Hey all,

I am setting up a QT for my prospective inhabitants (mostly corals), and I have a little survey for those that routinely QT. I know that it is reported that only 12-15% of Aquarists QT, but I suspect that on TR, the percentage is higher.

I've read the Reefreader QT articles, as well as a few over at wetwebmedia. Here are my questions, each followed with a description of my current plan:

1) What size is your QT?

I bought a 20g tall aquarium (roughly 24"x12"x16") I went this route over a 10g because the glass was thicker (I get very nervous with my children), while the tank does not exceed 24" for the light fixture I had on hand. I have a 10g on hand, so I could use that instead if advisable.

2) What light do you use for quarantining corals?

I have a (never-used) CurrentUSA Orbit fixture (PC, 24", 130w total) that I plan to use for QT corals. I am not sure if this is overkill for coral QT, or if I will have heat issues...but it is what I have on hand. The tank came with a simple strip light and a glass cover, but I am thinking that I will not make use of either.

3) What equipment do you use in your QT?

Other equipment will include 50w Jager heater, AquaClear 30 Powerfilter, and I could repurpose my Remora for this setup if advisable. I will also add a Maxijet of some sort for additional flow.

4) How large are your QT water changes, and where does the water come from?

I plan to run this as a BB, and use SW from my 55g display to change out water (at least 10% per week,)in the QT. The idea of using the DT water came from this wetwebmedia article by Scott Fellman (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quarinverts.htm). It seems to make sense, except that the DT WC water will have organics and other stuff we are trying to dilute in our DT. Any opinions?

5) How long do you QT for?

I plan to QT for at least 3-4 weeks. The length of the QT period seems to be highly debated, with a range of answers from 2-6 weeks. Of course, the period will be prolonged if pests are detected and treated for.

6) How many corals/fish/inverts do you QT together?

I've read that it is advised to QT only one specimen at a time, and to set up multiple QT tanks if one wishes to QT more than one at the same time. I understand the concern, but it hardly seems practical when people are getting several frags at a swap meet, or are trying to tock a tank without having it take 10 years.

7) How do you place your corals in the QT?

I plan to use eggcrate to build shelves to provide the optimum distance to the light, and to give easier access to siphon detritus and excess food off the bottom of the QT. Corals that require a sandbed will be placed in a small container of clean sand.

8) Do you perform any dips before/after the QT stage?

9) Is there anything I am forgetting?

I am sure I'll have more questions regarding medication, once I spot any nasty buggers. Looking for, and diagnosing parasites and disease is unfamiliar to me. I suppose this will become evident to me as I proceed.

---

Thanks in advance for your answers and time to respond.

BTW: I would love to see pics of anyones QT setup if you could post them...

1 ... any size tank will be OK for a QT tank. mine (dont use it very often) is a 29g.

2 ... i use either a strip light or a halide. strip light for fish and halide for corals. your light will be fine, just keep it off when not QTing anything to keep down algae.

3 ... i just use a heater and a power filter. i also have a smaller skimmer for that tank if i need to add it. i usually just add it for a couple of days after a WC.

4 ... when i QT ... i do about 50% WC every week.

5 ... i QT for at least 4 weeks, but in most cases i go for 6 weeks (unless something is wrong).

6 ... you can QT as many as you want to, but if you add something new, you will need to start anything that was already in QT all over at day 1.

7 ... what you are planning is exactly what i do.

8 ... i do a Seachem "reef dip" to EVERYTHING before AND after the QT period. just to be sure.

9 ... i keep a few ammonia charged (cycled) sponges in my sump for the power filter. this will ensure that you have the bacteria to take care of what the animals release.

Thanks Bobby for the super-quick reply!

3 ... i just use a heater and a power filter. i also have a smaller skimmer for that tank if i need to add it. i usually just add it for a couple of days after a WC.

I forgot to add a powerhead to my list to create some current... perhaps a Maxijet 400 or 600 or whatever I have laying around.

4 ... when i QT ... i do about 50% WC every week.

5 ... i QT for at least 4 weeks, but in most cases i go for 6 weeks (unless something is wrong).

Both duly noted. Is that new SW or SW from your DT?

6 ... you can QT as many as you want to, but if you add something new, you will need to start anything that was already in QT all over at day 1.


Makes perfect sense.

8 ... i do a Seachem "reef dip" to EVERYTHING before AND after the QT period. just to be sure.

I will look into that product.

