Problems with mail order frags.
- Thread starter BigPhatReefer
- Start date
animalkingdom
New member
I have always had success taking frags out of the bag immediately and sitting them on the counter to slime up real good (5 minutes or so) and then tossing them into dip water made up with my tank water. Then, a quick rinse in non-dip tank water, and into the tank.
If its a local source and they haven't been in the bag long I add dip solution to the bag water and then let sit out of the bag after the dip to slime up.
The slime up period coats the coral nicely and they then can acclimate themselves to the new water.
If its a local source and they haven't been in the bag long I add dip solution to the bag water and then let sit out of the bag after the dip to slime up.
The slime up period coats the coral nicely and they then can acclimate themselves to the new water.
northernreefe
New member
+1 on the bayer dip.
I recently sat through a very informative Local club meeting with John Coppolino (Copps). He is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to SPS and his frag packs are some of the highest quality you will find. What I was surprised to here from John was that he does 0 acclimation when it comes to sps. These are coral that in nature can see huge temperature and environment shifts. Taking some of what he said to heart I have been simply taking frags when they come in and putting them straight into a decent size container of tank water(2 gallon) where I have a very small pump to circulate water. As long as they are in an area where the temp is not going to fluctuate very much I leave them in there for about an hour before I touch them as part of my process these days is to always remove any plug/rock or dead tissue before I dip them. Then I throw them back in the container and let them rest again for another 45 minutes or so. I do have a handheld Temp/PH probe in the container to make sure nothing drastic happens. I attempt to hold the temp between 77-79. If the ph falls below 8 I just swap out some more water out of the tank. I try and have about 10 gallons of fresh salt water made to replace the water I am taking out of my system. Heck I get a small water change out of the deal.
I also have employed the use of a desk mounted magnification glass with a bright light attached kinda like the one you see at a dentist office. After the frags have had a little while to relax from the shock suffered from shipping I inspect them for about 2-3 minutes outside of the water and into the dip they go. For smooth skin sps I use Reef Pest Solutions dip which is alot like CoralRx. If its a stag/monti I use bayer with at least 2 additional rinses after the dip. They then get a dip in a light Iodine based dip to help with tissue healing and re-glued to a plug or piece of LR and into the main system they go.
I know this seems extreme but after a battle with Redbugs, Acro eating flatworms, and the craziest looking Acropora eating Spiders I will never skip any steps again. And I have found with this method I get much less browning and color loss. The frags are usually encrusted back to the plug within a week and have great polyp extension. I used to even combine this method with the use of a coral QT but after 6 months of over 100 frags going through the QT and not 1 solitary pest found, I finally shut down the Coral QT as it was just another tank to have to service.
One last note when ordering frags. Find out where they are being shipped from and watch the weather. Heat is way harder on coral than cold. Although both will kill coral. Heat will do a faster more efficient job. Some of the more reputable dealers do this for you and actually won't ship the product if they feel there is a chance of temperature extremes while in transit. If it is a simple thing of waiting 3-4 days until the temp gets closer to the 78 mark then just wait. Its not worth killing the coral because you are impatient.
Sorry for the long winded post. Just seen a lot of this lately and hopefully this helps.
I also have employed the use of a desk mounted magnification glass with a bright light attached kinda like the one you see at a dentist office. After the frags have had a little while to relax from the shock suffered from shipping I inspect them for about 2-3 minutes outside of the water and into the dip they go. For smooth skin sps I use Reef Pest Solutions dip which is alot like CoralRx. If its a stag/monti I use bayer with at least 2 additional rinses after the dip. They then get a dip in a light Iodine based dip to help with tissue healing and re-glued to a plug or piece of LR and into the main system they go.
I know this seems extreme but after a battle with Redbugs, Acro eating flatworms, and the craziest looking Acropora eating Spiders I will never skip any steps again. And I have found with this method I get much less browning and color loss. The frags are usually encrusted back to the plug within a week and have great polyp extension. I used to even combine this method with the use of a coral QT but after 6 months of over 100 frags going through the QT and not 1 solitary pest found, I finally shut down the Coral QT as it was just another tank to have to service.
One last note when ordering frags. Find out where they are being shipped from and watch the weather. Heat is way harder on coral than cold. Although both will kill coral. Heat will do a faster more efficient job. Some of the more reputable dealers do this for you and actually won't ship the product if they feel there is a chance of temperature extremes while in transit. If it is a simple thing of waiting 3-4 days until the temp gets closer to the 78 mark then just wait. Its not worth killing the coral because you are impatient.
Sorry for the long winded post. Just seen a lot of this lately and hopefully this helps.
BigPhatReefer
New member
Thanks every one. Very useful stuff..
Seller has offered to resend if I cover postage.. Maybe out of fear of bad feedback of maybe not..
So day is booked off work and coral dip has been purchased. Fingers crossed!
Seller has offered to resend if I cover postage.. Maybe out of fear of bad feedback of maybe not..
So day is booked off work and coral dip has been purchased. Fingers crossed!
Moser
Active member
Wazzel
New member
That is cool of him. Do you know if the frags are going to be cut and allowed to heal a few days before shipping? That generally helps them do better once you get them.
lynchmob3000
New member
How much bayer for a gallon of aqua?
lynchmob3000
New member
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