Best protocol for acclimating and dipping LPS and Zoa's?

[Fish Fan]

Hi guys! I'm getting back into reefing after manys years out, and I'm at a point where I want to start getting some livestock. I hope to be proactive about pests, and I plan on quarantining and/or observing everything "wet".

I plan on purchasing 8-10 frags from another member here at R2R soon, I am looking at getting a few hammers (my primary concern), a duncan, a favia, as well as several Zoa's. When I get the corals, I would like to acclimate them, dip them, and place them in a dedicated observation tank that I have up running for them. I'd appreciate any advice on a good dipping protocol for the above mentioned corals please.

I have heard that the hammers in particular may be prone to the dreaded brown jelly disease, so I'd like to address that.

I have on hand Two Little Fishies' Coral Revive and Brightwell's Lugol's Solution, which I read was good at *preventing* or prophylactically treating for brown jelly disease.

I do not have, but would like more information on, using Ciprofloxacin for *treating* an outbreak of brown jelly disease, should I encounter this. Where do I get it, what dosage, how long, etc?

I would love to know more about using hydrogen peroxide as I would imagine this would oxidize any algae too, as it does in freshwater aquaria. Does anyone have any experience with hydrogen peroxide as a coral dip, with the above corals in mind? Again please, what dosage and for how long?

I have available in my area the Bayer insecticide, and I'm not opposed to using it. I know many say this kills nearly everything that isn't the coral. Would this also kill algae too, and again please, what dosage and for how long?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[ReefStable]

Personally I would do the Beyer dip and Iodine dip. Then put the coral in a QT tank and dip every 2 or 3 days.

I would also suggest running cipro in the QT tank. There is some info from I believe Reef Builders on running cipro. This can help treat before BJD happens.

Here's some info on dipping, i hope it helps

How to Dip Coral - Beyer, Peroxide, Iodine and More

Knowing how to dip coral can help you prevent bacterial infections, pests, rapid and slow tissue necrosis (RTN and STN). Overall, coral dipping can improve the overall success of your new coral! See how to dip coral here!

reefstable.com

 

[Fish Fan]

Personally I would do the Beyer dip and Iodine dip. Then put the coral in a QT tank and dip every 2 or 3 days.

I would also suggest running cipro in the QT tank. There is some info from I believe Reef Builders on running cipro. This can help treat before BJD happens.

Here's some info on dipping, i hope it helps

How to Dip Coral - Beyer, Peroxide, Iodine and More

Knowing how to dip coral can help you prevent bacterial infections, pests, rapid and slow tissue necrosis (RTN and STN). Overall, coral dipping can improve the overall success of your new coral! See how to dip coral here!

reefstable.com

Thank you for the help and the link! I'll try to read through it this morning.

 

[jkcoral]

I use a small observation tank (I use a 10g ). I usually unpack corals, sometimes doing a quick dip in iodine, and place them on egg crate in the little tank. Shopping can be really hard on corals, so I like to give a few days to hang out before giving them a more thorough dip.

Cipro is good for BJD, but I wouldn’t worry about it for now, and wouldn’t recommend using cipro unless you absolutely need it.

And I use hydrogen peroxide dips on Zoas and other things. It is harsh on LPS and other corals (from my experience) and I now avoid it for anything but Zoas. Green hair algae will fizzle/bubble, and after you put them back in the tank the hair algae will turn grey and melt in a day or two. Just use a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and salt water, and annoy the Zoas first so they tuck their skirts in beforehand.

 

[Fish Fan]

I use a small observation tank (I use a 10g ). I usually unpack corals, sometimes doing a quick dip in iodine, and place them on egg crate in the little tank. Shopping can be really hard on corals, so I like to give a few days to hang out before giving them a more thorough dip.

Thank you for your reply! I do have a 10 gallon tank running for them, I have the same lighting and try to keep the same parameters as the display tank. Do you recommend having rock and sand in this tank, or do you go bare with a frag rack?

Cipro is good for BJD, but I wouldn’t worry about it for now, and wouldn’t recommend using cipro unless you absolutely need it.

Why don't you recommend cipro? Is it because it has to be dosed exactly right? If so, I don't think I would have a problem doing that.

From what I have read, an iodine dip is used to prevent BJD, and the Cipro is used to treat BJD. I just wanted some cipro on hand in case I saw some BJD after the initial dipping process. Am I correct about how these medications work and how you use them?

And I use hydrogen peroxide dips on Zoas and other things. It is harsh on LPS and other corals (from my experience) and I now avoid it for anything but Zoas. Green hair algae will fizzle/bubble, and after you put them back in the tank the hair algae will turn grey and melt in a day or two. Just use a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and salt water, and annoy the Zoas first so they tuck their skirts in beforehand.

Hydrogen peroxide is something I'm really interested in learning more about as I've used it in my freshwater tanks to blast algae. I will stear clear of the peroxide for the LPS, but glad to know I can use it on the Zoas!

Thanks again for your help!