Best Practices for New Coral Additions 新珊瑚入缸的最佳做法

Adding new corals to your reef tank is always exciting — new colors, new shapes, new energy. But every coral you bring home is also a potential source of stress or pests for your system. Taking the right steps early can save you weeks of trouble later.

Start by dipping every new coral. Even healthy-looking pieces can carry unwanted hitchhikers like flatworms, nudibranchs, or algae spores. Coral dips don’t harm your corals when used correctly, and they dramatically reduce the risk of introducing pests.

Next, give your new coral time to adjust. Quarantine or keep it in a separate frag tank for observation when possible. This allows you to monitor its health and color response before it joins your main display. During this stage, maintain stable water parameters similar to your display tank — consistency helps them recover from shipping stress faster.

When placing it into the main tank, start with lower light and moderate flow, then gradually move it to its ideal position. Corals can bleach if exposed to intense light too quickly. Always observe their polyp extension and color — they’ll tell you if they’re happy or not.

A little patience goes a long way in this hobby. Every coral that settles well adds not just beauty, but balance and stability to your reef ecosystem.

每次添入新的珊瑚都令人期待——新的顏色、新的形態，讓魚缸煥然一新。

但同時，每一株新珊瑚也可能帶來潛在的壓力或害蟲。前期處理得好，能省下後面幾週的大麻煩。

第一步，一定要浸洗（dip）。就算珊瑚看起來健康，也可能藏著扁蟲、海蛞蝓或藻類孢子等不速之客。正確使用珊瑚浸洗液不會傷害珊瑚，卻能大幅降低害蟲進入系統的風險。

接著要給新珊瑚一段觀察期或隔離時間。如果可以，放在獨立的分缸或觀察區中，先確認健康狀況與顏色反應，再讓它進主缸。此階段的水質條件應與主缸接近，穩定的環境能幫助它更快從運輸壓力中恢復。

放入主缸時，先從較低光照、適中水流開始，逐步移動到理想位置。若太快暴露在強光下，容易造成白化。留意珊瑚的觸手開展與顏色變化——那是牠是否適應的最佳訊號。

在這個領域中，「耐心」往往是最有價值的技巧。每一株順利安定的珊瑚，不只是增添美感，更讓整個系統更穩定、更完整。


💡 Practical Tips / 實務建議

🧴 Always dip before you place.
每株新珊瑚都要浸洗，哪怕只是朋友分給你的碎枝。
🪞 Use a coral rack or frag tray for new arrivals to observe polyp behavior before fixing them.
使用暫放架觀察珊瑚的開展與反應，再決定最適合的位置。
🌤️ Light acclimation matters.
新珊瑚先放陰影區，再逐漸移至高光區，避免光害。
🔬 Keep a mini log.
記錄入缸日期、品種、初始顏色與反應，有助追蹤狀況與養法調整。