Main Homepage updated(3/3/2018)

Why quarantine and dip?
Because there is an ocean of potential problems you could introduce into your tiny reef ecosystem.
Here is some info on what pests you should look out for and what I have done and would recommend you try.

Having reef aquaria since 1994 I have seen and experienced a lot.

Rule #1 "Don't Panic" now read through everything below, gather materials and make a plan of attack. it is best to start this when you have the time and materials ready, a poorly laid out strategy may lead to spreading an isolated problem thought the system.

This is a significant part of the challenge in this hobby and once you make it through this crises you will be at the next level of reef keeping. This is why the best step is to Quarantine for two to 4 weeks (though very few people really do).

Here is a recipe I use as a general dip for Acropora, Montipora and even Softies/Polyps.

First make sure the alkalinity of the dipping solution is above 8dKH! this chemical is slightly acidic and if your Alkalinity is low it may completely remove the remaining buffer and drastically drop the pH of the dip solution. A pH of 7.75 or higher should be fine for short dips, longer dips on stony corals you would want to be closer to the natural range your system runs at.

This dip will take 5 minutes and up to 30 min for softies like leathers and polyps. It will  stun and eventually kill just about everything that you cant initially see that is on or in the coral, however it will not kill  eggs. To avoid Eggs it is best to cut out all non-living coral skeleton. If your goal is to remove visible crabs or large pests out then it will take some coaxing while in the dip.

Start with a container of tank water with a known volume, to this you will add 50ml of MelaFix per gallon, if you are using the concentrated version of MelaFix (Usually comes in the one gallon jug size) this would only be 10ml per gallon. If your not sure what you have then look for the % active ingredient, regular is 1.2% and concentrated is 5%. It is best to have a small circulation pump or air stone to gently mix the water. You should also have an old clean tooth brush to clean areas where there is no living coral tissue, or even better, take a dremel tool or coral cutters and cut off or shave off the surface of any dead areas within 1 inch of the living tissue. Pay close attention to the joints between the branches of the coral and look for any dead areas, if needed break a few branches in the center to get a better view. Removing these inner branches will also help bring better flow into the coral. After the 5 min are up, holding the coral in the dip solution, gently shake swirl any excess slime and debris from the coral then you should let the coral sit for a minute or two in a separate container of tank water to remove/dilute excess medicated water that is stuck to the coral. Also it is normal for the coral to have the odor of the melafix. Now it is safe to place coral into the tank. If it was a coral that has been growing for some time in the system then it is best to fit it back exactly where it came from. If you are planning on re-aquascaping it is best to wait a week or two for the coral to fully regain its energy.
 Precautions:
* Do not dip in a location such that the solution can drip or accidentally dump into the main system! if this does happen then turn up the protein skimmer or add areation to the system for several days, if you have Ozone and carbon around add them to the system to break down the chemical, In the next week you will need to refresh the micro plankton and such that may have been impacted, Using established live-rock from a clean stable system is a great way to accomplish this.
* If you are going to be dipping many pieces it is good idea to wear gloves. This chemical is a natural product so it is not a scary to work with like other dips however it does show that in the state of California it is considered a carcinogen.
* Most Acropora and Montipora will recover just fine however special care should be given to fine branching corals like echinata and Turaki, and all other corals where the branches are 1/8" or thinner. I would not dip these species for longer than 5min.
* If a day or two after the dip you notice the coral tissue starting to peel off the skeleton it is best to move the coral to a lower light, lower flow area till the tissue loss stops.

