How can I control this?

[d_icemand]

I have had my 65 tank up for over a year now. I have added all kinds of hard/soft corals. Somehow I got some of this which I think is Anthelia. I am not sure. At first I didn't mind. But now it seems to be spreading and growing quite fast. I have had fellow reefers tell me to watch out b/c it can take over fast. It has attached in multiple spots on much base rock. I'm scared of what could happen to my tank. How can I rid my tank of this?

dave

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/49172DSC00649__Large_-med.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/49172DSC00650__Large_-med.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/49172DSC00651__Large_-med.JPG

[invertaman]

It is most deffinitly anthelia or waving hand coral. try scraping and peeling it off. Once you get only the amount you want I isolate mine on a rock in the sand. If it starts to grow on the sand, just frag it or flush it. hope this helps.

[d_icemand]

I've tried pulling it off. There is always that little piece the hides in the rock and it grows right back.

[lancer99]

You can use kalk paste on what remains on the rock.

-R

[d_icemand]

Ive tried pulling it off and I fear it only reproduces ( a little piece gets away from me and plants itself onto another rock) Plus, it retracts into the rock only to come back again.

Where could i get kalk paste? Is that going to affect the parameters of my tank? What if the fish or cleaning crew gets into it---will it affect them?

[ulli]

Looks like an Exenia to me.....:confused:

[lancer99]

Kalk paste is just shorthand for a mixture of "Kalkwasser" powder (Calcium hydroxide), available at most aquarium stores, and water.

You mix it into a thick paste, then using an eyedropper or syringe, squirt it onto whatever you want to kill. Traditionally it was used to kill Aiptasia, but will also kill the remains of Anthelia/Xenia etc.

Your tank will get a slight pH boost because it's very caustic, but that depends on how much you use. In any case, the effect is temporary.

Be sure to shut off all your tank pumps before you use it...remember, it will kill pretty much anything it comes in contact with. That's why it's important to mix it into a thick paste, so bits of it don't go drifting off.

Your fish and Cuc will avoid it like the plague!

I guess sounds a bit scary....it's actually pretty easy to use :)

-R

[d_icemand]

I have it all over the place. Another reefer told me to get an angel (not reef safe) like an emperor or queen. Has anyone heard of this? I'm afraid if I dont get this under control, it will mean taking the rock out one at a time and that might be all my rock. yikes. The paste might work but the stuff is growing in hard to reach locations.

[possys]

sell to the LFS.

[KarlBob]

If you put a hungry angel in the tank, it's just about guaranteed to nip lots of other corals in addition to the anthelia.

You could take the affected rocks out, scrape off the anthelia, place the rocks in a bucket of saltwater with a powerhead (and a heater, if you like), cover the bucket, and leave them in the dark for a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with occasional water changes. This is called "cooking" the live rock. People cook live rock more often to get rid of algae, but it should also take care of anthelia.

If cooking all of the affected rocks at once would leave your tank with insufficient live rock, you could run batches of rock in stages, with some coming out of the bucket as others go in for cooking. Anthelia grows fast, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get ahead of it with this strategy.

Finally, you could start placing some hammer/anchor/frogspawn frags upstream of the anthelia patches. Hopefully, their sweeper tentacles would wipe out the nearby anthelia. I wouldn't count on this technique, though.

I suggest trying the paste before any of these ideas. If you don't have any kalkwasser powder, commercial products like Joe's Juice are almost the same stuff as kalkwasser paste.

[joshnola]

The stuff is practically harmless to other corals... It will take over a tank just because it grows so fast. But, I'm a fan of xenia/anthelia type corals.

My suggestion is to chop off what you don't want and sell it for $3-$5 per frag. Let the little pieces grow back and chop it off again.

You can supplement your electric bill in this way!

[d_icemand]

In the past I have grown it on frag rocks, then sold it to the LFS. That works and I thought life was great. But somehow it has spread to other places in the tank. Whats worse is its base rock or rock that I cant reach. I spent 2 hours the other day just plucking it from rock. Today I hope to buy some kalk paste and try and kill the base with it. Its just really frustrating. I feel like I am gonna have to take the tank down just to get rid of it and I dont wanna do that.

[scottmccray]

............It is his love, it is his passion.

It is his fault he didn't lock the garage.

[Bud Reeferman]

Pick it or cut it at the stem as close to the rock as possible. Then, take an old toothbrush and brush the rock to get rid of the last of the stems. This will keep the stems from growing back.

[d_icemand]

I have been picking at it. But I was afraid if any of the stems get away, that they might repopulate another area of the tank only making the problem worse. Am i correct or is this a just a fear?

[KarlBob]

I suspect that loose bits of the base mat could land and start a colony in a new location. Stems without a mat could manage the same trick, but I think it's less likely. The best way to guard against this is to remove the affected rock and scrub it in a bucket of salt water, then rinse it with clean salt water or RO/DI before returning it to the tank. Unfortunately, this approach would probably mean completely rearranging your rocks.

[d_icemand]

yeah, rearranging is a light term. :) It is located on a lot of base rock and some areas I can't even reach.