Week 49: How to prevent and treat reef tank pests | 52 Weeks of Reefing

It's Week 49 of 52 Weeks of Reefing, and this week we are talking about one of the most important aspects of keeping corals; pest prevention! We'll cover our preferred way of doing so, various coral dips, methods, and the types of pests you may encounter in your reef tank.
#BRS160
In this week's poll we are asking, "What coral dip do you prefer to use on your corals?"
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[@matthewmeek4289]

Just found these videos today 49 weeks in one afternoon My eyes are bleeding but I got my phd in reef keeping

[@BiologyIsHot]

*masters, you'll have to do some primary research for the PhD in reef keeping.

[@malachigrey4895]

@@BiologyIsHot haha too true, you get your Phd when you've got countless help posts, a couple build threads, and created some useful diy on a forum

[@kimberlyworkman619]

"Give it to someone you hate" LOVE IT! You're awesome Ryan!

[@cdnerin]

I live in a land-locked Canadian prairie province, and I don't own a reef tank, but there is one in the lobby of the building I work in. I learned a lot about what I'm looking at on my lynch hours, thanks for such an informative video!

[@KILLERK260464]

Lynch hour...HA! Love it. Edmonton here.

[@crushingsnakes1972]

Thanks for the 52 weeks of reefing series. I've learned a lot.

[@jamzrichards5306]

OK in 2019 I've been reefing for 11 years now. I've had them all. I've learned how to rid myself of everything except vermatid snails you will have those FOREVER. PERIOD.

[@MACNTOSFAM]

I certainly have followed all of those you've mentioned, with the exception of quarantine tanks (i only have a 20 gal long). My main evaluation is inspecting the tank the corals are in, and each frag in that tank as much as possible. I believe that's the MOST IMPORTANT step to introducing the corals. Fyi, i'm a reef rookie (going on 2 months only).

[@dylanwilkinson1086]

"I would punch them in the face!" 😂😂😂 YESS! That was awesome! lol

[@tonylimque6707]

no.. almost evrytime i punch a face, i go to prison.. waste of time.

[@anthonysmalawipredators8794]

wow I can't believe we're so close to a full year! the tank looks amazing!

[@CloudDayLight]

76 day quarintine for anything wet with a treatment of praziquntral, corals get dipped in peroxide and iodine. And dip with coral rx every couple of days for corals.

[@wssprk]

Keeping a bonsai or tricolor valida as a "canary" for AEFW in a quarentine tank has saved my display on more than one occasion.

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

I remember when this started. Time has gone by so fast.

[@MarkHybridLover]

Thanks for these videos. Very helpful as a new reefer.

[@willfriar8054]

I get all of my stuff from Tampa Bay. I had an inch and a half long mantis shrimp break the bottom out of a 35-gallon hexagonal tank. What a mess on the floor. Now I always make sure that my undergravel filter completely covers the bottom of the tank there's no place for them to get to the glass that easily once they're big enough.

[@fishfan2]

😢 I feel so bad for you rip

[@huntsless]

my favourite dip is onion, its soooo good with any chip.

[@josephkrause5290]

😂😂

[@huntsless]

Ur welcome

[@SparkyHelper]

Undipped coral in the 160 : "I might punch them on the face." ROFLMFAO!

[@danmiller7442]

yes!

[@brianpatel6988]

Hi Ryan. Welcome back and congratulations on the birth of your son!.... I don't know if anyone has raised this question yet, but I feel I need to ask after recently putting my hand in my tank and experiencing my first nasty electrical shock!! 1) Is the BRS160 protected against stray voltage and if so how? 2) Except for heaters which are all AC current, would I minimise my risk by using DC current equipment only 3) Is there a risk of stray voltage from DC equipment? and finally 4) Do you have any plans on doing an informative video on this topic to prevent fellow reefers from experiencing what happened to me or God forbid even worse? Thank you in advance.

[@scubascott1098]

Great video ! so good to see all this info in one concise video.

[@ACCelik-cd7gq]

I just got my coral from WWC. Did my dip and what didnt come off. I thought that would be good enough. So I put them in my tank plug and all. Remind you I am new at this hobby, or addiction if you ask the wife.

