The Joys and Sorrows of Trading!

[ShaunW]

Lately (specifically since the fragswap) I have found that everybody I have traded with has some sort of reef parasite. If it isn't redbugs, it's flatworms, zoanthids eating nudibranchs, montipora eating nudibranchs and acro eating nudibranchs.

It is so exciting to get that new frag in a trade, but to find out that it is covered in redbugs after careful observation is just depressing!! It is such a battle to not introduce these parasites into my tank, and I feel that I am losing. With the only solution being to never trade again! something that I would just hate to do.

I personally think that as a group we should collectively be more vigilant.

I realize that this thread has the potential to be controversial (who wants to find out their tank is infected and nobody wants to name "names"). But some awareness may just be the ticket, I hope!!

So if you have any good links to pictures of the "BANES" of reefkeeping please add the link here. If you also have any good tips on treating your tank to remove them or remaining uninfected, please share .

[ July 03, 2005, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: solbby ]

 

[jhale]

hey Shaun,

I believe a QT tank should be mandatory for everyone.
After reading what's out there I would never put a frag, fish or invert straight into my tank again. The only exception is if I know for sure the tank the animal came from was 100% problem free.

So if I ever trade with someone on this board please don't be offended if I put your frag etc. into my QT for observation.
We have to much invested in our tanks to make dumb mistakes.
I made my share, fortunately I've been able to avoid some of the worse things that plagues reefers.

A good non-reef friend of mine made an astute observation when I told her the purpose of the small QT I set up, she equated it to using a condom. I thought that was the perfect analogy.

As people think about the next frag swap, please take the time to list any "problems" your tank might have when the time comes to trade. Sharing frags is great, sharing your newly discovered SPS eating nudi, not so great.

 

[House of Laughter]

I am thinking that some people on the board are just not too keen on understanding, where and how they get there - not to mention what they look like when you have them.

It took another fellow reefer to point out that I had the bugs. If he didn't, I might not have seen them or thought about them. I treated since then, so, I am red bug free . . . . . . BUT I would be lying to tell you I knew if I had nudi's or anything like that. My Zoo's look awesome,and my SPS healthy, so I would welcome someone to come over to be the "doctor" and tell me what is up.

Spreading the word, one tank at a time might be the start???

Not to mention, Shaun and John, I have cold beer and a new in the wall 180 that could use some visiting

House

 

[jhale]

I'll plan a trip with Shaun when he's got the time.

 

[ShaunW]

House, I would like to make the trip. Maybe we can also do the rounds on all the Westchester/Conn reef stores too!!

While a QT tank is a must it is still not 100%, just like a condom. Additionally, who is going to have a QT tank sufficently set up to put the newly acquired purple monster acro in for two weeks? I haven't seen a QT tank yet that is "good" enough to keep a sensitive SPS alive for 2 weeks! So the temptation to just place the "precious" new frag into the main tank is high. That has been my mistake in the past, i.e. see the new frag die in the QT tank though improper conditions vs. infect the main tank!

[ July 03, 2005, 01:10 PM: Message edited by: solbby ]

 

[bad coffee]

I'd love to QT my new arrivals, but my roommates have vetoed another tank in the house. And I don't have room for one in my bedroom. (besides the fact that there's no AC)

I also completely see Shaun's point about the 'adequate' QT. for a fish, it's easy, for softies and most LPS it's okay. But for those rare/expensive corals it would be hard to actually qt them in a barren tank and hope they survive.

The best case scenario would be to have a 'jump' tank. A smaller tank setup and running that you could put frags in for a couple of weeks. Then you could see what's going on, and treat accordingly.

But I know that another tank in my world would soon be just another tank, rather than my 'qt'. It would be my frag tank, my ______ species tank ect. It wouldn't just stay a tank with a couple pieces of LR and a skimmer.

Medication dips is also a good way to treat new addidions. But then you have the added expense of the medications.

All this being said, I've never QT'd anything. And I've been lucky!

BC

 

[nanoreefer22]

So far I've only traded with people I'm sure don't have nuisances' in their tanks, to save myself the headache. At the swap all I got were softies and LPS so I was safe then from anything that was high end, but now I've gotten into more SPS and Zoos, because of the colors.

I would love to set up a QT tank but as Shaun said it wouldn't be adequately set up to house a PM of two weeks. My best QT as off right now would probably be a 15g with a 65 watt PC bulb.

I would take no offense if you QT'd everything ever gotten from me, corals are way to expensive and we put so much work into it to have it ruined in an instant.

I'm with Brett saying that I've been lucky. But I've only traded/bought stuff from a few people.
-Kris

 

[jhale]

can we pencil in a trip to house's next weekend?

i set up a QT that would be able to house pretty much anything.
it has the lights, and filtration to keep coral and fish happy for a while. the only thing missing is a chiller, so I won't be adding anything to my tank in the summer months. at least nothing from stores or online orders.
of course something could slip by the QT process, but that would be my error.
without patience then the reef hobby is probably not
going to work for someone in the long run. planning and prevention are important for a disease free tank. not new ideas at all, but how many people follow what they know is right.
also better to use a condom than not.

 

[ShaunW]

OK, no help?

Well let's see what I can dig up, beginning with these little pests!!!!!!!

If you see these in your tank:

you have flat worms. They will kill zoanthids/SPS and other corals due to a toxin that they produce.

Some reading on them.
http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/others/worms/worms.htm

 

[ShaunW]

And the "BANE" of all ZOANTHID keepers.

The zoanthid eating nudibranch!!!

Now this in an infestation!!

Their eggs on a zoanthid!

[ July 05, 2005, 05:29 PM: Message edited by: solbby ]

 

[marrone]

I got those, flat worms, in my tank, BC you were correct. I don't know where they came from but I have them. I purchase a nubranch to eat them but in less than 1 week it disappeared. I've been siphoning them out of the tank and have reduce the population. They don't seem to have done any harm to any of my corals, zoo's or sps, and just usally either climb on the glass or just come together in bunch on rocks.

[ July 05, 2005, 04:56 PM: Message edited by: marrone ]

 

[ShaunW]

Which ones Mike??

They will be a huge problem eventually! SORRY but there are cures for both of these guys!

 

[ShaunW]

Michael, here is your cure.
But be careful and follow the directions specifically.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SAT-FLAT&Category_Code=Medicine

 

[marrone]

Shaun

I want to try and siphon them out and not use any chemical if I can. Right now the population has gone down dramically and they haven't done any damage to any of my corals. I'll use that as a last resort.

Michael

 

[Deanos]

Montipora Nudibranch

 

[Deanos]

Red Bugs & Nudibranchs

Flatworms, Snails & Limpets

 

[ShaunW]

Originally posted by marrone:
Shaun

I want to try and siphon them out and not use any chemical if I can. Right now the population has gone down dramically and they haven't done any damage to any of my corals. I'll use that as a last resort.

Michael

Michael, your not going to be successful in removing them by siphoning. It will be a losing battle. What you see visually is only a fraction of the population! They are mostly nocturnal, so look at night.

 

[ShaunW]

Good links Dean! THANKS!

 

[Deanos]

Aiptasia

Pest Anemones

 

[marrone]

From what I've read they like the light, I actually see more when the MH come on. When they go off they go back down on the rocks or hid behind the corals.

Right now I need to get the population down and see if that works. If I can't get rid of them then I try Flatworm away. I think I need to get the population down before I use it anyway.