Got a rock with palythoas on it, can anyone provide an ID?

esloan88 · Jul 3, 2017

Got a beautiful live rock with mushrooms and palys on it but I'm not sure what type. They are mostly green and the "stalk" is purple. Also has some purple on top.

3mm3 · Jul 3, 2017

They almost look like palythoa grands. Just don't handle them (without protection) I think that type pictured are pretty toxic.

jrwoltman · Jul 3, 2017

Nuclear green palythoa? They spread like the plague, be wary of where you put that rock.

mfinn · Jul 3, 2017

Common button polyps.
They will spread.

Butitor · Jul 4, 2017

Nuclear green palythoa

Cameron808 · Jul 4, 2017

Yep, Nuclear green paly. They grow fast and become a nuisance.

zack801 · Jul 7, 2017

I would seriously consider just pulling that rock and giving it or throwing it away.

burtbollinger · Jul 7, 2017

I would toss a rock with those suckers on it in the dumpster...I wouldnt let palys like that anywhere near my tank....i learned that lesson the VERY hard way.

Please note that every response in this thread says the same thing...for good reason. This is not advice I'd ignore.

happyhourhero · Jul 7, 2017

Dont follow my footsteps. Discard that rock. The bad feeling now will pale in comparison to having to tear down an established tank because of them. 1000x worse than aiptasia IMO.

saltyfilmfolks · Jul 7, 2017

Just kill them with app x or a syringe of vinegar to control them.

saltyfilmfolks · Jul 7, 2017

magictalk said:
App x won't kill them like it does aiptasia. I removed all light and food from a tank with the things on live rock and even lowered the SG to 116 for two years without changing water. Two years later the tank looked sterile. Pure white sand, pure white rock. The aptasia and coralline algae had disappeared. There were very small brown spots on some of the rock, didn't know what they were so I ignored them and started establishing the tank again. Guess what they were? It took several months but the green palythoa literally grew back from inside the rock! Good luck!

They kill mine.

burtbollinger · Jul 7, 2017

same thing happened to me....had to shut down a tank due to an infestation that started a single green paly. Aptasia x didnt work....nor was an Aptasia Blaster a good solution once they spread.