Brown Polyps - How to Kill

[Reg1987]

How can I eradicate brown Polyps?
My 90 gal reef is being overtaken.

[heathlindner25]

Total break down, start with new rock .

[Gladmaker]

Originally Posted by heathlindner25

Total break down, start with new rock .

That's drastic! There must be something that can be done other than this. If this was my only option, I would not re-start. I would just leave it down. Too much work and expense to start over.

[heathlindner25]

Don't get crappy, ugly, fast growing coral then......that is extremely poisonous.

[PAreefGUY]

Do you have a pic?

[heathlindner25]

Originally Posted by Gladmaker

That's drastic! There must be something that can be done other than this. If this was my only option, I would not re-start. I would just leave it down. Too much work and expense to start over.

You only have to replace the rocks that are infected

[mikem101]

Originally Posted by Reg1987

How can I eradicate brown Polyps?
My 90 gal reef is being overtaken.

So a picture would REALLY help, are you talking about brown button polyp? or are you talking like Aiptasia which kinda looks like a brown polyps? so pictures would help but, that being said there is ALWAYS a way to kill corals. if its just a couple polyps and different rocks you can inject the polyps with highly concentrated salt water with a syringe (a 90 gallon should have enough water to dilute the salt you inject in). if its aiptasia you can throw a copperband in the tank to take care of it (as long as you are willing take extra care of feeding it after the aiptasia is gone.)! also when the copperband gets older he could very well outgrow a 90 gallon. sorry it was so long winded but hope it helps!

[MondoBongo]

Originally Posted by mikem101

So a picture would REALLY help, are you talking about brown button polyp? or are you talking like Aiptasia which kinda looks like a brown polyps? so pictures would help but, that being said there is ALWAYS a way to kill corals. if its just a couple polyps and different rocks you can inject the polyps with highly concentrated salt water with a syringe (a 90 gallon should have enough water to dilute the salt you inject in). if its aiptasia you can throw a copperband in the tank to take care of it (as long as you are willing take extra care of feeding it after the aiptasia is gone.)! also when the copperband gets older he could very well outgrow a 90 gallon. sorry it was so long winded but hope it helps!

you want to be excruciatingly careful when dealing with zoa's and paly's, especially paly's.

they are very likely to contain palytoxin, so any kind of efforts aimed at killing them will also likely end up releasing palytoxin as the palys die. this has some obvious and very real dangers.

i've read about people getting very sick by using boiling water injection which can aerosolize the palytoxin and cause all kinds of nasty issues.

likewise with other methods that kill them in tank people have gotten severe dermatitis reactions or other extremely negative side effects after having hands in the tank then touching something else like their eye, or having a pet come by and lap up some of the water.

paly's are not to be messed with. that's why i don't keep them.

best advice for the OP is to carefully remove the rock and go trade it in at your LFS for some store credit and replace it with new rock.

nuking these things can be very dangerous.

[heathlindner25]

Well ...thats what I was saying..

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by mondobongo

best advice for the op is to carefully remove the rock and go trade it in at your lfs for some store credit and replace it with new rock.

+1

[NYCBOB]

Nothing u can do. New rocks. I am
Having the same problems. Those brown button polyps grow like weed.

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

you want to be excruciatingly careful when dealing with zoa's and paly's, especially paly's.

they are very likely to contain palytoxin, so any kind of efforts aimed at killing them will also likely end up releasing palytoxin as the palys die. this has some obvious and very real dangers.

i've read about people getting very sick by using boiling water injection which can aerosolize the palytoxin and cause all kinds of nasty issues.

likewise with other methods that kill them in tank people have gotten severe dermatitis reactions or other extremely negative side effects after having hands in the tank then touching something else like their eye, or having a pet come by and lap up some of the water.

paly's are not to be messed with. that's why i don't keep them.

best advice for the OP is to carefully remove the rock and go trade it in at your LFS for some store credit and replace it with new rock.

nuking these things can be very dangerous.

Originally Posted by heathlindner25

Well ...thats what I was saying..

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

+1

^^^What they've already said^^^

In getting rid of the palythoas in my old 60g cube, I wasn't as careful as I should have been. I got to spend Easter Sunday morning in the Urgent Care, that Monday it my PCP's office, and a week off work. I have permanent scars on my arm to remind me that, sometimes, Nature bites back.

[Stevenlatham01]

The more you guys talk about corals, the more I'm thinking of going fish only.

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by Stevenlatham01

The more you guys talk about corals, the more I'm thinking of going fish only.

Why??? IME, the only ones that have the potential to really hurt you are the Palythoa sp., and then only if you do not use proper precautions (gloves, eye protection). In many ways, I have found corals to be much easier to keep than many fish.

[heathlindner25]

I am hypersensitive to coral, some people are. 7 months ago I rubbed my hand across a bubble coral .....Clear puss is still coming out of the sores.