9 ... i keep a few ammonia charged (cycled) sponges in my sump for the power filter. this will ensure that you have the bacteria to take care of what the animals release.

I was also planning that...sounds good.

sorry, i should have said this ...

i take about 29 gallons of WC water from my DT ( i change 70 gal every 2 weeks) and use half one week to change out the QT tank and the other half the next week. so i always have water from the display to use for QT WC's. i turn the skimmer on for a few days afgter the QT WC to get out any organics that may be in there.

Do you all think a skimmer is critical for a QT? I tossed up the money for one skimmer already!

Also, is the reef dip safe for corals and fish?

i just use the skimmer for 2 days after a WC, then it gets shut off. in case there is anything still suspended in the DT water when i drain it out of the tank. i only dip corals, but i will have to check and see about the fish. you can always just FW dip the fish for about 5-10 minutes.

The Scott Fellman article (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quarinverts.htm) cautions not to FW dip inverts since their bodies cannot handle the osmotic stretching. The article is on corals, but I assume this also includes shrimp,crabs, urchins, et cetera. Correct?

i would never FW dip an invert. it would be way to stressful on them.

1) What size is your QT?
10 gallons

2) What light do you use for quarantining corals?
Strip light

3) What equipment do you use in your QT?
Heater; powerfilter; powerhead; sponge filter.

4) How large are your QT water changes, and where does the water come from?
20% bi-weekly changes. The water to set up the QT & make changes comes from my DT

5) How long do you QT for?
Usually a month

6) How many corals/fish/inverts do you QT together?
See Bobby's answer

7) How do you place your corals in the QT?
On the BB of the tank. I should make some eggcrate stands though.

8) Do you perform any dips before/after the QT stage?
I use a Tech D dip for corals. I don't routinely dip fish.

9) Is there anything I am forgetting?
I monitor critical parameters every other day in my QT tank.

Thanks Carmie for the reply!

2) What light do you use for quarantining corals?
Strip light

Sorry to be so anal here, but how many watts is your (Normal Output?) strip light?


8) Do you perform any dips before/after the QT stage?
I use a Tech D dip for corals. I don't routinely dip fish.


Cool. I'll check this one out as well. It seems like most are comprised of Iodine plus other antibacterial compounds.

9) Is there anything I am forgetting?
I monitor critical parameters every other day in my QT tank.

Assumed. I am setting the QT up at work so I can monitor/examine the specimens more closely during the week, and the fact that I really have no place to put it at home. I have a Lighthouse Controller (http://www.mcuresearch.com/) that I bought used - which does temp/ph/orp and can connect to the internet so I can get the readings from home. I may use it on the QT. Way overkill for a QT I know, but I chose not to use it on the DT (awkward mounting options in my small cabinet, and not enough outlets to handle everything anyway) so either I sell it for a loss or use it to monitor the QT.

I just have to add an ATO and I will have the most pimp (aka expensive) QT ever... :)

my answers easy... I dont quarantine.

my answers easy... I dont quarantine.

Thanks Jon for responding.

Do you have a source for corals that you trust against pest/diseases?

I think it would be cool if a vendor (or importer) performed thorough QT procedures on all incoming specimens. This would probably be too expensive or impractical for them to do, but I always wonder what risks they take when they add new livestock to their main system.

If anyone knows of retailers who QT or obtain their specimens from an importer who does so, let me know...

one of my LFS's/wholesalers actually DOES QT everything in his store. i dont really QT anything either, but when i do, i use the above equipment. with Kelly Jedlicki in my club ... i hear about not QTing ALL THE TIME !! lol

i dont really QT anything either, but when i do, i use the above equipment.

Huh? Are you pulling my leg Bobby?

When/how do you decide what to quarantine versus what not to quarantine. Based on the source, or the specimen? (ie... Frag Swap = QT, trusted LFS = no QT, LiveAquaria.com = no QT?)

I admit that I have not QT'd any fish/invert I have to this date, but after seeing the prices on corals, I thought I owe it to myself (and also to the specimens) to QT from now on.

thanks,

-Scott

I used to QT some of my stuff, but dont now for a couple personal reasons.

First: I dont have a lot of coral in my tank, and the stuff I have came from trusted sources.
Two: As far as fish, I tried it and watched a couple fish stress out and die from being in a small QT before I could do anything about it.
C: I am way to busy to set up, maintain and take down a QT tank all the time.

Please note that I am NOT recommending the non-QT regimine, This was a decision I made based on my own research and experience. There may be a day when I regret not QTing and I promise to let yall' know if that happens. :D

Huh? Are you pulling my leg Bobby?

