SPINOSAD: THE NUCLEAR OPTION
When pests stop fearing your dips, this is the line in the sand.
Every reefer has been there. Acro-eating flatworms (AEFW). Red bugs. Nudis. Mystery bite marks.
You’ve dipped in Coral RX. You’ve done the Bayer dip. You’ve tried hydrogen peroxide. And the pests still crawl out smiling.
That is when Spinosad enters the chat. It is a soil-derived neurotoxin. It fries the nervous system of invertebrates. It’s not gentle. It’s not "reef safe." It is the closest thing we have to a coral quarantine nuke.
⚗️ The Protocol
Don't eyeball this. This is the line between a clean colony and a bleached skeleton. Measure it precisely.
Rinse twice in clean saltwater before the coral touches your display.
Target List
It kills anything that crawls. AEFW, Red Bugs, Nudibranchs, and yes—eggs (if the dip penetrates the casing).
Spinosad doesn’t discriminate. If it’s an invertebrate, it’s toast. It’s brutal, but that’s the point.
☠️ Collateral Damage
This dip will kill everything else, too.
Pods? Dead. Worms? Dead. Shrimp? Vaporized. Sensitive LPS? Melted.
- NEVER put Spinosad in your display tank.
- NEVER reuse the dip water.
- ALWAYS wear gloves.
Treat it like a chemical weapon, not a supplement. It doesn't care about your favorite wrasse or your refugium. Respect it or regret it.
Why Nobody Talks About It
Because it works too well. It’s generic, agricultural-grade, and cheap. Nobody can sell you a $40 bottle of it with a fancy logo.
I built my systems around precision, not guesswork. Spinosad fits that mindset. It’s for controlled, targeted destruction. You use it when everything else fails—not because it’s trendy, but because it’s final.
The Bottom Line
Spinosad isn’t for everyone. It’s not idiot-proof. But if you’re serious about keeping your reef clean—if you’ve dealt with the kind of pests that make you want to tear down a tank—this ends the fight.
Respect the chemistry. Rinse heavy. Stay lethal.