[@ahoyskid]

Would love to see a BRS video on Vermetid Snails and how to cut them down.

[@LisaJuliaphotography]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The person who finds a 100% solution will be a billionaire.

[@fransdehaan2916]

I hope so to

[@abyankabir1910]

'Give it to someone you hate' LMFAO that was the best.

[@hardworkhardplay]

Dude... you are incredibly thorough. You have already, as a new subscriber, eliminated several issues as a new saltwater hobbyist. Please... on all your videos... why not have a PayPal Donate link I know for a fact, for each video that you save my a$$ on I’ll be dontating at least $5-$10 and I cannot even fathom why somebody else wouldn’t here and there. Add a donate link to all these amazing videos “Donate if this video has helped you, so we can continue to bring awesome content” For guys like us spending many hundreds, and thousands total... any videos that you have offered that has helped us will be returned with a small token of gratitude in the grand scheme of things -

[@davebaer8504]

I've dipped all the corals that went into my tank but despite my best efforts my tank has been completely infested with vermetid snails; not the big ones in the video, but thousands of small ones. They are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. I am starting the process of breaking down and rebuilding the tank. I will quarantine all corals (and fish) from this point on.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Dave Baer get a large shrimp

[@TheUofAfan]

They came on your rock most likely. I will always run two QT tanks and break the life cycle of pest before I put them in my main display. We all put too much money and time into our tanks not to do everything possible to get rid of pest before putting them into our MDT

[@tristanbeligan6242]

My peppermints ate the aiptasia that came in on my LR. Haven't seen any since

[@mxsnow145]

Can you do a vid on copepods? What are the best kind? where to buy? and how to keep them? Also what ever happened to a Flow video of the VorTech MP's?

[@fitzfam9923]

+BulkReefSupplyCom You could add in Amphipods too! I am thinking about adding to my new 90 gallon but unsure if that is wise. Pods 2 for 1 vid!

[@fishbone1834]

my favorite dip is Bayer

[@beth-rg8bm]

You guys are the best...thank you!

[@johnnykat21]

I removed most of my monti's to a quarantine tank. And used a soft bristled tooth brush to remove the nudibranchs and eggs. What can you recommend for fighting MEN. If possible please give in depth details of where to get/ use the products. The video went by this very quick. Thanks guys. You rock.

[@johnnykat21]

+BulkReefSupplyCom Thanks guys. I had a feeling that was the answer. I have been doing that a little at a time.

[@patrickvien2481]

good thing i watch this video!!! in a few months im starting up

[@JurgenBoes]

I learned some thing today thanks

[@NavyGuy2OO7]

I actually kinda like the look of that tank that had a lot of Mushroom corals! I love softies and LPS, I love to watch them move in the water. My tank picked up a massive bristle worm infestation one time. Anytime something moved you'd see a bunch of them scurry around. Ended up having to dip all the corals, new rock and sand and restarted the tank with some seed water and so far *knock on wood* I haven't seen a single one! Now if I could just get my corals to grow! LOL

[@rudyb3194]

Great Vid, always good info.

[@ammohammonds496]

Could you please do a video on bobbit worms . Very little info about them in a ref tank .

[@geraldzhang5905]

Is there a way to dip a clam to get rid of pyramid snails?

[@kstu8560]

My pests are hairy green mushrooms. Tried scraping them off the rocks, and more grew back from the tiny pieces left behind. Starting to look like a shag carpet in my tank. Thinking of turning the rocks around to see if they will shrink away. Anyone have an idea to help?

[@PhongLe-rl5vg]

i had my GSP swallow up my twizzler colony, and even grew over my sps. no matter how much i tried to contain them, it was growing faster and more aggressive. had to remove the whole rock it was on and gave it to my lfs.

[@frankrandol7998]

Sad to say but my tank got over run with hundreds if not a thousand Aptasia. I tried epoxy and plucking them and even taking the rock and bleaching but it was too far gone. I read an article about the Copperband Butterfly and how they eat this stuff. I purchased one and within thirty five to forty five days the tank is clean. Yes there are some in the overflow and sump but I suspect that if any larvae make it into the tank they will be eaten quickly.

