What’s going on Salt-Nation Jeff here with another article to help you become a more successful hobbyist. Today we are going to be talking about dipping corals. Dipping corals is an important step in protecting your aquarium from all sorts of aquarium pests. These pests are often referred to as live rock hitchhikers as well.
Dipping your corals when you first buy them is a great substitute for those who do not have a quarantine tank set up, to temporarily house new corals for observation and treatment. It’s I quick and simple process is commonly overlooked when adding new corals to a saltwater aquarium, that often leads to huge problems.
How to Dip Corals Step by Step
The Benefits of Dipping Corals
At some point the coral you purchased from the local fish Store (LFS) came from the ocean. Now the corals in the wild have the benefit of have creatures around them that are capable of helping them control their pest problems, but in inclosed environments some pest can get out of control in a hurry. For example a six line wrasse is a predator of flat worms but they can also be a dink to it’s tank mates so I will not put one in my tank.
When the corals are shipped to the LFS, Most often they are not treated for pests (unless you have an awesome LFS and they do dip all incoming corals). It is up to the store owner/workers to properly quarantine and dip all incoming livestock…which rarely happens.
So, it is very likely that the coral you purchase either has pests or has at the very least been in the same aquarium with infected corals. It only takes skipping one infected coral to infect the entire aquarium and the other corals in it.
Tools Needed for Dipping Corals
I pink up most of my coral dipping tools at a dollar store because it’s cheap and I don’t really care if it gets mess up. It’s best to have supplies that are for only dipping corals and thats it.
Tools of the trade:
- syringe for measuring
- Turkey Baster
- Container
- strainer
As far as dips solutions go I use Coral RX Pro, It’s always served me well and from what I understand it one of the more harsh coral dips on the market but has no impact on the coral. Coral Rx has been around for forever and gets the job done. Below I have the cartoon that has been on Coral RX website that has some taking points on it’s benefits.
Other Coral Dips to Consider
Although Coral RX Pro is my main squeeze for coral dips, there are other brands of dips out there that can help with other issues that arise. For instance, Polyplab’s Reef Primer, which is considered a coral conditioner does a fantastic job of battling brown jelly disease. Also, Two Little Fishes’ ReVive is a work horse for healing damaged corals. Not all dips are a like but almost all of them serve keeping corals pest and free and healthy.
Coral Dipping in a Nutshell
The key is prevention. Once the pest has managed to get into your reef tank, it’s very difficult to get them out without shutting it down. So, follow the steps I covered in the How to Dip Corals video above, and you should put yourself in a better position to avoid aquarium pests. Take it from me, save yourself some trouble in the long run and dip all of your new corals.