[BrotherNature]

The whole Palytoxin scare has been blown way out of proportion IMO. You probably put yourself at more risk by DRIVING to the LFS to buy these corals than you do by handling them. (or any coral for that matter)

On a side note; Do you smoke? Do you drink? Can you eat peanuts or shellfish? Hmm.

[BrotherNature]

[QUOTE=BrotherNature;25193460]The whole Palytoxin scare has been blown way out of proportion IMO. You probably put yourself at more risk by DRIVING to the LFS to buy these corals than you do by handling them. (or any coral for that matter)

Btw those polyps can be eradicated with a sharp pair of scissors, some epoxy and a lot of patience.

[Radicaljbr]

i read putting a different kind of coral like a duncan next to it to take over the area and kill it. Would that work?

[Oldreeferman]

Bleach diluted will neutralize palytoxin & make it safe to re-use the rocks tho one will have to restart completly over from scratch with a lesson learned about housing any Palys.
Amazingly it is true that most LFS will take in live rock over grown with these ugly nasty toxic soft corals because some uninformed about them poor guy or gal will buy them so its a money maker for them.
The main loss is time not money in a restart, maturing a tank again is a dull affair.
Another neg is if you also have hard corals where and what to do with them?
Without another mature DT your stuck with selling/trading them off until after the DT again matures a painful lesson also.
I never understood how anyone could even contemplate housing toxic Palys in a home DT when the heater could fail and then everyone in the home people & pets could end up in the Hospital at best.....crazy, could not pay me to do that ever would be living in endless fear and under stress.

[five.five-six]

Sodium hydroxide. Mix small amounts with water, I wouldn’t do more than 20ml-40/day in a tank your size. Stop flow and apply directly to the Coral you want dead with a 1 ml titration syringe. Use like joe’s juice.

I doubt you will ever eradicate them but you can get wayyy ahead of them.

[clevername]

Originally Posted by Gladmaker

That's drastic! There must be something that can be done other than this. If this was my only option, I would not re-start. I would just leave it down. Too much work and expense to start over.

mother nature doesn't care about your lack of foresight. It sucks but lesson learned.

Pick corals that you will be happy with long term not just the first you see at the fishstore. Iv 100% been there, i thought polyps were the coolest coral ever.... then i saw long term reefers tanks and noticed non of them had polyps. As for getting rid of it, dont even mess with it. honestly, trash the rock (yes i mean trash it) and spend the 50$ on new rock call it a new start

[clevername]

Originally Posted by heathlindner25

Don't get crappy, ugly, fast growing coral then......that is extremely poisonous.

Dropping truth bombs over here! All newbies this is some good advice!

[Radicaljbr]

Originally Posted by Oldreeferman

Bleach diluted will neutralize palytoxin & make it safe to re-use the rocks tho one will have to restart completly over from scratch with a lesson learned about housing any Palys.
Amazingly it is true that most LFS will take in live rock over grown with these ugly nasty toxic soft corals because some uninformed about them poor guy or gal will buy them so its a money maker for them.
The main loss is time not money in a restart, maturing a tank again is a dull affair.
Another neg is if you also have hard corals where and what to do with them?
Without another mature DT your stuck with selling/trading them off until after the DT again matures a painful lesson also.
I never understood how anyone could even contemplate housing toxic Palys in a home DT when the heater could fail and then everyone in the home people & pets could end up in the Hospital at best.....crazy, could not pay me to do that ever would be living in endless fear and under stress.

What do you mean one would have to start over from scratch? If it is only on 1 rock and you only bleach that rock and place back in, wouldn't there be minimal effect on a mature tank?

[Oldreeferman]

Yes if its only on one rock carefully and safely toss it & add another rock however, IF the infestation has spread all over then all rocks must be replaced.
Takes dry rock months to mature even in a mature DT and again there is the issue of sensitive SPS corals they do not like changes. If a softy only coral DT then does not really matter all that much.
One could buy live rock or make live rock from cheaper dry rock in advance a good option if all rock needs replacing, is what id do in that case.
Most folks that ask what to do about palys after the fact usually have bad infestations, those that only have them on one rock well its a no brainer what to do obviously.

[Radicaljbr]

Originally Posted by Oldreeferman

Yes if its only on one rock carefully and safely toss it & add another rock however, IF the infestation has spread all over then all rocks must be replaced.
Takes dry rock months to mature even in a mature DT and again there is the issue of sensitive SPS corals they do not like changes. If a softy only coral DT then does not really matter all that much.
One could buy live rock or make live rock from cheaper dry rock in advance a good option if all rock needs replacing, is what id do in that case.
Most folks that ask what to do about palys after the fact usually have bad infestations, those that only have them on one rock well its a no brainer what to do obviously.

No, I meant can’t I bleach that one rock and place it back in? I have it only in one rock at this point but it’s my favorite rock