 

More Specific dips: (click the blue hyperlinks to see pictures)

Bad
     Red spot Acropora feeding amphipod, (AKA red bugs, red butt bugs) to the naked eye they look like a red speck or a cluster of red specks on the tip of an Acropora branch. They only affect Acropora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and often its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed, so simply dipping the coral in an Iodine solution (coral dip) will only kill the ones that were on the coral. The only way I have rid my system of these pests was by using Interceptor. I found this link The Treatment that describes the procedure. I would also add some new cured live rock to re-establish the natural plankton. although this does not seem to be absolutely necessary and this medication doesn't seem to affect all the natural beneficial copepods. It is also wise to increase your usage of phosphate binders after treatment due to the nutrient release of killing off of these amphipods. 
 Precautions:
* after this dip there will be many affected crustaceans dying and decaying in the system, if you choose not do the large water changes it would be wise to monitor you phosphate as well as the potassium levels in the weeks to follow. From my observations in stony coral dominated reef tanks most corals will darken or loose color (brown out). During this time the coral is using up stored energy to make more zooxanthellae, this causes them to temporality brown out. The main thing to worry about is if the phosphate continues to rise or stay at higher than normal levels this can cause a deficiency in potassium. If potassium levels were to drop below 250ppm (NSW 390ppm) you may start to see some corals loose there tissue much like R.T.N. 

Bad
     Black spot Montipora feeding amphipod, to the naked eye they look like a black speck. They only seem to affect Montipora species and in my option they are not life threatening to the coral but they do affect its growth and its color. Do not confuse them with the other larger copepods swimming in your system, these ones are about the size of a hair follicle, or sharp pencil dot. They can swim if disturbed. Dipping the coral in an Iodine solution seems to not affect them much. The only way to get rid of them is by using Interceptor, just like for the red bug treatment except you will need to double or triple the dosage.

 Very bad if unchecked
      Montipora eating nudibranch(also found on Anacropoara)

These Pests are quite difficult to eradicate if not found early on. They eat the living flesh of  Montipora species and can wipe out all your Montipora corals if left unchecked, You will commonly first spot them on the underside of Montipora capricornis or encrusting bases of branching species, they seem to not be able to crawl on the actual living healthy tissue. They look like white, off-white, or brown fluffy spots up to 3/8" long and the best place to look for them is where the living tissue meets the rock base or near any dead spots. A tell tale sign of there presence is the appearance clean white dead areas on the coral. The only sure way to avoid them is to quarantine the new coral for two weeks to allow any eggs to hatch out and check for there presence. If you find them you can remove them by picking them off or even better use a turkey baster to blast them off (in a separate container), and then scrub the base rock and all dead areas with a tooth brush to remove any possible eggs or cut away anything that is not living coral down to the clean skeleton. To this Date i have not found an effective dip, the closest is the one listed at the beginning but the duration must really be extended to the 30min mark and requires you to aggressively use a turkey baster. This could cause the coral to slightly bleach so it would be important to monitor the dips pH and temperature to limit the stress.

Very bad and can destroy allot of Acropora very fast
      Acropora eating flat worms (AEFW) Don't confuse these with the common red planaria, unlike the red or rust colored flatworms these worms have no problem climbing onto Acropora branches. The adults are oval in shape, up to 1/2" from front to back and about 1/4" wide. Here they feed on the flesh of the Acropora  coral and the zooxanthellae contained inside. The tell tale signs of these worms are the white holes left behind as they feed. The adult AEFW is very well camouflaged against the surface of the coral and during the daytime they usually hide in the folds between branches. When it comes time to lay eggs the adult AEFW will  eat a section from the base of a colony upon which it will lay its eggs. There are some coral dips that will kill the worm but not the eggs, but there so far in my experience is no 100% reef safe in tank treatment like there is for the red bugs. So far the best remedy for removal is through a series of dips or to set up a QT system and treat it with Levamisole (an over the counter pig de-wormer). Still others recommend the use of small species of Reef-safe wrasses or the use of small comical crabs that naturally live in the acropora. For large Importers/Farms setting up a dipping station that is large enough to submerge an entire rack with the corals is most efficient. If no other new corals are added to these systems after the first dip, then this dip should be repeated two more times every 5-7 days to kill whatever eggs might have hatched out.

Spiders!
While I don't have any Personal experience with them, I have heard enough stories from hobbyists and shops that it is safe to say Interceptor will get them just like the red bugs