When/how do you decide what to quarantine versus what not to quarantine. Based on the source, or the specimen? (ie... Frag Swap = QT, trusted LFS = no QT, LiveAquaria.com = no QT?)

I admit that I have not QT'd any fish/invert I have to this date, but after seeing the prices on corals, I thought I owe it to myself (and also to the specimens) to QT from now on.

thanks,

-Scott

nope ... no leg pulling here.

i get EVERYTHING from trusted places or HIGHLY recommended web sites (like Fraggle Reef, Premium Corals and More (http://www.fragglereef.com)). I DO however QT almost everything from a swap (unless i know who i am getting it from [usually the case])

i agree with poppin fresh about fish in QT. i DO NOT quarantine any fish. i (with all of my heart) just think that QTing a fish (LIKE TANGS AND I HAVE 4) in a small tank is just way to stressful on them. a good friend of mine QTed 5 tangs in a 33L QT tank ... they all died. he did not QT the 6th one ... still alive today (and that was about 6 months ago).

i too Please note that I am NOT recommending the non-QT regimine, This was a decision I made based on my own research and experience. There may be a day when I regret not QTing and I promise to let yall' know if that happens.

Sorry to be so anal here, but how many watts is your (Normal Output?) strip light?It is a 15w NO light.


Cool. I'll check this one out as well. It seems like most are comprised of Iodine plus other antibacterial compounds.All of the coral dips are basically Lugol's Iodine.

I am setting the QT up at work so I can monitor/examine the specimens more closely during the week, and the fact that I really have no place to put it at home. I have a Lighthouse Controller (http://www.mcuresearch.com/) that I bought used - which does temp/ph/orp and can connect to the internet so I can get the readings from home. I may use it on the QT. Way overkill for a QT I know, but I chose not to use it on the DT (awkward mounting options in my small cabinet, and not enough outlets to handle everything anyway) so either I sell it for a loss or use it to monitor the QT.

I just have to add an ATO and I will have the most pimp (aka expensive) QT ever... :)OK, it may be slightly overdone but its very nice!

For me the fish are less of a problem because I can't have any that get very big or need lots of swimming room.

i get EVERYTHING from trusted places or HIGHLY recommended web sites (like Fraggle Reef, Premium Corals and More (http://www.fragglereef.com)). I DO however QT almost everything from a swap (unless i know who i am getting it from [usually the case])

This is exactly the qualification I was looking for. I live within driving distance of Fraggle, Reefermadness, and Vivid Aquariums - all of which I believe are highly regarded. As Rob says, there is no "silver bullet", but limiting purchases to "trusted" sources will help to reduce problems to the point where experienced reefers (such as yourself) may choose not to QT.

The point about not stressing fish in QT makes sense. I will not be adding many more fish to my 55g (perhaps a sixline in the next 6 months). I am concentrating on corals right now.

It is rather impractical for me to QT at work (schlepping SW and RODI to work will be a treat) , but I think I will QT for now. I already set up QT at work with the other equipment I mentioned, and built a set of shelves out of eggcrate. Everyone thinks I am insane. The only things left to do is to get the controller connected to the internet and to figure out how to keep my eggcrate shelves from floating. Any simple ideas for weighing down eggcrate? I am trying to think of something inert that will not absorb nasties.

I will post a pic tomorrow of my QT.

Thanks all,

-Scott

I've seen most people use pvc as the legs for the shelves of egg crate. Drill a hole in the PVC and zip tie the crate to it.

1) What size is your QT?
Normally a 20g glass tank but I also keep a couple of 10g Rubbermaids and spare powerheads around in case of "emergencies" like boxing day specials. :)

2) What light do you use for quarantining corals?

Standard spiral compact fluorescent bulbs, "cool daylight" spectrum (~6400K-6700K), anywhere from 1x11W to 2x23W depending on the livestock.

3) What equipment do you use in your QT?

100W heater
Aquaclear 300 hang-on filter (sponges kept in the sump when QT is empty)
Circulation is a combination of 2x MJ1200s, 1x MJ600, 1x 850gph SEIO, and 2x air pumps for driving PVC airlifts.

4) How large are your QT water changes, and where does the water come from?

Minimum 5g (25%) per week using water from the 75g display tank (which gets weekly 20g changes itself)

5) How long do you QT for?

