DON’T LET THOSE PEST EAT YOUR PRICEY CORALS.

All it takes is for me to let one nudibranch, one Asterina starfish arm, one flatworm or one parasitic copepod into the tank and then I have to try and not only find it, but also then have to figure out how to remove it. So every coral, whether it’s a maricultured piece or coral frag from my best friend’s tank, and no matter how small, gets treated as do any other invertebrates that I plan on adding to your or my tanks.

First the corals are acclimated to the tank’s water that they are going to be added to for an hour or so. The next step in the process is that the coral is removed from any substrate that is it attached to. Frags are detached from their plugs, maricultured pieces from their cement plug and small colonies from any live rock or other material that they are attached to. This may seem drastic that I am cutting them off even if they have encrusted, but to me making sure there is no chance of an infestation is worth it.

Even though frag plugs and most cement blocks seem solid I have found flatworms, eggs and other creatures in the tiniest holes in these structures. This was especially true in the mariculture plugs that are made of gravel bound with cement. Once you remove the coral from this, if you break it up you will be amazed by how many creatures can make this their home. Once the corals have been removed from their plug or substrate they are then dipped in CoralRx.

I use a slightly higher dose than that which is recommended of 25ml per gallon versus the 20ml, but the coral(s) are only kept in this solution for 5 minutes. Once this is done they are rinsed with clean tank water, I use a turkey baster to blow off any hitchhikers, and then they are placed in a bath containing Bayer Complete Insect Killer (the blue bottle). Again I use a slightly higher concentration than most of about 400ml per 2.5 gallons of water.

The corals are then allowed to rest in the bucket, which contains a small powerhead for 15 minutes. I have had corals stay in this solution for several hours, both intentionally and unintentionally, with no ill effects. The coral is then removed and allowed to rest again in clean tank water. The reason for using two different dipping solutions is I have yet to be convinced that any one solution is able to remove everything, so the two I am using have both been noted as effective and safe by people I trust.

For the most part I have noticed little stress on the corals that go through this process as long as they are not exposed to air for any length of time. I have however noticed that they do seem to be a bit light sensitive in that if they are not gradually acclimated to the lighting in my tank they tend to bleach more than were the corals that were not treated, so keep this in mind when placing them in the tank.

This may seem like a rather elaborate process to undertake to reduce the likelihood of adding unwanted pests to your tank, but in the long-term, and you really should not be in this unless you are in it for the long-term, it is simple once you get used to doing it. I have spent countless hours caring for sick corals and removing pests, some of which I introduced to kill other pests, so I feel it is time well spent. As a result, I am now able to spend much more time just relaxing and watching my tank rather than constantly worrying what is going to eat my corals next. And that really is the best part of the hobby.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

It should be noted that both of these solutions kill things, so I strongly advise that gloves be used when handling them as well as protective eyeware as I’m sure either of these solutions might be harmful if they get in your eyes. Also when disposing of these solutions afterward read and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for how to dispose of them properly.

While these corals are being dipped and treated they are kept in clear glass or plastic containers that are set on white towels. I use the white towel to see what comes off of the coral. Most of the pests we are looking for are colored or beige or gray so against the bright white towel they really stand out. Once the coral is in the final clean bowl I do one other test to make sure it is clean.

With all of the lights out a shine a blacklight flashlight on the coral. By doing so most corals will glow uniformly showing their health, however if there are eggs or dead tissue or something else on the coral this usually shows up as colorless spot. So by shining this light I can make sure that I have not missed anything.

Once all of this has been done the coral can be mounted on its new clean plug, I microwave old plugs after they have been used, and placed in its desired spot. It is interesting that today when the maricultured pieces are removed from their plugs they are now not much bigger than frags used to be, so they are treated the same as frags.