[@goodall1bay]

There was a time years ago that I got a load Indonesian wild live rock very cheap and thought it was wonderful because it came with coral all over it, months later I has emerald craps, dangerous sea slugs, thousands of bristle worms, some were close to a foot long and I even watched one have a go at a fish. Absolute disaster. It was so bad the sand was moving with bristle worms.

[@danielfox6709]

I know that I should but I can’t wait 3 months to put a coral in

[@mxsnow145]

I've used coral RX for about a year now on over 15 sps frags and have only had one hitch hiker stay on a frag.That was an sps crab. After reading the forums i was 50/50 on keeping it. I ended up traded that frag to my LFS for some store credit. TBH QT's are why out of the budget... i'd rather spend that money on a couple new Radion pro gen 4... maybe once i get them (blackfridaysale hopefully) i can just the gen 3 on a QT.

[@PhongLe-rl5vg]

they are pretty cool but yeah, cant to sure about crabs.

[@Davids_United-Fam]

Qt ??

[@neophos6027]

One of your best videos. Although im far from having watched them all! 😂

[@geekdancegroup]

Great vid!

[@LucidComposureUk]

Hi. In next's week video can you cover Ich and the use of a copper tank. I'm one week away from the end of my qt period and it would be great to know I've taken all measures correctly. I've avoided my LFS advise by getting one so knowing if it's possible to never have ich is something I'm really interested in also you're the only guys I know who take the science approach and provide proof.

[@bubblebaath7840]

Only pest I’ve spotted in my tank is bristle worms but they eat detritus and I don’t plan and grabbing them with my hands so she’ll be right

[@bayareareefs8616]

I really like the coral Rx this works good for me

[@simon8206]

Wurdemanni (peppermint) shrimps worked great for me!

[@SyNKevN]

Welcome back Ryan! How is the baby?

[@tsurro8086]

Mushrooms are the worst,,!,,,!great video!!

[@robertarmstrong1245]

Got a little chilli pepper off brother in law thought nothing of it his tank looks clean he does look after it, I didn't dip for the first time and right now a day later I have good few across me sand bed and glass, this is in my 52L frag tank which is beautiful I have ordered flatworm exit from ebay anything I can do in the mean time I did a little water change with a filter sock on the end and a small tip to collect them but the more I tuck out the more I see and my shrimp has just spat out a million shrimp

[@13gallonreefinging55]

How do I get rid of wreath spaghetti worms they have come to like play egg proportions in my tank all over the sand the rocks, the glass and I have no idea how I got them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@boondock4052]

I was curious if you use coral dip on live rock

[@JohnJohn-hv4ef]

Let me see if I got this right: That Bayer insect killer is not an aquarium product sold in reef stores, it is a common insecticide for household use? The same thing we use to spray cockroaches and spiders? If so, how much should we use? Can we use any brand or just this particular one?

[@JohnJohn-hv4ef]

***** I suppose the reason for you not suggesting any other brand is because there hasn't been proof yet of some other product that works the same but is still harmless to the coral. Right? I hope I can find this product in my country. I'm sure it works better and kills more things than any other coral dipping product you'll find in a reef store.

[@Youmakele]

So you are saying its imposible to have a tank without Bristle Worms? They are horible looking and i would like to avoid them..

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

I have to say i stick with REVIVE dip. Do you feel that sand gets old? Does it need to be replaced

[@valtermalveiro]

Good morning, I would like to know how I can eliminate a pest of digitate hydroids, they are already starting to be many and they bite my corals. Are there any natural predators that eat them? Or another kind of solution? Thank you for your attention.

[@BRStv]

This is a tough one because they don't have any predators in the reef tank and are also difficult to remove. In a lot of cases, we'll end up covering them with some reef safe epoxy (we like the Tunze Coral Gum for this) and suffocate them this way. Depending on the size of the infestation, this may or may not be a reasonable solution for your setup.

