straight from the airport

[dennisV]

Is it ok to buy (soft) corals that have only just arrived in the shop ?
How long would you wait, knowing that the best corals could be sold right under your nose ?

[ErikS]

I'd buy 'em as soon as I saw them. If you're worried about disease then either QT or dip them.

At my LFS it's a feeding frenzy when they get a shipment. If they got a shipment today you wouldn't see doodly-squat tomorrow.

[dennisV]

ok, thanks a lot.
I'm off to the shop.
By the way, what does QT mean and what do you dip them in?
I'm not that good with abreviations.

[Wolverine]

It partly depends on your store. At my LFS, they'll hold a coral for me for a while after it comes in, so I don't have to take it home right away, or even pay for it. That way if it's on its way out, it doesn't die in my tank.

QT= Quarantine tank

Dips can be a lot of different things, depending on what the coral is. Sometimes it's a freshwater (FW) dip where the water has been brought to the temp and pH of your main tank. This is usually for 30-60seconds, depending on who's telling you to do it. Some people also add iodine to the this. Some corals don't tolerate FW dips very well, so for these some people will do a dip in a container with tank water that has had iodine added to it. This is usually done with more iodine, and I've seen anywhere from 5-20 minutes.

Dave