what do you have...or do you know?? I was worried this was going to happen.....I
I was calling this out openly on the boards lately with all the new members that are so quick to get out there & sell corals.....
So do you got aefw(acro eating flatworms) of MEN (monti eating nudis)? they both lay eggs......... (or do you even know?)
Levamisole HCI works on AEFW...( & also monti eating nudis) what happens when the levamisole gets older..(the worms don't die in the 5 hour bath) they just get paralyzed to the point that they move very slow.... Eggs from either one are not affected by the bath or dips out there...
There are some on these boards that take pests as very high priority before introducing them into a packed system... But nevertheless...better to be safe than sorry even if you know someone is "clean"
I've taken the meanest approach to dipping probably in this whole club...bar none....(& been doing it as long as I've been in the hobby) I have never introduced any rubble from any coral purchase..(not even zoos) I have too much to risk.... I started originally doing it cause I was deathly afraid of getting aptasia or Mojanos..(that shows how long I've been in the hobby)
Best advice to avoid eggs from entering your system after a dip or bath...don't add any rubble attached to a coral.. when you dip or bathe... Any dead coral skeleton on the base should also be clipped prior to the dip or bath..
I know everyone uses Betadyne for dipping... (or should I say flash dipping)
& they claim it is less stress on the corals....
& back when everyone started using levamisole there was a large mortality rate with many many reefers. (not including me) I would have to say the reason for my low mortality rates in the bath....
1) I never go over the 5 hour dip... (if I do...I lose)
2) Temp is very stable in the bath vessel
3) I aerate the water with airstones via an air pump
4) the myth of a powerhead being enough for circulation is wrong
FWIW....Any Meds you add to water for bath or dip rob the water of o2..
If the level of o2 goes too low in the bath vessel... you can say see ya to the corals your dipping...
My dipping practices by many in the club may be thought as overkill... old school or outdated...But for me ...they work!!!
This is how I do it... (you don't have to practice what I preach..)
here we go..
5 gal bucket
2.5 gals of tank water... heater submerged & calibrated air stones added & airpump connected..I start with a 13 gal treatment amount of interceptor for the 6 hour treatment.. add corals after removing rubble & any dead skeleton...one hour into bath...add Levamisole HCI powder..(weighed out for a 4 gal treatment)
exactly after the 6 total dipping hours... I remove the corals into another temp controlled vessel with tank water.. (7 mins)..I get another vessel ready with tropic marin pro coral cure...after the 7 mins in the reg tank water I remove the corals from that vessel & put them thru a dip for 15 mins in the TMPCC vessel.. after 15 mins...they go thru two more vessels of regular tank water in 7 min intervals... (this helps to purge the coral of toxins from the meds)
Am I crazy?? NO I have OCD!!! with everything I do...
It is important that those who are reading this & are not aware of what it takes to keep a tank parasite free....u need to retain this advice.. PASS IT ON!!!!
Thumbs up to you Kevin for coming clean...
You need any advice...pm me....
B