Nice Five!!
The BC Blueberry Fruitcake.........??
Got something similar going but a little more yellow in there.
Not sure where I got the frag from but I guess it was one of these Wild frag Livesales.
Ultra
Those are some beautiful frags/mini colonies!Well, I probably should have done a top down too, but here is a decent representative pic of the packs I cut for all those interested in size reference and such.
Since you are so scrupulous on your new arrivals, I'm guessing this isn't a one-and-done deal? I'm sure you keep them separate from the rest of your stock? For how long? And do they get the same love from you again before they go into your main systems? Have you noticed if they Bayer has a more noticeable negative impact on certain kinds? IME, the smooth skinned guys really don't seem to enjoy it.with pleasure
This is the writeup I send to anyone that asks about, or needs info on how I deal with new arrivals and on using Bayer. If you have any other questions about specifics just let me know.
dip regimine
Here’s a quick write up on my new arrival regimen. I am a little more aggressive on stuff coming out of QT, but I still have never found a worm at the inspection phase of anything coming out. I’d like to think that my QT is pest free as well but I don’t assume.
The first thing I do is remove any part that is not coral 100%. That includes any plug, base or rock that the acro is attached to, Its a brutal process often resulting in broken up and battered colonies but something I feel is necessary I will also scrub well, any exposed skeleton that I can't simply remove with my saw using one of my infamous "battlebrushes". This is the first step in keeping flatworms, or any other unwanted pest or algae out of the QT.
My dosage system is pretty crude because I started with a 1.5 qt ice cream container to measure tank water. My initial dosage is 45ml bayer to about 1.25 qts water. If anything makes it through 15 min of that strength, I'll add another 30 ml for good measure. I have had some acros stressed at the stronger dose, but haven't lost any yet.
The best defense however has been an extremely thorough inspection. I believe that this has made all the difference in my efforts to keep pests out. I’ll take each frag or colony one at a time, before they go in the dip, and in a separate small bucket I’ll baste them real hard with a flashlight in my mouth. If they have even a single worm, from adults to really tiny ones on them, I will find them at this stage. In most wholesale orders I'll usually find at least one. On stuff from hobbyist and other vendors, every so often.
If I do, I’ll isolate the worm in a small container like the pic below, and put a small squirt of my bayer solution in there, then set my timer to 20 minutes. Usually within 10-15 min they are mush but but not always. If not, I’ll add some more bayer to the prepared dip and re set the timer. This at least guarantees me that my dip is strong enough to kill them. If I find eggs on anything, coral, rock or plug, I toss them without hesitation. And flatworms will lay eggs on surfaces other than acro skeletons, as illustrated in the second pic. I won't say exactly where theses came from, but if you feel you have to know, shoot me a PM.
One more area of importance is a very thorough rinse. I like to fill up 2 or even 3 five gallon buckets. Once the dip is over I let them soak in one for at least 5 minutes then again for another 5-10 in the other buckets.
A friend finally did the math for me on my dosage, and this is what it actually comes out to in simpler means. as opposed to the icecream bucket method lol
45mL for 1.25qt comes out to 9mL/cup, 5 cups = 1.25 qt. 8oz per cup
