How to Acclimate and Dip New Corals

Corals travel well, but the first hour in their new home matters. Here is the routine we recommend for every coral you add, from us or anyone else.

1. Check it on arrival

Open the box somewhere calm and look at each coral while it is still in its bag. If anything has arrived dead, take a photo of it in the bag and email it to us within 1 hour of delivery, as our live arrival guarantee explains.

2. Match the temperature

Float the sealed bags in your tank, or in a container of tank water, for about 15 to 20 minutes so the water inside reaches your tank's temperature. Turn the lights down while you do this.

3. Dip it

New corals can carry hitchhikers like flatworms, nudibranchs or pest snails. A coral dip removes most of them. Use a proper reef coral dip, follow the maker's instructions for strength and time exactly, and mix it with water from your tank in a separate container. Afterwards, rinse the coral in a second container of clean tank water. Never let dip water go into your aquarium.

4. Start low, move up

Even a coral that loves strong light can be stressed by a sudden jump in brightness. Place new corals lower in the tank or in a shaded spot for the first week or two, then move them up gradually. Watch the polyps: open and extended is good, closed for days or losing colour means something isn't right.

5. Leave it alone

Resist moving it every day. Give it a week to settle, keep your parameters steady, and only feed lightly while it adjusts.

Never put the water from the transport bag into your tank. It has been sealed for a day and can carry anything that came with the coral.