gflat65
New member
Well, I probably should have posted this as a public service announcement last week to give everyone a chance to prepare. As many of you know, pests in this hobby can wreak havoc on tanks. The vast majority of people who have pests do not even know they have pests ,so it is easy to spread them around if the proper steps are not taken. A few of said pests are AEFW's (acro eating flatworms), Monti nudi's, Zoa nudi's, Zoa spiders, and red bugs (acro munchers-though not really as big a concern as the other pests mentioned, as there is an intank treatment that will get rid of them).
The best way to prevent pests in your display is to have a QT tank set up. This is not within the capabilities of most, as it is an additional cost to run and requires more space and attention... If you have a QT tank, you are strongly advised to observe the new corals in the QT before entering into the display. This could save you a lot of trouble down the road. I dip and QT just about everything that comes into my tank. Even if you don't have any zoas and get an acro, there is a possibility of a nudi hitching a ride, or vice versa with an AEFW. Pretty scary.
My QT procedure will differ from others, I'm sure, but as you all know there are a number of right ways to do just about everything in this hobby. I use Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure to dip all corals in saltwater that come in (afraid to try it on gorgonians and the like, though). It is designed for Acro pests more than anything, so use it at own risk. I've dipped just about every coral I have in my system and have never lost a single one to the dip (acros, montis, acans, leptastreas, chalices (numerous types), zoas, palys, caulastreas, oscillators, xylophones, etc., etc.). For ~$20 a bottle, it is worth its weight in gold. Zoas sometimes show a little more anger at being dipped in the TMPCC, but they have all recovered within a day of the dips in the past. Iodine is suspected of being the main ingredient, but no one has been able to verify that. Iodine would be a much cheaper route, as it is more concentrated, but I only have experience with Iodine in fresh water dipping of zoas (I use Kent Marine's Lugols solution). Regardless of the medication you use, always shake, swirl, and twist the coral in the meds after treating to remove any stunned animals (most of these meds just stun the pest, so they can still hang on). Inspect closely (with the aid of a magnifying glass) to try to identify signs (munching of the coral, eggs, etc.). Remove all egg sacks (primarily nudis and AEFW'). It is very difficult to see eggs for some of these as they hide them well. If you see eggs, you might want to QT for a little while and re treat them after a week or so and re inspect.
You can get pests from anywhere. It is not cost effective for wholesalers or retailer to rid their corals of pests, as the meds and cycle times on treatments can be inhibitive, so if they have a pest in one of their holding tanks, every coral in the holding tank is subject to carrying a hitchhiker. That said, they come from everywhere, not just hobbyists. Many pests will lay eggs on the coral base, or the rock the coral is attached to. Frags are a little easier to inspect, as there are fewer places to hide the eggs, etc.
This can be a very long topic, so I'll start stopping here
. It is not uncommon for someone to come home from a swap (or an LFS or receive a package from an OFS for that matter) and find something they don't want in their tanks. It is important to inspect thoroughly, if nothing else, but a QT tank is a better way to go in the long run. As I mentioned before, most people don't realize they have anything, so that puts the responsibility on us to protect our tanks. I don't want to see people getting out of the hobby because they got some dreaded pest that they couldn't get rid of... The hobby is hard enough without having to deal with things that can decimate your most prized corals. Be proactive and aware that these thins are out there so you can protect your hobby and investment.
Don't let this be a discouraging factor at the frag swap. Anything you buy from anywhere could have a pest, it is just important to inspect before releasing them into your display.
Feel free to ask any questions. There are a number of people on these boards that have had experience with these pests or have researched to be prepared if they find them on incoming corals. We are here to help
.
The best way to prevent pests in your display is to have a QT tank set up. This is not within the capabilities of most, as it is an additional cost to run and requires more space and attention... If you have a QT tank, you are strongly advised to observe the new corals in the QT before entering into the display. This could save you a lot of trouble down the road. I dip and QT just about everything that comes into my tank. Even if you don't have any zoas and get an acro, there is a possibility of a nudi hitching a ride, or vice versa with an AEFW. Pretty scary.
My QT procedure will differ from others, I'm sure, but as you all know there are a number of right ways to do just about everything in this hobby. I use Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure to dip all corals in saltwater that come in (afraid to try it on gorgonians and the like, though). It is designed for Acro pests more than anything, so use it at own risk. I've dipped just about every coral I have in my system and have never lost a single one to the dip (acros, montis, acans, leptastreas, chalices (numerous types), zoas, palys, caulastreas, oscillators, xylophones, etc., etc.). For ~$20 a bottle, it is worth its weight in gold. Zoas sometimes show a little more anger at being dipped in the TMPCC, but they have all recovered within a day of the dips in the past. Iodine is suspected of being the main ingredient, but no one has been able to verify that. Iodine would be a much cheaper route, as it is more concentrated, but I only have experience with Iodine in fresh water dipping of zoas (I use Kent Marine's Lugols solution). Regardless of the medication you use, always shake, swirl, and twist the coral in the meds after treating to remove any stunned animals (most of these meds just stun the pest, so they can still hang on). Inspect closely (with the aid of a magnifying glass) to try to identify signs (munching of the coral, eggs, etc.). Remove all egg sacks (primarily nudis and AEFW'). It is very difficult to see eggs for some of these as they hide them well. If you see eggs, you might want to QT for a little while and re treat them after a week or so and re inspect.
You can get pests from anywhere. It is not cost effective for wholesalers or retailer to rid their corals of pests, as the meds and cycle times on treatments can be inhibitive, so if they have a pest in one of their holding tanks, every coral in the holding tank is subject to carrying a hitchhiker. That said, they come from everywhere, not just hobbyists. Many pests will lay eggs on the coral base, or the rock the coral is attached to. Frags are a little easier to inspect, as there are fewer places to hide the eggs, etc.
This can be a very long topic, so I'll start stopping here
. It is not uncommon for someone to come home from a swap (or an LFS or receive a package from an OFS for that matter) and find something they don't want in their tanks. It is important to inspect thoroughly, if nothing else, but a QT tank is a better way to go in the long run. As I mentioned before, most people don't realize they have anything, so that puts the responsibility on us to protect our tanks. I don't want to see people getting out of the hobby because they got some dreaded pest that they couldn't get rid of... The hobby is hard enough without having to deal with things that can decimate your most prized corals. Be proactive and aware that these thins are out there so you can protect your hobby and investment.Don't let this be a discouraging factor at the frag swap. Anything you buy from anywhere could have a pest, it is just important to inspect before releasing them into your display.
Feel free to ask any questions. There are a number of people on these boards that have had experience with these pests or have researched to be prepared if they find them on incoming corals. We are here to help
.
