Author Topic: 7 Good Reasons to Quarantine!!! (Read 6977 times)

Reefd Up · « **on:** January 30, 2010, 20:47:42 »

So, I finally broke down and bought the first large colony ever that I'd been eyeballing for a couple of weeks now. This...is what I found on that one single colony (NOT for the squeemish!) FYI...flatworms really shouldn't be bigger than pistol shrimp.........

1: Really really huge flatworm that's about 4" long fully expanded
2: Really really huge flatworm that's about 3" long fully expanded

3: Huge bristleworm that I almost grabbed with my bare hands...yikes...

4: Long skinny 3" flatworm

5: Tiny (compared to the others) polka dot flatworm (about the size of a dime)

6: Creepy brittle starfish (they creep me out...shush)
7: The most itty bitty teeny weenie little pistol shrimp that I would've never seen otherwise!

HUNGER · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2010, 20:49:09 »

reefman · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2010, 21:22:11 »

Nice were was this purchased?

jd · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2010, 21:24:05 »

I hope you're atleast keeping the pistol shrimp

HUNGER · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2010, 21:27:51 »

i kinda think the flat worms look kinda cool

Reefd Up · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2010, 21:40:09 »

I'd rather not say where I purchased the coral from as I personally like the store...and don't want to sound like I'm giving a poor review for finding some not-so-nice hitchhikers on a collected coral (which can only be expected.)

This is exactly why I cut the bases off of each and every coral, super glue over any exposed non-coral parts, and attach the coral to a new base. I spent about 2 hours getting the colony completely separated from the base rock...and found all those creatures. Imagine a LFS trying to do that to each and every coral! No way that's possible. It's really important to remove the base as that's where Montipora Eating Nudibranchs lay their eggs...and there are plenty of hiding places for other critters and algae.

To reiterate my QT again (b/c I don't think I can reiterate this enough), here's what I do:

1. Cut the coral off the base
2. Place the coral in Flatworm Exit for 30 minutes while acclimating, then in a separate dip of Lugol's Iodine for 15 minutes while acclimating
3. Treat for any specific pests found (like I'd use Interceptor if I found redbugs)
4. Superglue over any remaining rock/dead skeleton
5. Attach to new base
6. Quarantine for a minimum of 1 month, treating for anything as necessary

Reefd Up · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2010, 21:41:33 »

Quote from: jd on January 30, 2010, 21:24:05

I hope you're atleast keeping the pistol shrimp

Yes JD, you can sleep peacefully tonight. I got some nice pictures of him...and then said goodbye as I know I'll never see a pistol shrimp smaller than a grain of rice again in my sump.

lazylivin · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2010, 22:00:40 »

Great Pictures and good illustration of why it is so important to dip and quarantine.

HUNGER · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2010, 22:03:49 »

ya but you will hear him all the time

Reefd Up · « **Reply #9 on:** January 30, 2010, 22:08:15 »

The big flatworms appear to be giant polyclad flatworms that feed on clam's mantle. Thankfully, I don't have a clam in QT right now, so if there are any remaining buggers, they should starve in QT.

Oh, and to whomever made this thread sticky, I think we should make a new "Why you should QT" thread...and have us all post our nastiest hitchhikers on there. I know Blown76mav would win with his worm...but still...I think it would scare the newbies to death enough to start a QT!

HUNGER · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2010, 22:10:59 »

would my gf be a hicthicker lol

Riderc82 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2010, 23:08:03 »

Quote from: Reef'd Up on January 30, 2010, 21:40:09

To reiterate my QT again (b/c I don't think I can reiterate this enough), here's what I do:

1. Cut the coral off the base
2. Place the coral in Flatworm Exit for 30 minutes while acclimating, then in a separate dip of Lugol's Iodine for 15 minutes while acclimating
3. Treat for any specific pests found (like I'd use Interceptor if I found redbugs)
4. Superglue over any remaining rock/dead skeleton
5. Attach to new base
6. Quarantine for a minimum of 1 month, treating for anything as necessary

I'm kind of confused by #2, So you take the water the coral arrived in and split in half I'm assuming add flatworm exit (how do you know how much to use or do you just guess?) and then you move the coral over to the other half of water and add Lugol's Iodine? I'm not questioning your method just curious. And are the flatworms dead or did they make it through the dip?

