

Oh yea, should I turn off my powerheads during this?

 

[Dr.FuManchu]

Stony corals do better if you just temp acclimate and put them right in. I do the same for Zoas. Softies you should drip acclimate as well as temp acclimate. I usually leave the lights off for the rest of the day, maybe just leave actinics/moonlights on.

 

[reeformadness]

Thanks. These are SPS's with one mushroom rock. I guess I could just twist my daylight off and leave on my actinics (3 of them) and moonlight. So you think they do BETTER this way? I have no problem drip acclimating if its not a problem. I just want to do this as properly as possible since this is the first time I have ever gotten corals.

 

[kelley_mc]

Wow, starting with the hard stuff... good luck!

 

[reeformadness]

Thanks. I just really like SPS. They are easy SPS's though. Montipora digitata, Pocillopora damicornis, and Porites cylindrica. They are also all aquacultured. I actually have some unidentified SPS's that hitchhiked on LR and are doing well and growing for over a year now, so hopefully these will do me just as good. I never even fed the hitchhikers, but I have some Kent phytoplex, zooplex, and chromaplex on the way for my new ones. I just figured its time to get my feet wet with the tank being up for over a year now.

 

[socalreefer73]

I just drip acclimate everything in the smallest bowls possible with overflow into a larger container for about 30 mins or so, then plonk them in the tank. I also do just actinics for the rest of the day. I've never lost anything in this manner and everything looks great. I have pocillopora, hydnopora, zoas, palys, discosoma, ricordia, alveopora, xenia elongata, and tubipora.

HTH

 

[socalreefer73]

To answer your lugols question, that's to be used as a dip. a concentrated iodine solution to kill/drive out any unwanted hitchhikers...

I think you can FW dip zoas and that's good enough. I got a gnarly looking nudi from my tubipora...

 

[reeformadness]

Thanks Socalreefer. I think i will try that method. Just waiting on my package now...