Acclimating SPS coral frags.

[haze87]

Hey guys,

I purchased some sps frags that will be delivered tomorrow, and im wondering what is the best way to go about acclimating them to my tank? With fish i normally float the bag in the tank for an hour or so and slowly add water from the tank to the bag until i release the fish, should i do something similar with the coral? Also can any of you recommend some coral food, i've been told "Oyster Feast" is a good one.

Thanks

 

[Cathic]

There are several good coral foods out there, and as far as acclimating you will want to treat them essentially like the fish. Drip acclimation works well but if you need to just slowly add water to your bags or whatever you are holding them in thats fine too. It will ensure that they are properly adjusted to your water params the same as your fish do when you acclimate. We dont want big swings in params anytime we add something new, it causes stress that isn't needed.

 

[chichimom79]

I prefer to drip acclimate my new fish and coral. Dipping any new coral that goes in your tank is also a good idea. I use Coral Rx. Feeding corals is secondary to giving them the correct amount of light and flow. I have Reef Chili from BRS but I never use it. The food I feed my fish has lots of tiny bits in it that the corals can eat as well.

 

[cvcdrk]

What kind of lights do you have on your tank?

Drip acclimation, as mentioned, is the best way to go. For fish, as well. It's pretty easy and it's a little more reliable and easier on the fish than dumping cups of tank water on them. :-)

 

[Bifferwine]

+1 on dipping. Probably the most important thing you can do for all new corals is give them a good dip before they go in your tank!

 

[texreefer]

I drip also , seems to be the easiest way to prevent any sort of shock to the new addition.

I use an IV drip line that is used in hospitals. The flow control is awsome to have , I just remove the unwanted parts and use the line and flow restrictor.

EMT Paramedic Hospital Grade Surgery IV Line w/Injection Site, 10/15/20/60 Drip | eBay

 

[yote]

I too use the drip acclimation method. Seems that SPS especially do better with the drip.

As far as coral foods go. I guess my favorite is probably Reef Snow from Brightwell Aquatics.

 

[haze87]

Thanks for the responses, can anyone explain drip acclimation to me?

Also, the coral frags are going to be arriving a few days before the live rock that i want to attach them to, should i be okay having them sitting loose in my tank for a couple days?

 

[Nonfamous]

Yes, the best place for new frags is on the bottom for a while. This gives them a chance to adjust to your lighting. Add corals when lights are out. Turn them off if its not after lights out. If the lights are dimmable, then dim them, slowly raising the light levels over a few days to weeks.

I don't drip my corals. I simply temp acclimate them, dip them then place them in the tank. Maybe this is why I cant seem to keep Zoas alive? Though, with my water now "dirty" (.25 PO4 and .10 NO3 they are starting to look MUCH better.) Everything else seems to be doing well also!

 

[cvcdrk]

Drip acclimation is pretty simple. All you need is a small bucket and some airline tubing.

I use a valve to control the water flow but you can just tie a knot in the tubing instead. Start a siphon from your tank and adjust the knot so that you're getting a couple drops per second. Then add the water the corals were shipped in and the corals themselves to the bucket. Allow the drip to double the amount of water in the bucket, then remove a few cups worth and continue for about 2 hours. If this was confusing there are plenty of articles online with pictures and detailed instructions. Just google "drip acclimation + saltwater" and you'll get lots of hits.

SPS corals are more sensitive than LPS and do require a little longer acclimation period. Once they are well-acclimated to the water conditions, take them out, check for any anomalies, dip them if you choose to do so, and add them to your tank.

As Nonfamous said, it's best to let new corals sit on the substrate for a few days while they're still adjusting so waiting for your rock to come is no big deal. What kind of rock did you get, though? Is it dry?

 

[haze87]

I have the corals in my tank now, sitting on the bottom in the sand. I dripped them for about 4 hours this morning so they should be okay.

This is the live rock i have on order, it should be here in 2 days tops.

Bali Alor Live Rock: Aquarium Live Rock from Aquatic Connection Live

Thanks for all the help guys.

Also, another question...what do you guys recommend for mounting the frags, putty, reef glue?

 

[cvcdrk]

You can just use super glue to secure them if you want. It will cure underwater, but I find it's easier to remove the frag and put the glue on the plug out of water then to put it in the place I like. While applying glue underwater is possible and it will cure and I do it to glue rocks together, it is a little more of a pain. Removing the corals from the water for a few seconds is perfectly ok.

If you do choose to leave the corals in the tank I have found that applying the glue to a toothpick and using that to spread it (and pop the "bubble" for it to cure) is the easiest method and helps to reduce waste.

If you use super glue just make sure that you get the gel kind. I get it at walmart (actual product I use is krazy glue) and it's much cheaper than most epoxy I've seen and the "reef glue" stuff. I've never used them, though.