4-7 days for common "cleanup crew" species of snails & hermits (mostly just to watch for Aiptasia sp. or other pest hitchhikers on the shells)
3-4 weeks for most corals, fish, or LR rubble
6-8 weeks for larger chunks of live rock (1 lb. or more ea.)

6) How many corals/fish/inverts do you QT together?

1 at a time per QT system (tank/rubbermaid/bucket/whatever)

1 "batch" at a time for snails/hermits or LR

7) How do you place your corals in the QT?

PVC stands or eggcrate or both

8) Do you perform any dips before/after the QT stage?

Only if I knew exactly why I was dipping, what outcome I was expecting after the dip, a method to test the effectiveness of the dip, and the exact chemical makeup of what I was dipping the specimen in ... so far (~3+ years) that's been never other than a few freshwater dips I did on some zoanthid colonies to remove predatory nudibranchs. (no medications or chemicals other than buffering to match pH)

9) Is there anything I am forgetting?

Food?
I target feed my QT specimens daily, and heavily, same as I do for my display tank.

First: I dont have a lot of coral in my tank, and the stuff I have came from trusted sources.

Sources that never, ever, ever make mistakes? (or hire inexperienced staff, or ... well, you get the point I'm trying to make)

Two: As far as fish, I tried it and watched a couple fish stress out and die from being in a small QT before I could do anything about it.
A QT system for fish, first and foremost, should make the fish feel "at ease" while letting it get used to the routines in your house (what times the hall lights are on, how the floor shakes when the kids come running in after school, etc...). Anyone with a display system large enough for keeping multiple tangs should be able to afford some sort of 55g to 90g vessel (depending on how old the purchased specimens are) and some fake acropora decorations to properly quarantine and environmentally acclimate these fish.

If a specimen couldn't live for a year, comfortably, in your QT system, then your QT system is inadequate for that specimen in my opinion.

C: I am way to busy to set up, maintain and take down a QT tank all the time.

This may sound harsh, but ... stop buying livestock. Or at least factor in the amount of available time you'll need to dedicate to acclimating new livestock before making any decisions on new purchases. Your tank will be healthier in the long run with a proper QT process in place even if you never see a fish with an infection, a coral disease, an invasive/pest hitchhiker, or the like. Just the simple fact of not having to hit the ground running in the display tank makes a huge difference; plus I think most people can agree that a slower tank stocking rate and careful (long-term oriented) planning before making any purchases is, in general, a Good Thing(tm). :)

The Scott Fellman article (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quarinverts.htm) cautions not to FW dip inverts since their bodies cannot handle the osmotic stretching. The article is on corals, but I assume this also includes shrimp,crabs, urchins, et cetera. Correct?

Actually, shallow water coral species will, more than likely, survive the osmotic shock of a quick FW dip, especially any species commonly exposed at low tide where they get a nice torrential FW rinsing every day during the rainy seasons. You can watch carpet anemones fill up with puddles of fresh water off the coast of Thailand every time it rains at low tide and they survive just fine (at least until they're plucked and sent off to die in some schmuck's reef tank!)

I've never heard of FW dipping being used on other inverts. I would think most crustaceans and echinoderms commonly available for purchase would die within minutes of a FW dip, even with a perfect pH/temperature match. Your common cleaner shrimp usually can't handle a specific gravity change of more than around 0.05 unless it's done very gradually.

With all the new research being done on the importance of the (micro-)bacterial symbionts found in and on the surfaces of coral tissue I'd be wary of any sort of reckless antibacterial dipping as well, unless there was some verifiable and well-founded reason for it ... at the moment I can't think of any that a hobbyist without a degree and a high-end microscope could actually verify much less target using off-the-shelf solutions; without destroying lots of beneficial bacteria in the process.

Talk to Eric Borneman before you dip your new coral/frag/whatever in a bacteria eradicating solution "just to be safe", he'll tell you how many coral diseases and conditions you'll actually be preventing with that dip (spoiler: it's usually none).

Lucas, in your opinion is a Lugol's (or like) dip not even necessary for freshly cut frags?

Lucas,
I appreciate your comments. Like I said, I dont necessary recommend the no Qt thing, its just what I do. I realize the gambles I am possibly taking and I'm willing to accept the consequences IF something happens.

I probably should have specified that I am not one who rushes into purchases for my tank. That is definitely not a practice I condone. I know people that have added more fish to their 75g tank in the last six months than I have total in my 180. As a rule I try to add only one fish every four months. I think slower stocking maybe one of the reasons I haven't had any issues yet (almost 3 years).

