Blue Clove Polyps

TheRealChrisBrown

TheRealChrisBrown

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View attachment 10958 I have encountered blue clove polyps in my reef for the first time. They are hitchhikers and have been steadily gaining population numbers. This is a 3in x 5in patch on one rock. They started on the colony next to current location.

What should I do? They are pictured on the largest rock in my tank. If I pulled it and broke off the infected area (hammer/chisel) would that even work? If I leave them will they overrun everything? They are driving out the king Midas zoas on this rock which has me worried.
 
Balz3352

Balz3352

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#2
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TheRealChrisBrown said:
View attachment 10958 I have encountered blue clove polyps in my reef for the first time. They are hitchhikers and have been steadily gaining population numbers. This is a 3in x 5in patch on one rock. They started on the colony next to current location.

What should I do? They are pictured on the largest rock in my tank. If I pulled it and broke off the infected area (hammer/chisel) would that even work? If I leave them will they overrun everything? They are driving out the king Midas zoas on this rock which has me worried.
Click to expand...
They are a b to get rid of . Id remove all now with some extra to spare just in case
 
JZinCO

JZinCO

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Oh that's too bad. II'm kinda jealous but then again I like them. They play nice with LPS and SPS from tanks I have personally seen, but I can see how you might not want them taking up real estate that might otherwise be ground for zoas.
I dunno, when conditions are right for them, they are right. Drastic measures might be necessary. The only other option is to wait and see who the better colonizer is. I wouldn't think that smothering them with epoxy would do anything but keep them at bay. Maybe something like squirting limewater could work but you'd probably harm their neighbors. And there is a nudibranch that preys on them but I don' think it is easy to find in the trade.
 
TheRealChrisBrown

TheRealChrisBrown

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JZ - If I have luck with the hammer and chisel you can have them....

Some of the r2r posts say they grow like a mat and you can pick the edge with a razor blade and pull them all off. Others say epoxy over the top of it. I might smash it like the flippin Hulk then superglue or epoxy any remains.
 
JZinCO

JZinCO

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Balz3352 said:
They also will over grow sps.
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I'm not saying they can't, but did you observe that they were overgrowing sps? I've watched a tank over time the owner's of Alpine Koi and seen a couple others in person. I've always noticed they fill in the gaps but lose against a stinging coral every time.
That said, when it comes to reef tanks, there are always experiences to counter someone else's. I would be concerned when it comes to zoas though because it's a scramble to occupy space.

Yeah I would love a chunk. I have a chisel and punch set as well as a cut off wheel if you want company...
 
JZinCO

JZinCO

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Razor blade might be dicey. The polyps are small and if a few go floating around..
 
TheRealChrisBrown

TheRealChrisBrown

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asn-naso said:
Blow torch, then epoxy over it.
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I like your style! I'm not worried about losing many of the Midas Gold zoas....but the pink zippers next to them are some of my favorites. I don't know how precise I could be with a torch. Will they survive just regular epoxying over do you think?
 
Balz3352

Balz3352

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TheRealChrisBrown said:
I like your style! I'm not worried about losing many of the Midas Gold zoas....but the pink zippers next to them are some of my favorites. I don't know how precise I could be with a torch. Will they survive just regular epoxying over do you think?
Click to expand...
If you lose your zippers illI give you a frag
 
JZinCO

JZinCO

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Wow. I'm not using Fluc haha! It's been sitting in my fish room for 6 mo just in case I need it. have quite a bit if you want to try it.
 
scchase

scchase

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#17
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JZinCO said:
Wow. I'm not using Fluc haha! It's been sitting in my fish room for 6 mo just in case I need it. have quite a bit if you want to try it.
Click to expand...
Just set up a simple tank for any that you want to keep, should be easy for GSP, Xenia, etc to save it for a few weeks for the medication to work in the display then filter it out with carbon and away you go.
 
JZinCO

JZinCO

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#18
#18
Good advice for someone who has algae problems

edit: I think wires got crossed. Are we talking Fluc or Fenben?
 
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TheRealChrisBrown

TheRealChrisBrown

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#20
#20
Haddonisreef said:
Funny there the article on reef builders on these lil ba$$tards
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Thanks for the info Charlie, here is the article for those interested: https://reefbuilders.com/2018/02/06/stop-adding-blue-polyps-to-your-reef-tank/

It should be noted that I've never purchased this as a frag, this was a hitchhiker on something. I've seen the polyps in this spot for about 8 months...I just didn't realize exactly what I was dealing with.

They really didn't give many concrete solutions to the problem, just a pic of my worst nightmare:

View attachment 10968
 
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