Reefd Up · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2010, 23:13:27 »

Oh, guess I should've clarified. I cut the coral off the base, acclimate it to my tank, and place it in a solution of my water + FE at 1 drop per cup for 30 min then put it in a mix of my water + 1 drop Lugols per cup for 15 min. But, always follow the directions on the bottle.

I found the giant flatworms while I was cutting the base off. So, I stuck them in a container of tank water. They're still alive. Want me to try Lugols and FE on them?

Riderc82 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2010, 23:17:28 »

Great idea, I would use it at the strength you normally do and then check in thirty minutes and see if they are dead. The flatworms you found are massive so I'm curious if they will die or not.

ghurlag · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2010, 23:57:31 »

WOW

These guys are impressive and scary - close call with the bristleworms.

Reefd Up · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2010, 00:37:53 »

30 minutes:

Flatworm treated with 1 drop Flatworm Exit in 1 cup tank water - looks unhappy, but is very much alive

Flatworm treated with 1 drop Lugol's Iodine in 1 cup tank water - looks a bit more unhappy, but is very much alive

Reefd Up · « **Reply #16 on:** January 31, 2010, 01:03:27 »

1 hour:

Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes - unhappy, but alive

Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes - curled up in a ball, barely alive

Riderc82 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2010, 01:06:07 »

I guess it's a good thing you quarantine for 1 month. I've read that most people use 3-4x the amount of flatworm exit the bottle suggest but it is cool you were able to experiment with the flatworm exit using their recommended dosage.

Reefd Up · « **Reply #18 on:** January 31, 2010, 01:14:42 »

I think 1 drop per cup is about 3-4x the recommended dosage...which is why I always start with that. The recommended dosage has never worked for me...and obviously isn't working on this big buggers. Wish I had some Coral Rx to try.

Reefd Up · « **Reply #19 on:** January 31, 2010, 01:35:14 »

1.5 hours:

Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive

Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - curled up in a ball, on the verge of death...I think.

Obviously neither of these treatments are realistic options. Corals should not be kept in this strong of an iodine solution...and even with 1 drop per cup they should be limited to 15 minutes. If found, these flatworms should just be manually removed and disposed of. I'm going to bed...they can die overnight.

Rayman · « **Reply #20 on:** January 31, 2010, 02:26:52 »

wow that is amazing. what kinda coral did you get.

cyberwollf · « **Reply #21 on:** January 31, 2010, 09:45:39 »

Quote from: Reef'd Up on January 31, 2010, 01:35:14

1.5 hours:

Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive

Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - curled up in a ball, on the verge of death...I think.

Obviously neither of these treatments are realistic options. Corals should not be kept in this strong of an iodine solution...and even with 1 drop per cup they should be limited to 15 minutes. If found, these flatworms should just be manually removed and disposed of. I'm going to bed...they can die overnight.

I bet they were just faking they probably snuck upstairs and tried to smother you in your sleep

Reefd Up · « **Reply #22 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:03:05 »

2 hours:

Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive

Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more + 1 more for 30 more - appeared dead, but came back to life when placed in tank water...so back to the dip he went

Reefd Up · « **Reply #23 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:06:38 »

Total Time - About 10 hours

Flatworm #1 (Flatworm Exit Treatment) - Total drops = 5 in 1 cup water, final temp = 60F, no oxygenation in water, result: still alive

Flatworm #2 (Lugol's Iodine Treatment) - Total drops = 5 in 1 cup water, final temp = 60F, no oxygenation in water, result: appeared dead and secreting yellowish substance, but came back to life when placed in tank water. Back to the dip he went

Not sure what'll kill these guys. Kinda scared to pour them down the drain. I think I'll try a freshwater treatment now since obviously the two solutions above don't do anything.

UDJustin · « **Reply #24 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:13:59 »

freeze them into ice cubes for your next party

2024 Ohio Reef Frag Swap

Author Topic: 7 Good Reasons to Quarantine!!! (Read 6977 times)

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