Hitchhiker Control

Reef aquarium biodiversity is always a good thing--because if an organism naturally occurs on the reef, it should be represented in one’s tank. Right? Most definitely not! Nothing personal against any particular species of coral pest or parasite… They were all on the reef for millennia, just minding their own business, and just trying to survive like the rest of us, long before they were ever discovered by science. Or hated by aquarists. The problem with these nasty critters is this: Marine aquaria are a little different than the reef environment. For one, in the typical marine aquarium, excesses of nutrients or organic wastes can fuel their growth and reproduction far beyond natural capacities. Moreover, their natural predators are usually absent, often leaving their numbers completely unchecked. The result of these hitchhikers, under captive conditions, can easily be a plague. Clearly, they are best left out of the tank. But excluding them isn’t so easy. That’s because these organisms are very well adapted to avoid detection and withstand shipping stress. And, they have a perfectly sneaky means of invading our aquarium systems--on live rock, frags and macroalgae. These are the so-called aquarium hitchhikers! As much as successfully blocking these infiltrators involves sourcing your livestock from reputable dealers, the aquarist should be well educated about potential pests/parasites in order to spot them early for timely removal/treatment. In this section, you will learn how to start “clean” with dry live rock and why clean macroalgae can spare you a mountain of headaches.