Weekly dips during acro qt or only observation?

[MichaelW]

During coral qt (mainly acro) would you do weekly routine dips for say 1 month' or just dip apon intruduction to qt andonly observe (dipping again if you see any concerns)

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

Restocking your tank I see. That is good news. I personally wouldn't dip them again assuming you did already when you got them. I would just keep an eye on them and only do another dip if you see any signs of pest. What dip method are you using?

 

[MichaelW]

Not yet restocking just modifying my system a little to utilize my small frag tank as a tank that can be isolated to use as incoming qt. Was just trying to work out the qt procedure i want to follow. So far this is what i am planning on routine

1. Temp aclimate to qt
2.Romove all plugs,bases, dead tissue
3. Dip in coral rx while basting
4. Quick rinse in clean SW
5. Move to a bayer dip continue to baste
6. Double rinse in clean SW
7. Inspect with magnifying glass
8. Put in qt tank
9. Run qt with lower intensity lighting almost all blue
10. Observe for 3 or 4 weeks in qt
11. If all fine after 3 or 4 weeks dip one more time in coral rx and bayer to check nothing comes off and move to dt or frag tank


Thats what i am thinking about.

 

[MichaelW]

Of course any reccomendations for changes or suggestions are more than welcome

 

[jda]

I would inspect the water left behind after the Coral Rx dip. It is mostly clear and you can see if anything falls off - this will tell you what you are dealing with. I use a top-down port-hole viewer thingy so that I can shine some light underneath if I see something suspect. I don't do a bayer dip unless I get anything in the Coral Rx, but I completely understand if people do.

If you happen to knock off a acro crab, then save it and put it in one of your big colonies. They really are good housekeepers. I try and get them all out if I can.

I QT with the same lights that are in my display (HQI) - healthy SPS will quickly encrust the new plug which is a great sign... and if they don't then you need to watch them closer for pests. I would recommend that you light them like you want them to grow and look for them to respond as a sign that they are healthy. They will do better in the frag tank after this as well.

You forgot the most important piece - get SPS from people who know what they are doing. This won't guarantee no pests, but it is sure better than the reef herpies that go around at some frag swaps and shows. I also stay away from AQ stuff - if I really like one, maybe a frag later on after somebody else has messed with it but there is not to much AQ stuff that it original that you cannot get elsewhere. It should go like this:

0. Only get frags from trusted sources
1. Start your list

 

[longdrives]

During coral qt (mainly acro) would you do weekly routine dips for say 1 month' or just dip apon intruduction to qt andonly observe (dipping again if you see any concerns)

When I was infested with AEFW and moved to frag tank, I did a few weeks straight of dips to ensure no missed AEFW, I didnt see any so I figured the frag tank was clean at that point. All bets are off though once you put anything else new in there, need to start the process all over again. Bayer for dip is awesome though.

 

[MichaelW]

I would inspect the water left behind after the Coral Rx dip. It is mostly clear and you can see if anything falls off - this will tell you what you are dealing with. I use a top-down port-hole viewer thingy so that I can shine some light underneath if I see something suspect. I don't do a bayer dip unless I get anything in the Coral Rx, but I completely understand if people do.

If you happen to knock off a acro crab, then save it and put it in one of your big colonies. They really are good housekeepers. I try and get them all out if I can.

I QT with the same lights that are in my display (HQI) - healthy SPS will quickly encrust the new plug which is a great sign... and if they don't then you need to watch them closer for pests. I would recommend that you light them like you want them to grow and look for them to respond as a sign that they are healthy. They will do better in the frag tank after this as well.

You forgot the most important piece - get SPS from people who know what they are doing. This won't guarantee no pests, but it is sure better than the reef herpies that go around at some frag swaps and shows. I also stay away from AQ stuff - if I really like one, maybe a frag later on after somebody else has messed with it but there is not to much AQ stuff that it original that you cannot get elsewhere. It should go like this:

0. Only get frags from trusted sources
1. Start your list

Yes the coral rx dip is because it is clear so can be inspected better. And, yes, i always try and get acro crabs out if i see them. I love them.

Lighting is going to be under some leds i already have. My display is led with t5 and my frag tank is t5. Ideally yes every light source would be identical... Just not happening that way as i already have them.

Im interested why you dont like aquacultured stuff. They are hardier already adapted to aquarium lighting etc and you know what results you should be getting. Unless you meant to say maricultured? Personally i dont shy away from any (aquacultured, maricultured, or wild) but i do find maricultured often change pretty drastically in tank. I do not think maricultured and wild necessarily have more pests, but, because they are usually larger i think they are harder to give a really good inspection so it is easier to miss something

 

[MichaelW]

When I was infested with AEFW and moved to frag tank, I did a few weeks straight of dips to ensure no missed AEFW, I didnt see any so I figured the frag tank was clean at that point. All bets are off though once you put anything else new in there, need to start the process all over again. Bayer for dip is awesome though.

No new acros would be added to the qt untill each round is complete... Or if they are i would start the whole qt timing again.

 

[jda]

I did mean mari. Sorry. I have seen most every one of them before and would much rather have a frag than a colony that will not adapt well and could come covered in all kinds of junk.