Lucas, in your opinion is a Lugol's (or like) dip not even necessary for freshly cut frags?

Not that I've ever seen.

About a year ago during a fragging session I tried dipping half of the frags and I saw no difference in recovery speed or overall healing - although I obviously did not test this on every species. That fragging session included: Euphyllia parancora, Sarcophyton glaucum, Caulastrea furcata, Tubastrea micrantha, some Protopalythoa sp., Xenia sp., and an encrusting Montipora sp.). I'm pretty sure I had read about others trying this experiment to debunk the dipping myth but can't remember where I originally read about it.

In any case, consistent water quality and good flow are all that's really needed for the damaged coral tissue to heal quickly -- provided the frag has been mounted properly with the damaged/cut section exposed to the water column (see Rob's video podcast on mounting frags in Episode 98 (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/podcast-episodes/4236-stony-coral-fragging-1-video-podcast-episode-98-a.html)).

Eric Borneman does a (much) better job explaining why prophylactic dipping should be avoided in this video (from one of Eric's many reef club fragging demos):
http://www.wax32.com/videos/borneman.wmv
Warning: this video file is a stupidly large (327Mb)
Download by right-clicking the link and choosing "Save as..."

This is great information. I obviously have not done my homework, instead I just followed the advice of my local "reef mentor". He did teach me to mount frags horizontally, not plant them. However I will take Eric's advice over his any time. :) As always thanks for teaching!

I'm setting up a 29 gallon quarantine tank I plan on QTing everything thats wet. I'm hoping to have no ich in my system all fish will be in low salinity. I plan on buying all fish when they are young and small, so if they can't hack it in a 29g than I don't want them. also if you do water changes with DT water than you could introduce things in your QT tank.so I'm going to quarantine everything from day one.

Matt,
I think one thing important to mention is that the main purpose for quarantine is OBSERVATION. If the fish you have in QT is showing no signs of disease there is no reason to treat them with chemicals or Hyposalinity. You wouldn't take an antibiotic if you didn't have any signs of infection would you?

I'm setting up a 29 gallon quarantine tank I plan on QTing everything thats wet.

I'd include dry base rock as well, they can contain cysts and sometimes enough non-decayed organic matter to cause an ammonia spike.

I'm hoping to have no ich in my system all fish will be in low salinity.I'd avoid the low salinity unless it's a known problematic species as it could add to the stress level of the fish... a healthy stress-free fish in a proper environment should easily be able to fight off ich and other common ailments.

I plan on buying all fish when they are young and small, so if they can't hack it in a 29g than I don't want them.Aquascaping can make a big difference in what species can "hack it" in a smaller tank. I know someone with a pair of 5-year old yellow tangs in a beautifully aquascaped 60g tank. Evaluating that tank just by the numbers alone would probably have the "tang police" up in arms and comparing the tank to a torture chamber on almost any online forum... His tank is bare-bottom and the LR in the display is all very thin tonga branching rock, spaced out in an elaborate web/net structure. The two tangs, while quite large (6" long or so, each) are both very healthy, lively, and noticeably stress free and have done just fine in the last 4.5 years that they've lived in that tank... heck, there's so much surface area to explore that they probably have no idea how small the tank actually is.

also if you do water changes with DT water than you could introduce things in your QT tank.so I'm going to quarantine everything from day one.Introducing elements from your display system (even pest elements) is only really an issue if you've got a known condition in your QT system and the newly introduced element from the DT system makes it harder to qualify/quantify the methods and processes needed to solve it.

Example: you notice a weird strain of hair algae on a mushroom rock in your QT system, and you know your DT system is currently experiencing a Bryopsis bloom... which, if introduced into your QT system, could easily confound and confuse any observations and monitoring

thanks for the info. I didn't Know hypo salinity would cause stress.my DT is a 150g so I'm not to worried about space in the long run, I just don't want to put a large fish in a 29g for to long. Would you proactively treat known ich magnets such as tangs with low salinity or wait to observe any symptoms?

i think that i would wait to treat them.

Eric Borneman does a (much) better job explaining why prophylactic dipping should be avoided in this video (from one of Eric's many reef club fragging demos):
http://www.wax32.com/videos/borneman.wmv
Warning: this video file is a stupidly large (327Mb)
Download by right-clicking the link and choosing "Save as..."


