So I just got a fully stocked 85 gallon setup from someone Saturday. I'm still getting the tank set and ready so everyone is in temporary housing until then. Anyway, I've heard some of you say to always dip no matter who you get it from. I'm wondering if I should dip everyone before adding them to the display tank once it's setup and ready. I haven't seen any critters but that doesn't mean anything! And would it even matter if I'm using the same live rock, guessing it could be housing unwanted critters ... Thoughts?
This might be the exception for me. Seems likely with the stress of a move, any pest would present itself with signs of coral stress or death......or bite marks. I say no dip. But anytime you buy coral from a store, dip!
Unfortunately several did get beat up in transit. I trusted the guy, having done this before, but with a bit more planning and care I'm sure that could have been minimized. I know now for next time! Anyway, is there anything I can do to promote healing? Also, I checked the salinity with my refractometer and it was down around 1.023 and I had asked him where he kept it and he said 1.025.. this puzzled me, thinking we had dumped a bucket of RODI water in the mix instead of salt.. until I pulled out his refractometer and tested. His was reading about 2 ish points high! I calibrated mine to RO water AND to solution and it was less than a point off. Like really just had to center the line it was touching. So I'm betting he's been keeping them at 1.023 for a while now. So.. how should I go about raising this to 1.025. I did mix up 2 cups of heavily saturated mix and gave each container a small squirt. I'm afraid to raise it too quickly. I haven't checked again today to see where it all sits. Thoughts?
Unless your refractometer specifically says in the instructions to calibrate with RO/DI(there are a very few) don't do it! Always calibrate with standard 35ppt solution. Instruments are always most accurate when calibrated in the range they are used to measure. I would just raise it slowly by either topping off with fresh salt water instead of RO/DI until it gets where you want it. I would do it over several days. No hurry if that's where it's been for a while.
The only reason I calibrated to 0 in the first place was because I didn't have any solution. There was solution in the box of supplies with the tank so I used that and it was just almost spot on! And when I used the same solution on his it read 2 ish points high. Which would explain why the water read low on mine.