Adding new marine life to your saltwater aquarium is a tricky thing to do. You don’t want to negatively disrupt the delicate balance you’ve achieved, but adding in palythoa, or coral, can add beauty to your aquarium. So how do you safely introduce a saltwater coral into your meticulously maintained environment?
Purchasing palythoa online can be a nerve-racking process. Purchasing a frag pack from a reputable company such as jason fox corals is of utmost importance because the palythoa should come to you relatively clean and pest-free. A company that sells high-quality coral may cost a bit more up front, but the extra cost will be worth it when you receive healthier, more beautiful frags.
Even though you order your coral from a reputable company, you will still want to ensure your new tank’s newest resident won’t be passing any pests along to your already well-established environment, but don’t worry! It’s not hard! First, experts recommend waiting at least a month before introducing a coral to your saltwater aquarium, but three months is even better for the safety of your other marine life. This allows your tank to stabilize. When you are ready to add live coral to the mix, your first option is “dipping” your coral. Once you receive your shipment, wait to dip your corals so the stress of shipping can be alleviated. Experts suggest you wait 10 to 24 hours after introducing the corals to your reef before you dip. Once enough time has elapsed and you are ready to dip, make sure you double and triple check the amount of dip you add to your dipping container. Too much not only won’t kill more pests, but it will also do damage to your precious corals.The next best advice would be to set up a quarantine environment in which to place your new live coral. Quarantining with a combination of dipping and turkey basting you new aquatic “friends” is an excellent way to ensure the health of your entire reef. Doing this over nearly a month long period will prove to be a fail safe way of introducing palythoa into your tank.
When first placing corals in your saltwater tank, place them at the bottom of the reef, preferably on a frag rack, in order to allow them to acclimate to your aquarium’s lighting. Then, you should find a permanent home for each frag according to the optimal location for each species. For the healthiest corals experts recommend a 10-12 hour total light schedule for coral. 3 hours of blue light, 4 hours of a combination of white and blue, then 3 more hours of blue.
Creating the perfect home for live corals is indeed a delicate procedure, but with high quality palythoa and support from reputable companies, you can make your aquarium reef a stunning work of living art with the addition of coral.
