Coral dipping is mandatory for any new coral going into a reef. Common dip products: Bayer Advanced (insecticide - kills AEFW, red bugs, bristleworms), CoralRx (iodine-based, kills + dislodges flatworms + parasites), Two Little Fishies ReVive (iodine + cleaning), Lugol's solution (very strong iodine - careful), formalin (last resort). Standard procedure: 1) Place coral in clean container with tank water. 2) Add dip per product instructions. 3) Agitate gently for 5-15 min. 4) Use turkey baster to blast off pests + slime. 5) Remove coral, rinse in clean tank water, place in display or QT. What dipping kills: AEFW (acro-eating flatworms), red bugs (Tegastes acroporanus), nudibranchs, planaria, hitchhiker shrimp + crabs, some polyp-eating snails. What dipping doesn't kill: bacteria embedded in tissue (brown jelly), parasitic worms, virus. Timing: dip new arrivals before placing in display. Quarantine in separate tank for 4 weeks if possible to catch any survivors. Caveat: sensitive corals (zoanthids in Bayer, Sarcophyton in formalin) can melt from over-dipping. Use the gentlest dip that's effective for your target pest.
Reviewed by the Fast Aquatics husbandry team · Updated May 2026
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