Don't waste you $ on that (IMO)
I use a 10 gallon fish tank, with a small hang on filter to supply O2, and has cabon in the filter, two different lights (one weak one, and one strong; I’ll expand on this later). Also two small power heads, and a heater. This setup is nothing elaborate, and it’s setup for a minimum of a few days, to as long as a few months.
Plan ahead when you order or buy corals. Have the necessary dips, and have the space available to set up the quarantine tank and get it up and running a few days before you get new coral.
Before you QT, I'll cover getting new corals vice already discovering a problem in your display. So likely you'll be getting corals from a store, online, or another person's tank. Step 1 - Acclimating Corals: There are certain animals that must be acclimated using a drip method but corals are not one of them (again this is my opinion). Shrimp, Snails, Star Fish, and certain Fish are really sensitive to salinity and chemistry changes…. Coral acclimation below is mostly for temperature, and to dip for any parasites. Salinity and all the other chemistry parameters should be close enough. See this link if you are not 100% certain what normal reef parameters are.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm
First get the bags (or pee cup) to the Right Temperature. ((A)) Shut off your lights where you are going to float the bags/cup to acclimate for temperature. If you are quarantining, which I recommend, you will float the bags in your quarantine setup ((B)) Remove the outer bags if there are any ((C)) float the closed inner bag with the coral inside in the water for 30 minutes.
Next, Give em a bath! I personally dip and quarantine everything from everyone before putting a coral in my display tank (I've made a few exceptions). You need to do the same as no one can guarantee corals have no pests. The bath is dipping your corals to ensure unwanted hitchhikers are not introduced into your tank. Specifically, a dip must eradicate acropora red bugs, acropora eating flatworms, montipora eating nudibranches, red flatworms, zoanthid eating nudibranches, and zoanthid spiders. Dips for coral are very different than a dip for fish; most coral dips kill fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, clams or other invertebrates. Dips also kill Asterina Starfish, Bristle Worms, and most Algae. Never add your dip water directly into your aquarium or quarantine tank. Dips do not kill eggs of any of the pests mentioned above; this is why it is important to quarantine. Follow the instructions for the dip. Coral RX is a good dip, I personally use an iodine based solution (Topic Martin). ((D)) Use a Tupperware bowl, add water, and dip medicine - see your dip instruction for how much water to put in since you’ll have to put a certain amount of medicine per water volume. Put enough water in so the corals are completely covered and you can swish the corals around by hand. Get into the habit of dipping all corals. If you don’t, you’re playing Russian roulette.
Don’t let them mingle just yet! Above you did a coral dip. That’s good but SPS parasites have eggs. This again is why you quarantine ((E)) I covered above what my set up of a quarantine is ((F)) Take corals out of the dip, thoroughly rinse the coral with clean saltwater and then place them inside your quarantine tank. I run carbon in my quarantine tank to absorb any possible residue. and ((G)) When finished moving the corals, throw out the dip water, DO NOT add it to your tank. Worth repeating is the general rule is you should not trust coral from anyone, and quarantine every time without exception. If you read the forums regularly, you can witness the countless threads where tanks are being torn down because of a bug, fungus, or other bad infestations. You’ve spent a lot of time, emotional energy, and money – with each new item added without dip and quarantine - you run the risk of bringing down your whole eco system by adding something harmful. It’s worth reading about some of the common pests above, this way you can learn the signs of eggs, or bite marks and quarantine accordingly.
Ready to be social: After quarantine, if you don’t have a way to step up your lighting during the quarantine process (increase similar to your display), your coral will need a careful break-in period to introduce it again to strong lighting. ((E)) This is why I have two sets of lights for my QT. Fist are LEDs and a small compact floresent. Then later I have a MH ((H)) I personally quarantine all corals for a few weeks and slowly increase lighting - so by the end of it, they go to my display and I put them in their final positions. Also know, If corals are to quickly supplied with bright light, many times they will bleach, or RTN, and die. This is kind of light going from pitch black to sunlight for us.
