How to kill various corals?

Privateye · Jan 21, 2020

Hello,

This is my first thread so I have to start that way. I'm a forum lurker, aquaculture biologist, and coral keeper that is long overdue to join R2R. I have a bunch of coral in my 90 gallon that I'd like to get rid of. There are other corals next to all of these, so I need a good and safe way to kill parts of them without harming adjacent specimens or removing rocks (many are low in the structure). Selling is not an option for these unfortunately - they grow too fast! Here's what I'm looking to kill:

Mystic sunset Montipora
Yellow stone polyps
Palythoa
Zoanthus
Anthelia (been cutting it back with scissors)
John Deer Leptastrea

The John Deer has an unknown coral growing out of it that looks like a purple Leptastrea with a green center, but the polyps are a bit bigger. I'd rather grow that one out. Again, these are all next to other corals so torch/hydno are not options. I'm hesitant about aiptasia products too because I'm worried about it falling on the other corals. I've never used kalk paste, but I would probably need to use a lot over time so I'm concerned about that as well. I do have some epoxy though, and we sell JB weld at work. I've heard JB weld is okay in a reef tank, but I've never tried it.

Everything is in balance and I don't want to disrupt it at all. I know I have at leas a couple of species of copepods, plus I have amphipods, crabs, 9 species of gastropod (mostly snails, some breeding), and one of those blue photosynthetic sponges. The fish stocking density is low and there is never noticeable algae, except for coralline and some red bubble algae that mostly shows up on the powerheads.

Thanks in advance for the input!

ZoWhat · Jan 21, 2020

If you cant pull the LR.... then find a chisel like these:

**** you duct tape the chisel to the end of a PVC pipe. You find where you want to chisel. Lay the chisel against the LR and WHACK the other end with a hammer.

Instant frag you can SELL

.

jeffchapok · Jan 21, 2020

Turn off all flow and try hitting it with a shot of boiling RODI water from a turkey baster. May have to repeat over several days.

Tahoe61 · Jan 22, 2020

skimjim said:
If you cant pull the LR.... then find a chisel like these:

**** you duct tape the chisel to the end of a PVC pipe. You find where you want to chisel. Lay the chisel against the LR and WHACK the other end with a hammer.

Instant frag you can SELL

.

Boy that method would make me nervous. I think it's the whole, " whack with hammer" and glass tank, probably just me.
Got to be a better way, not sure what though. Perhaps epoxy, one piece at a time.

DSC reef · Jan 22, 2020

I'd go the epoxy/kalkwasser route so it's a little better controlled. I'd also run a bit more carbon and kill off the corals slowly as your probably going to notice extra slime, etc, from killing off the corals.

homer1475 · Jan 22, 2020

I second @DSC reef. Kalkwasser, and 2 part epoxy.

Privateye · Jan 22, 2020

Thanks for the input guys. If I decide to frag rocks I'll try the chisel method in the future. These corals have no value near me since I already have enough for my LFS. The John Deer is the exception, but I want the coral growing out of it to take over. Might happen on its own though.

I'll probably go with some epoxy since I trust it but I'm kind of intrigued by the boiling water. I hadn't thought about using that as a targeted strategy. My yellow polyps are tough though. They survived 24 hours in straight chlorinated tap water. A couple are living on the heater in my quarantine tank too.

Another thing I thought about was those high-power lasers that people have used for aiptasia. Maybe it will work on coral too. Then I can just zap them from outside the tank. Chances are I'll never get one of those though lol.

bsr2430 · Jan 22, 2020

I know how you can kill them and it will be humane! Put them in the ocean!hahaha
Sorry, I had too.

One question about this idea though, if you just start killing coral, couldn’t this cause a very big algae problem then lead into a tank crash?

There’s no locals that’s willing to save them from the mad scientist?

ZoWhat · Jan 22, 2020

Tahoe61 said:
Boy that method would make me nervous. I think it's the whole, " whack with hammer" and glass tank, probably just me.
Got to be a better way, not sure what though. Perhaps epoxy, one piece at a time.

Zachbud said:
In the tank? Couldn’t that crack the bottom glass

You underestimate the Power of The Darkside.... wait wrong movie

You underestimate the Strength of Tempered Glass, especially 1/2".... this test was 3/16th glass... roughly 33% the thickness of 1/2"

Zachbud · Jan 22, 2020

skimjim said:
If you cant pull the LR.... then find a chisel like these:

**** you duct tape the chisel to the end of a PVC pipe. You find where you want to chisel. Lay the chisel against the LR and WHACK the other end with a hammer.

Instant frag you can SELL

.

In the tank? Couldn’t that crack the bottom glass

Zachbud · Jan 22, 2020

Privateye said:
Thanks for the input guys. If I decide to frag rocks I'll try the chisel method in the future. These corals have no value near me since I already have enough for my LFS. The John Deer is the exception, but I want the coral growing out of it to take over. Might happen on its own though.

I'll probably go with some epoxy since I trust it but I'm kind of intrigued by the boiling water. I hadn't thought about using that as a targeted strategy. My yellow polyps are tough though. They survived 24 hours in straight chlorinated tap water. A couple are living on the heater in my quarantine tank too.

Another thing I thought about was those high-power lasers that people have used for aiptasia. Maybe it will work on coral too. Then I can just zap them from outside the tank. Chances are I'll never get one of those though lol.

Thought you were to never boil live rock. Especially Zoa and paly. Right? The vapor/steam is highly toxic and will send your whole family to emergency room.

ZoWhat · Jan 22, 2020

Zachbud said:
In the tank? Couldn’t that crack the bottom glass

Watch this:

Mastiffsrule · Jan 22, 2020

Hi,

First i need to say #WelcimetoR2R

if you want a guarantee on killing them, send them to me for a week in my tank. Problem solved

I would tend to agree the most controlled and precise method is to pull the rock if able and manually remove it as mentioned. It can be done with a chisel or a dremel with water flow to cool the rock. If doing this all protective gear needs to be worn.

Privateye · Jan 23, 2020

I'll probably dremmel the rocks i can remove and do one of the other methods for the stuff near the bottom. I'm not too worried about the palys - I've taken a toothbrush to them several times. I won't be boiling that rock though. Hot, fresh water did kill a large rock of stone polyps and Anthelia in the past, so it's certainly viable. I soaked them in that water for 2 days as well though.

I also forgot to mention a cactus pavona. It's growing up and over a moti cap and the mystic sunset so I'd like to stop it in its tracks. I think I'll epoxy over it so that the monti can grow back while the pavona dies. All good suggestions though!

Some frags of these can be given away for free to anyone near Orlando that wants to pick them up, fyi.

Casket_Case · Jan 25, 2020

Privateye said:
I'll probably dremmel the rocks i can remove and do one of the other methods for the stuff near the bottom. I'm not too worried about the palys - I've taken a toothbrush to them several times. I won't be boiling that rock though. Hot, fresh water did kill a large rock of stone polyps and Anthelia in the past, so it's certainly viable. I soaked them in that water for 2 days as well though.

I also forgot to mention a cactus pavona. It's growing up and over a moti cap and the mystic sunset so I'd like to stop it in its tracks. I think I'll epoxy over it so that the monti can grow back while the pavona dies. All good suggestions though!

Some frags of these can be given away for free to anyone near Orlando that wants to pick them up, fyi.

Would you be willing to ship?