Adding a chocolate starfish to an established reef?

[Cliff717]

So I am getting near the point of desperation that this is actually something I’m thinking about. I have a 250 gallon mixed reef that’s doing amazing may SPS are thriving but I left it on cruise control for the last six months as life has gotten busy. Now I have been overgrown with some ugly pallys and zoa. I’m thinking of adding in a chocolate chip starfish. What else beside the pallys could I expect him to eat?

 

[blaxsun]

Why not just remove some of the palys and zoas? Personally, I’m not seeing the ugliness in that image.

 

[Cliff717]

That’s a little older picture. Here are the ones that are growing like weeds

 

[fishguy242]

hi,going to go for mushrooms first, prob not going to touch palys at all...

 

[blaxsun]

Still not seeing the ugliness. Guess you mst be doing something right if they’re thriving!

 

[Uncle99]

That’s a little older picture. Here are the ones that are growing like weeds

There are some that only can dream about a problem like that.
In any event, have you tried to hit a couple with Aptasia-X.
Seems to kill Zoos as well.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Outstanding

 

[fishguy242]

a kalk paste will work too, but run carbon,keep eye on alk .
only do a small amount at a time.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Any way of chipping off the rock they’re on or scrapping them off? You can also glue another rock on top, to cover them from getting light.

 

[Cliff717]

Unfortunately a lot of them are on my priced corals . Those ones I may have to Jules juice off of there but there’s so many I don’t think I could manually extract them

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Unfortunately a lot of them are on my priced corals . Those ones I may have to Jules juice off of there but there’s so many I don’t think I could manually extract them

I see, I have an idea but it’s a bit unorthodox and still a manual process. Using a syringe you can place the tip on top of the pally and suck them into the syringe. I do this for aiptasia. You do not have to do this to all of them, you can do it to the ones growing close to your prized coral, then use that free space to glue a rock or a big flat disk like frag plug. To block the light and shadow the zoas, when the zoas start to grow out and on the new rock, pull that rock out, rinse and repeat.

 

[fishguy242]

this is an ugly situation...looks like just about overtaken chalice,the favia ,cut it ,they are killing it anyhow,
then proceed to remove any more that you can.
remember ,these are palys!!! PPE USE CAUTION...

 

[dwfain]

Outstanding

I'd take that tank and problem in a NY minute.