Pest Prevention: The Essential Coral Quarantine Protocol

A proper quarantine system for corals can save your entire reef from devastating pests.\n\nMinimal QT setup:\n- 10-20 gallon tank with heater\n- Small powerhead for flow\n- Basic LED light\n- No live rock (easy to inspect)\n- Frag rack or egg crate\n\nQuarantine protocol:\n1. Day 1: Bayer dip (25 mL/gallon for 10 min), inspect with magnifying glass\n2. Day 3: CoralRx dip, inspect again\n3. Day 7: Final dip, thorough inspection\n4. Days 7-30: Observe for pests, feed lightly\n5. Day 30+: Transfer to display if clean\n\nPests to watch for:\n- Acropora Eating Flatworms (AEFW): Tiny brown flatworms on Acropora\n- Montipora Eating Nudibranch: White slug-like creatures\n- Red Bugs (Tegastes acroporanus): Tiny red dots on Acropora\n- Zoanthid Eating Spiders: Tiny spiders at base of zoas\n- Aiptasia: Glass anemones hitchhiking on frag plugs\n\nInvest in a good magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe—most pests are tiny.