Alright, I'm doing this on dial up from the great white north this weekend...I think I am an addict.
For the carbonated dip:
1. Take carbonated water (not tonic, seltzer or anything that adds things like sodium) at room temp and fill a wide mouth bucket (since most rock won't fit in a narrow bucket) about 3/4 full.
2. Add enough salt to make the salinity of the salt water match that of your tank.
3. Fill another bucket 3/4 full with tank water.
4. Add the
LR to the carbonated bucket for about 60 to 90 seconds. You will see all kinds of critters (assuming you got good rock like the stuff Zack and Mike send from
www.liverocks.com) jumping off the rock. The carbonation drives them nuts.
5. Remove the
LR from the carbonated water and rinse in the bucket of tank water. Move the
LR to it's new temporary or permanent home, depending on if you need to cure it.
6. Remove all of the critters from the carbonated water (and fresh water) and sort through those you want in your tank, and those you don't. Since your salinity is the same, the chance of survival is very high. I had a watchman goby hitchhike on my
LR and he survived and is healthy as can be today.
Notes:
When checking the salinity, be mindful of all the little carbonation bubbles that will attach themselves to the needle and change your readings.
You will probably have to replace the carbonated water every other piece of large
LR or so, as the carbonation will quit, and the dip will be ineffective.
This does not remove 100% of all critters. Nothing I've ever heard of does. The benefit to this method, as opposed to a freshwater method, is you can keep beneficial critters, and freshwater dips can kill critters that remain in your rock and cause more problems down the line.
Hope this helps. Now I am off this dial up, and out to enjoy life.
