Lesson Learned: Don't Dip Smooth Skinned Acros in ReVive

G

Grumpyfish

Premium Member
Hello everyone. I wanted to pass on something I learned so others won't make the same mistake. I bought a Red Dragon acro (my first acro) at the frag swap in Richardson last weekend and then dutifully dipped it, some zoas, and an acan (also my first) in ReVive before putting them in the QT. The next day, the Red Dragon was bleached out. The others are fine. After some research, I found out you shouldn't dip "smooth skinned" acros in ReVive because it's too harsh.

I contacted the guy I bought it from, and he confirmed what I found out, suggesting instead that I use Bayer insecticide instead.

Anyway, as I said, I just wanted to pass this along. It was a beautiful little frag, and I hated losing it due to my own stupid ignorance.


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Here's a pic. I'd say that's bleached.
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Sorry to hear about your frag, but thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully info like this will help someone else somewhere down the line.
 
Another way to lose an acro frag is to super glue it to a frag plug, and then leave it outside the tank to dry. I now apply the glue to the plug, place it under water on a frag rack, and then place the fragment on the plug. If you have the plug in the rack next to the glass, and cut the circulation off, you can lean the frag against the side of tank at just the angle that you want, and the fragment does not suffer from the glue burning its tissue. I think that I filed up a gallon bucket with dead frags before I learned this. Lack of flow is an acro killer also. I would not leave a smooth skinned acro in Bayer for long either. And the concentration of bayer in the dip is important, too.
 
I dip all smooth skin acros and never lost one. They like lower light and a lot more flow than normal acros. Once acclimated to your tank you can place them anywhere.
DFW I like that idea of underwater gluing. I know I have lost a few frags that way and just figured it was part of the fragging process.


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Thank you both for the tips. I'll be sure to use them next time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think I let the frag dry out too much. I kept the frag submerged until I was ready to glue it to a rock, at which time I dried off the bottom with a paper towel, stuck it on the rock with glue, and then immediately put it in a container of clean saltwater to set. However, flow could have been an issue since my QT only had a power filter providing flow.

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Now that I think about it, I was doing this with four frags at once, so it may have been out of water maybe 5 minutes or so. Would that be long enough to kill it?

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@Grumpyfish wrote:
Now that I think about it said:
Yes. Remember, the smooth skinned acros seem to be more sensitive. That glue is burning the tissue while it sits there. I found out that you can do the whole process under water if you take the time to do it. A small section of light diffuser in a tupperware container with tank water is all that you need. The glue sets up faster under water, too, so less time exposed to the burning, and the water cools it.
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@DFW wrote:
[I]@Grumpyfish wrote:[/I][quote="Now that I think about it said:
Yes. Remember, the smooth skinned acros seem to be more sensitive. That glue is burning the tissue while it sits there. I found out that you can do the whole process under water if you take the time to do it. A small section of light diffuser in a tupperware container with tank water is all that you need. The glue sets up faster under water, too, so less time exposed to the burning, and the water cools it."]
Also great advise. Apparently I was doing everything wrong with this acro!

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