Thanks so much Doc for posting this link! That frag demo was awesome.I had no idea that corals were that tolerant to air exposure and aggressive fragmentation. I've never fragged anything before, so seeing the visual was totally worth the download. Now I am trying to decide whether my next $300 goes toward an Aquarium Controller (http://www.digitalaquatics.com/reefkeeper2.html) or a Lapidary Saw (http://www.dadsrockshop.com/trimsaw1.html). :)

At 56 minutes in, Borneman starts to talk about the importance of QT and then the issue of prophylactic dips. I liked his point about the proliferation of (otherwise rare) pests being caused by the trading of frags, and the proposal to more thoroughly document the source of coral frags that are purchased and traded. Eric obviously recommends that we thoroughly QT all specimens.

Interesting side notes is that Eric suggests having a small piece of LR and some sand in the QT. He wasn't more specific, but his suggestion seems contraindicated by articles I have read that suggest that the LS and LR can harbor some of the bad elements that we hope to eliminate. I know some LS (ie... small amount in a tupperware container) is required for plate corals and other bed dwellers.

Any thoughts on this?

The only thing that frightened me about this Borneman video is his disregard for his own safety. He has two saws that are spitting coral guts and tainted SW on his shirt and near his face. People using power tools are supposed to use eye protection (and not getting fingers so close to blades); People who are sawing live corals should at least have a rubber apron and a face shield. Granted, he claims that he is usually more careful, but sheesh!

Of course then there was the time where I was doing a fragging demo and found out at the last minute that I had left a whole bag of stuff at home, including my goggles and gloves.

I live within driving distance of Fraggle, Reefermadness, and Vivid Aquariums - all of which I believe are highly regarded.

I'm just curious (sorry, off-topic) - if I was going to drive to only one of those to pick out some nice live rock, and check out a good selection of livestock, which one would you recommend? They're 50 minutes, 45 minutes, and just over an hour away from me, respectively.

I'm just curious (sorry, off-topic) - if I was going to drive to only one of those to pick out some nice live rock, and check out a good selection of livestock, which one would you recommend? They're 50 minutes, 45 minutes, and just over an hour away from me, respectively.

I have not yet been to Fraggle or Reefermadness, but I am impressed by their online sites. I routinely visit Vivid, and can highly recommend it for a great selection of corals and a decent (but more limited) selection of fish. They have a few types of LR, usually in the $4-6/pound range. Usually Tonga Kaelini, Tonga Branch, and Marshall. I bought a few awesome pieces (35 lb &25 lb for my 55g) that I am very happy with, as well as 40 lbs of rock for my 24g a while back. Vivid's new 800g propagation tank is pretty breathtaking, as is the owner's personal display, and they have a great assortment of colonies and frags. Their invert section is also very nice. A bit on the expensive side from what I hear, but the owner (Dave) does a great job at hand picking specimens.

Check out their site if you haven't already.

HTH.

I haven't ordered from any of them but I think that Bobby really likes FraggleReef.

I haven't ordered from any of them but I think that Bobby really likes FraggleReef.

I would really like to hear Bobby's impressions. I am on Fraggle's mailing list, so they notify me every time there is a site update. They also notified customers today that they have had problems shipping with DHL, and were requesting customer experiences with Fraggle shipments. They certainly seem to be proactive about solving customer problems...

Bobby, oh Bobby...

right now i am working with Miguel at fragglereef to be a supplier of frags to him. i would choose Miguel over ANY other online store out there. if he does not have it in stock, he will track down what you want and get it to you. i ordered an Acropora Hyacinthus about 2 months ago ... what i got was a 3"-4" colony when i was expecting a 2" mini colony !!

i do not know if he even carries LR, but if he does ... i would buy from him before anyone else. i have ordered a lot of corals online ... HANDS DOWN ... he has the best customer service that i have ever received. i am also on the mailing list and my review (i believe) is the first one on the sites new customer review section.

I LOVE Fraggle Reef, Premium Corals and More (http://WWW.FRAGGLEREEF.COM) !!

I LOVE Fraggle Reef, Premium Corals and More (http://WWW.FRAGGLEREEF.COM) !!

Thanks for the info, Bobby.

Fraggle seems like a place where you can get some good deals on frags and colonies. The only criticism is that all their pictures on the website seem really washed out, like the lights are causing glare. I appreciate the fact that the photos are obviously not "enhanced", but I would think that the corals are a bit more colorful in real life. Perhaps he needs to use a lens hood to reduce stray light into the camera, or use a photo box (http://www.melevsreef.com/topdown.html)?

At least the customer can only be pleasantly surprised when they receive their corals...