Coral Qt - Zoas

[Mac8128]

Looking thru all of the posts I could find, I am seeing a ton of posts, most of which are years old. Is there an accepted, updated QT/ Dipping Procedure for corals? I realize that this is a very broad question and for my sake, I will narrow this question down to Zoas. I currently have a small frag of Eagle Eyes that I want to process thru the proper steps before placing them in my new Nano tank.

From what I have read and sort of put together, some people use Coral Rx dips, some use Iodine solutions, some use both one right after the other. I also see that some dip their frags in Hydrogen Peroxide. I'm wondering if a good way of moving forward would be to do a short dip into a 50-50 mix of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and tank water for 3 minutes. Followed a few days later by 5 minutes in Coral RX then immediately into an Iodine solution for 5 minutes. All dips would be followed by a thorough rinse in tank water before being put back in the QT tank for a few days of observation.

I would appreciate any thoughts and or corrections to this process.

 

[Mac8128]

Sorry, for some reason my post was duplicated. I deleted the post but have no idea how to get the duplicated thread deleted

 

[Mac8128]

Sorry, for some reason my post was duplicated. I deleted the post but have no idea how to get the duplicated thread deleted

This is the good, working thread. Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the Zoa dip process? Or, share your process

 

[ColorMeGone]

I use Seachem Reef Dip as per instructions. (has Iodine in it) and then dip 2-3 minutes using 80% tank water and 20% (3%) Peroxide. Then dip in clean tank water and in the tank they go.

 

[Mac8128]

Have you ever dipped a frag with noticeable algae on it and did the 80-20 mix of hydrogen peroxide kill it all? Most everything I have read so far has been between 50-50 mixes up to full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide. I battled hair algae for over a year in my last tank. I want to do everything possible to keep it out of this tank. But at the same time, I don’t want to kill any of my corals.

 

[Hairyteeth]

I like to use a soft bristle paint brush to wipe at the zoas and get off any sand or bugs in the dip as welll as basting

 

[ColorMeGone]

Have you ever dipped a frag with noticeable algae on it and did the 80-20 mix of hydrogen peroxide kill it all? Most everything I have read so far has been between 50-50 mixes up to full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide. I battled hair algae for over a year in my last tank. I want to do everything possible to keep it out of this tank. But at the same time, I don’t want to kill any of my corals.

I have had many zoes in the past with lots of algae and 20% will kill it and not hurt your corals but it's up to you how you want to do it. That's is how I do it.
Full Peroxide is asking for trouble and I would not go there.
When you dip the corals you will see the bubbles starting and you will know it's working.

 

[Mac8128]

I have had many zoes in the past with lots of algae and 20% will kill it and not hurt your corals but it's up to you how you want to do it. That's is how I do it.
Full Peroxide is asking for trouble and I would not go there.
When you dip the corals you will see the bubbles starting and you will know it's working.

Very much appreciate the reply. I will go with 20%! Thanks

 

[Mac8128]

I like to use a soft bristle paint brush to wipe at the zoas and get off any sand or bugs in the dip as welll as basting

Thanks, I will add this to my QT/Dip Procedures for zoas.

 

[Mac8128]

This morning my zoas had yet to open up after 2.5 days in the QT. I didn't want to lose them to possible poor water quality in the bare QT, so I went ahead and dipped them according to my tentative procedure:

Inspect for eggs, algae & bugs.

Mix small container 80-20 tank water to 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

Mix small container Coral Rx per label

Mix small container Seachem Iodine solution to label

Get two small containers of tank water

Dip Zoas in 80-20 tw to H2O2 for 3 minutes

Use small toothbrush to brush away any eggs or debris

Use small knife to scrape away any eggs or areas of concern

Then dip in Coral Rx for 5 minutes

Then dip in Seachem Iodine for 5 minutes

Remove and swirl in 1st rinse for 30 seconds.

Remove and swirl in 2nd rinse for 30 seconds

Place in tank

I skipped the Seachem Iodine dip as it's still not here. Should have been delivered yesterday.

Within an hour of putting the zoas into my nano (blue lights only today), the zoas have begun opening up and they look fantastic. I placed the frag on the sand bed to keep them as low as possible for a week or two. Eventually I would like them on some rock about 3" above the sand bed. I would think they will handle that transition fairly well.

Any suggestions on how to improve my Zoa Dip Process will be greatly appreciated.

I will post a couple of pictures in the next day or so.

 

[ColorMeGone]

I just use SeaChem Reef Dip with iodine in it. Dip them per instructions and then my 80/20 peroxide dip and then rinse. I don't know anything about pure Iodine dips so just don't over do it with all the dipping.

 

[Mac8128]

That is exactly what I had ordered. The Seachem Reef Dip should get here tomorrow. I will use it with the next coral. I am very impressed with some of the fish stores / wholesalers that have posted their dipping processes online. A couple of them do the Coral Rx immediately followed by a dip in the Seachem Reef dip. I am adding the H2O2 dip as I never want to battle hair algae again. I am going to get another small frag of either Armour of God or Blue Hornet zoas and I will see how well that does with the 3 dip process.

Afterwards, I will need to pose the question and start to research the process for dipping specific LPS corals. But, that's a few weeks down the road.

 

[Mac8128]

I purchased a 1"x2" piece of JF Raja Rampage Chalice on Saturday. I ran this thru the coral dipping process described earlier, with the exception of no Hydrogen Peroxide dip. The reason for no H2O2 dip was because the coral was unattached to anything, so it was 100% inspectable. There was no algae whatsoever on the chalice.

Tuesday morning and the chalice is looking very good. Here is a picture I took yesterday. The colors are slightly better this morning.

 

[Mac8128]

Dipped my zoas 10 days ago and they look just like they looked at the fish store. Apparently the dip caused no lasting harm.

I dipped the Raja Rampage Chalice days ago. It looks ok, but to be honest, I can't tell if the dip caused any issues or if the poorer quality light on my tank is the issue. The coral has lost some of it's color, just doesn't pop like it did the first day I had it. I have it sitting on the sand bed and am running 2 hours of white light and about 8 hours of blues.

More info to follow in a few days

 

[Mac8128]

The chalice is beginning to regain most of it's color and seems to be ok. Not sure if I should make any changes to either my Zoa or LPS dipping procedure. But for now, two pieces have been dipped, both look fine two weeks after being dipped.