[@raeesusman2026]

Are Isopods good or bad? I have just gone fallow due to whitespot and I am starting to see loads of little insects in the tank. Some of them are copepods but some are a lot larger. I don't know what the larger ones could be. Do you have any idea what they are? I thought they may be isopods.

[@raeesusman2026]

BulkReefSupplyCom Thanks. :)

[@IS-db6pn]

How is the kalkwasser paste for pruning GSP made? It's starting to take over one of my main rock structures.

[@mrdouglasbaker]

I got lucky I bought one peppermint shrimp he ate all the aptasia than eat my Dunkin coral I got rid of him I got one more peppermint shrimp and he only eats aptasia only solution for me

[@RequiemWraith]

What kinda of tank setup/lighting would you recommend for a coral quarantine?

[@Cordeneaux87]

What's your favorite go to for parasite info? Something beyond just identification? Looking for a solid treatment site.

[@Cordeneaux87]

I teach an aquatic science class, so I'm always looking for more resources.

[@talyn4420]

How do you get rid of Vermetid snails? Their sharp tubes are growing around frogspawn and causing them not to open much

[@IS-db6pn]

I have a LOT of tiny brittle stars in my rocks. They do not seem to harm corals but they are unsightly and pop out of every hole in the rocks. I've read conflicting opinions on harlequin shrimps for control of this pest. Will they eat these brittle stars?

[@darrylnelson6264]

Would a peroxide dip kill algaes like bubble algae that could possibly be on a frag? How safe is it?

[@nonfunctionalslackfill]

I have a few pokémon eating my acro, I got a few but i cant cetch em all. Any tips?

[@mxsnow145]

Best answer!

[@gilmarrodrigues5940]

Hello, I'm from Brazil, so many varieties here equipment for aquariums and are very expensive and have mainly animals but colorful, are a fortune. Would send him here?

[@Mebeknob]

If I were to plumb a separate tank (no sand or rock) into my sump and use this as a quarantine, would this be effective?

[@richarddunn7017]

Also, what if you buy FL live rock, but only want what naturally occurs on it. For example, what if I want a marine tank with macro algae and just whatever occurs naturally on a reef?

[@wielandpa]

What, no mention of the dreaded aceol planaria flatworm? I hate these things. How can I manage them once I have them, RT

[@inventoryking]

Would you use Bayer with Torches?

[@BRStv]

We've used it with torches in the past without issue :)

[@polarspirit]

All I do is put new stock in my sump and pass the water through UV light before water reaches main tank.

[@jessn.2665]

So I have HELLA bristleworms, and only noticed it now because my tank is currently fishless, and the copapod and bristle worm, and vermatid snail population has exploded. Should I be concerned? My corals look good

[@franklinmichael671]

I have flatworms but I don't have any sps coral yet, the tank has only been up for 1.5 months. Is there such a thin as harmless flatworms (I feel like mine try to eat copepods)? If not, would keeping the tank coral free for 45 days get rid of them?

[@nileshkapurkar1123]

How to make coral and sea anemone Food ?

[@SSS-mp8th]

Great vid. Any suggestions for sourcing fish online? I'm not confident in my LFS stock. Going to give Austin Aquafarms a try for some zoas.

[@SSS-mp8th]

Midas blenny, royal gramma and an ocellaris clown to replace my carpet surfer.

[@DrKW22]

also the tank size is 36 gallon

[@krisosspyratos5016]

Alright BRS - Can someone please get info on Cirolanid Isopods? I feel liek this is a huge issue that no one really covers well. Any Helpful tips on how to handle this issue?

[@ericsfishingadventures4433]

I've been dealing with some sort of isopods almost entirely eating my coraline algae during nighttime (I've been studying them every night). I realize I'm likely out of luck with this infestation but any sort of input would be greatly appreciated!!

[@Elchupacabra560]

If I use Carib Sea live sand will it come with hitchhikers or do you recommend dry sand

[@bvaughn777]

fav dip Bayer alternating with coral rx pro

[@bvaughn777]

no not mixed, alternating.

