is there a coral acclimation guide?

[rough eye]

hi, have questions. i read online to never expose corals to air but i have no idea how to do this, if acclimating for temp, then gradually introducing tank water, then adding something like coral Rx, then rinsing. can someone explain how it's done please?

 

also, i was assuming doing this concurrently with a water change might be best, so as to have enough freshly made salt water to top off the tank after introducing the corals. is this a bad idea?

 

also, what about temperature? if i have 2 different containers, moving corals from the Rx container to the rinse container and then to the tank, won't difference in temp shock the corals?

[seabass]

In general, temperature acclimation by floating the bag for 20 to 30 minutes is usually sufficient.

 

However, you bring up a good point about performing coral dips.  We generally use tank water, so the temperatures are usually pretty close (not perfect); but it's generally good enough.

 

I might choose to do a water change prior to introducing new livestock.  That way you aren't further stressing the new stock once again.  Although this shouldn't be a big deal if you choose to do a water change after introducing new livestock.

 

1 hour ago, rough eye said:

won't difference in temp shock the corals?

If it's pretty close, I wouldn't worry about it too much.  Long-term, try to keep temperatures as stable as possible.

[rough eye]

28 minutes ago, seabass said:

In general, temperature acclimation by floating the bag for 20 to 30 minutes is usually sufficient.

 

However, you bring up a good point about performing coral dips.  We generally use tank water, so the temperatures are usually pretty close (not perfect); but it's generally good enough.

 

I might choose to do a water change prior to introducing new livestock.  That way you aren't further stressing the new stock once again.  Although this shouldn't be a big deal if you choose to do a water change after introducing new livestock.

 

If it's pretty close, I wouldn't worry about it too much.  Long-term, try to keep temperatures as stable as possible.

thanks. i worry about everything 🙂

 

just picked up RODI water at the local store and the guy recommended using Melafix for coral dip. Also excited to see they just got a few tail spot blennies there, so going to pick one of those up next weekend (once they've been in copper in the LFS tanks for 10 days). 

[ajmckay]

Agree with Mr. Seabass - for corals in most cases all you really need to do is temp acclimate in MOST cases.  Since the LFS I've been to at least keep their coral tanks around 1.025 SG so pretty close to your typical home reef. 

 

I think an important part of acclimation though is inspecting and dipping.  I put the coral in a small container with the store water (after temp acclimating) a dip in another cup, and finally a rinse cup that's just tank water.  So first I inspect with a magnifying glass. I take a soft toothbrush and knock off any algae or pests or other critters.  Then I dip (I usually use iodine), and then swish it in the rinse and put it in the tank.  For euphyllia I try to make sure the tentacles are fully closed before moving them out of water.  But I don't think it's bad for most corals to be out of water for a small amount of time if they're closed up.  If they're not closed up then they could sustain some damage. 

 

1 hour ago, rough eye said:

thanks. i worry about everything 🙂

 

just picked up RODI water at the local store and the guy recommended using Melafix for coral dip. Also excited to see they just got a few tail spot blennies there, so going to pick one of those up next weekend (once they've been in copper in the LFS tanks for 10 days). 

If you use Melafix then I would rinse it off really well because that stuff turns water really sudsy lol.  If you have a skimmer maybe watch it for a few hours.  At least I think it's melafix... Could be Pimafix - or maybe both.  It's been a while since I've used either. 

[Clown79]

For the vast majority of corals i just float bag to match temp

 

Then i have 3 containers of tank water. 1 has dip in it, the others don't.

 

Dip the coral according to timing instructions thrn rinse in the 2 containers, place in tank.

 

Most corals have no issue being exposed to air, in the ocean, the tide goes out and leaves them exposed for hrs 

[rough eye]

19 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

For the vast majority of corals i just float bag to match temp

 

Then i have 3 containers of tank water. 1 has dip in it, the others don't.

 

Dip the coral according to timing instructions thrn rinse in the 2 containers, place in tank.

 

Most corals have no issue being exposed to air, in the ocean, the tide goes out and leaves them exposed for hrs 

so no drip or adding tank water gradually before dipping?

[jservedio]

13 minutes ago, rough eye said:

so no drip or adding tank water gradually before dipping?

Nope - dipping corals is way, way more stressful than any short temperature or salinity changes or being exposed to air.

 

The only thing I bother to drip acclimate are the CUC. They generally get a really rough ride since they aren't treated as well in transit and by the LFS as corals and fish are due to their low cash value. It seems those I drip acclimate I keep for years and years (I've got dwarf red-legged hermit more than 10 years old still kicking) and those that just get plunked in never last more than a year or two. Totally non-scientific, but that's been my experience.

[Tired]

It's perfectly fine to expose corals to air. Sponges can't tolerate it for long, they get air bubbles trapped in them, but corals are fine. 5-10 minutes should be just fine for all corals, and many will tolerate longer exposure. Some SPS can be exposed to air for hours in the wild, and I know I've heard of zoanthids surviving being out overnight. 

[05XRunner]

yea. Open the bag and toss it in your coral dip

rinse off and into tank.

[tidepooldreamer]

When you dip your corals, do you worry about the frag plug? I saw some other people talking about the plug being absorbent and then leaching dip into the tank, so they put the coral onto a fresh plug after dipping before it goes in the tank, but most people don't mention it - is that something I need to do? Looking to get my first corals soon and I want to be prepared!

[seabass]

I feel that more people get rid of the frag plugs because:

1. They are ugly.
2. They have the potential to have pests and/or pest algae.

If you want to glue the coral back onto a solid (yet movable) natural looking surface, you could glue it to a piece of rock rubble.  Actually, I've never heard that frag plugs adsorb and then leach out coral dip solutions.   IDK, maybe some truth to it, but I wouldn't worry about it.

[Tired]

I think a dry plug might absorb coral dip, but a wet one would probably be too full of water to soak up very much of the dip. Coral dip shouldn't be harmful to anything if it's really diluted, either.