Quarantine / Dipping

First, thank you for taking the time to view this page.

 I highly recommend everyone to do their own due diligence and quarantine all corals or any species that you may purchase. And hold them in the tank until you are completely satisfied and happy with their condition. Regardless of seller. It only takes one mistake, or one time overlooking something, and you could have a full out plague on your hands. The frustration and time to get your system under control you may be so aggravated that you may choose, and you may even try to warn others to avoid purchasing anything from that seller or hobbyist ever again! Though everyone has a right to have their own opinion I believe differently on this. I have seen and experienced all of this the frustration the headache never fully understanding why this one coral died but the other lived.

When all it takes is a simple approach to setting up a quarantine system and you could easily kill, treat any pest, any disease without harm to your system.

The person in the above scenario would have been happy that they did quarantine the item and might still come back and purchase more items from the seller. Knowing full well that there is a problem with algae or pest in their system.

What is my ideal Quarantine system.

A simple 5- or 10-gallon kit from the local box store for $20.00 or $30 will do just fine.
I throw a rather large hang on the back filter usually meant for 50+ gallon aquariums. I personally recommend the Marine Bio Wheel filters it gives off so much water that there’s no dead spots in the aquarium.  It doesn’t matter what type of coral it is Zoanthids, Branes, Torches, Acroporia they love the extra flow. Just use caution around the filter guard. Make sure that nothing can get sucked up inside the filter. Such as tentacles and such. If so, I would recommend a piece of foam around the intake.

 Its big enough for most species including fish and I small enough when I store it when I don’t need it. Bring it out that day. How do I get away with this, you ask? Simple, I just use 10 gallons of water from the system that they will originally go in. This keeps corals from being shocked. And If I need to replace or change the water throughout the week, I just use my tank water, I basically have a unlimited supply from the main tank and this is beneficial because it’s a water change for my system at that time.

Regarding dips. Me personally when Items arrived, I prefer to not dip them and hold them in the quarantine. This will reduce stress some dips can cause a coral to not open for days. Therefore, I wait for further inspection to determine what my next course of action will be.

There are many dips chemicals / medications available to dip your items. I plan on listing a few but plan to do a much through process and recipes in my blog. I recommend to all, to please do you due diligence and research what others are using and follow their dosing recipes. There’s always potential that a dip could possibly kill the item you are dipping.  If you are skeptical, you can always dilute the concentrate or decrease the amount of time in solution.

The following dips I have used personally and had success throughout my years. In no way am I affiliated with any of these brands and have not received any monetary benefits. Please be advised that what might work for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you. Some can be added to the aquarium directly and some cannot. Until I can make a post in my blog please use at your own risk. Please do your research first. This list will be an ongoing list.

Last, with dips and medications only use during expiration dates. Some become weaker and the shelf life in the ingredients lose their potency and may not be as effective and may not notice the results that you expect causing more harm and stress to the items you are trying to save.

Coral Dips
Coral RX
Coral Revive
Potassium Nitrate
Bayer
Iodine
Hydrogen Peroxide
Lugols
Flatworm Exit
Furan - 2

Algae Control
Chemiclean
Red Sea Red Slime Remover
Hydrogen Peroxide
Vibrant
Fluconazole
Reef Flux

Fish Dips
Cupramine
RO/DI