Is an SPS Dip Sufficient, or do you need to QT Frags?

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Folks,

As my tank approaches month 3, I'm starting to begin planning for SPS corals in my tank. I've read a bit about dips, and did purchase the Bayer product along with Dr. G's SPS dip. Is one, or both of these sufficient to treat red-bugs, and the other bad stuff that may be on SPS? Do I need to QT?

Appreciate any advice.

 

[LiveWire]

I recommend a QT for all new anything that you are going to add to your display system. If there are any bugs or hickhikers on your corals the dip will kill them most likely but if there are eggs the dip will not take care of those. If you never want to have the dreaded I have something in the tank I did not put in there I would QT for at least 30 days. You will be happy you did in the long run trust me. I would also use the coral dip that is designed for corals rather than a Bayer dip. I have heard the Bayer dip works well but have never used it. I figure there are so many great dips on the market why take a chance.

 

[flagg37]

I’m not an expert but I believe the eggs are not killed by dips but they are laid on frag plugs and not on the coral. If you remove the frag from the plug then dip you should be pretty safe.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

I’m not an expert but I believe the eggs are not killed by dips but they are laid on frag plugs and not on the coral. If you remove the frag from the plug then dip you should be pretty safe.

Thank you for the info!

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I QT my fish but not my corals. First off I buy mostly from a couple trusted LFSs. I take a good long look at corals before I buy them, looking for any pests, damage, stress ect. I only buy healed frags which is a sign they are healthy. Once I get the coral home I remove it from the bag, saving the water for dipping, I then visually inspect the coral for any pests. I dip using Revive, remove the frag from the plug if possible if not I scrub with a tooth brush to remove pests, eggs and algae, rinse off with tank water and then into the reef it goes. I know this is not a 100% method to keep out coral pests and other hitch hikers but so far it has been effective. I learned the hard way to use some method to prevent pests, dipping and inspecting is better than nothing at all.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[ScottB]

Thanks for the replies!

I'd suggest you not buy expensive SPS until you have coralline algae and some sponges. Also, you should have to hand a Hanna Checker for phosphate, a Red Sea kit for nitrate, and something to test ALK easily.

Try out the cheap stuff first (not that any of us like to see animals die) as there is a lot of biological maturation going on in months 3-12.

Some basic orange monti and some Aussie green slimer are decent starters in the SPS space.

Enjoy!

 

[jda]

Dips will get you about 75% of the way there. Removing any old rock or frag plug and inspecting the corals with a magnifying glass will get you to 90%. There is still a chance of infestation unless you have a true coral QT. Fortunately, there are good options for AEFW and red bugs now, so this is not as huge of a deal as it used to be, but a good coral QT is a good idea if you want to sell/trade or keep high end pieces.

I use Bayer - it is by-far the most gentle and most comprehensive dip that I have ever used. CoralRx or Revive is good if you need to see what came off of a coral, but I will usually dip in Bayer next. I do not dip any sensitive or deepwater acropora in CoralRx... Bayer only.