[@kamilawright5665]

How do u use the Bayer dip the same way as the Coral Rx?Can be use for soft and hard corals? Thanks

[@KB.Wildlife]

Was that smaller quarantine system DIY? What was the tiny powerhead used on that small quarantine system?

[@killercake90]

i just broke down the tank.im starting over .. i dont want these things in there,

[@derekmilne8793]

The video says a dip doesn't help with bubble algae but wouldn't a hydrogen peroxide dip take care of it?

[@624USA]

I'm starting my new tank with BRS Pukani to avoid pests, but have a smaller established tank that has been running for a little less than two years that I plan to transfer to the new one when I'm sure it cycles completely. My question is do I need to worry a lot about pests being introduced from my original tank because it was started with live rock from my lfs? Of the pests you listed the only one that I have ever encountered in two years are bristle worms. If so are there any methods to dip a piece of live rock that is encrusted in sps/zoas? Or would you recommend completely fragging the corals off and not using the rock as is?

[@ObserverDriftMusic]

Saltwater Empire!! That's my LFS

[@Davids_United-Fam]

Lfs??

[@jacob7285]

about a year ago I bought various micro fauna including "Beneficial" bristle Worms from ipsf.com what are your thoughts on them. I have never had any negative impact that I can tell on my corals. just wanted you opinion on them

[@yoursisterspanties]

Laser aiptasias! I had monti eating nudis, had to take all month's off, added 6 line wrasse, after 8 months should i try another monti?

[@ryanbrownlee3611]

Man. I got some live rock from this place and its got literally EVERY pest. Bubble algae, zoanthid eating spiders, stinging anemonies.

[@ryanbrownlee3611]

What should I do? And I am having a hard time removing the spiders. So far I have only seen 1. I have no Zoanthids for them to eat. Will they starve? Should I remove and replace the Live rock with Dry rock?

[@imghaniff]

Fluconazole for bryopsis!

[@DrKW22]

is a 240gph powerhead ok for lion fish the non toxic one

[@AS-qi7iu]

Is it possible/healthy to keep one or two fish in a coral quarantine tank?

[@cresento]

I have got white sponge like thingy in sump areas , especially on sides n hidden parts and even at overflow area of red sea 170 tank.. what pest it could be and whats best treatment for that?

[@BRStv]

Sounds like pineapple sponges. Do an image search and see if that looks like what you have. If so, they're harmless filter feeders. You can manually remove them if they bug you, but don't pose a threat and ebb and flow with nutrient levels and tank maturity.

[@cresento]

@@BRStv thank u. It looks same as in pics

[@WmBWorden]

new tank and my sand is turning brown what should i do

[@IntriguedAboutLife]

Hey what are your thoughts on spaghetti worms??

[@sinatra617]

SPIDERS!!!! OMG in I ever see a spider in my tank that will be it for the tank. I wouldn't go in the room where the tank is. I'd have to call someone to dose or get it out the tank.

[@summerbingaman6021]

I am currently interning at an aquaculture farm in MD and working closely on a project involving cultured coral pests. Would you say the bayer insect killer is your safest and preferred dip to use? I don't want to be that intern that kills the supply!!

[@BRStv]

We typically use a combo of Coral Rx and Bayer. That said, Coral Rx is probably your safest bet in that it is specifically designed to be used on corals. Non-reefing related products like Bayer could have formula changes without us knowing it, so we are taking a risk in that sense.

[@gm836]

I’m going to go any lengths to keep my tank 100% pest free.

[@BillyBobJoeisawesome]

I'm sorry... underwater spiders. AM I SAFE ANYWHERE!!

[@warddman]

bayer is the bomb

[@egolightly]

Any suggestions for red algae which I got from local fish store?

[@amin__2014]

thanks! what is the dosage per gallon for the insect killer? and for how long ? please and thank you :)

[@amin__2014]

+BulkReefSupplyCom perfecto ;)

[@StormSheldon96]

I use coral Rx and it seems to work great. But my star polyps have taken over a portion of me zoas :(

[@StormSheldon96]

+BulkReefSupplyCom I'm not quite sure but I believe I can if I try. I had them on an island but it was close enough to the rock for the polyps to reach lol second tank problems lol