Kalk paste to eliminate RBTA

[saltcreep74]

I hate to even ask only because this is a last resort...can kalk paste be used to eliminate RBTA's the same as it is used to kill aptasia?

Already lost a couple corals due to it splitting all the time.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think the answer is yes if they are small enough.

Rather than kill them, why not collect them and sell them (or trade) to your LFS? My Black Widow BTA splits so often that I regularly sell them for $75 to $125 or trade them to an LFS for $50 credit. I set up a tank just for anemones and have 16 BTA currently.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Are you not able to move them out of your tank? It would be better to do this than kill them

 

[saltcreep74]

Correct....I've tried various methods and can't get them to detach. Messaging, ice in a bag, blasting them with a power head, and the pvc/sponge method...now they damaged a couple favias and moving toward my sps frags...

 

[StartingATank]

I would try to use a credit card and pry up their foot. This works for me

 

[saltcreep74]

The foot is inside crevices... credit cards work only on flat surfaces ..

 

[Sophie"s mom]

The foot is inside crevices... credit cards work only on flat surfaces ..

IF you do find a solid method, please let me know!!! My tank is so overrun with them!! I do not want to kill them, but as you said, their foot is so embedded into rockwork, it is pretty impossible to remove them. I have not lost any corals YET!! But I don't want to either. I have at least 50!

 

[saltcreep74]

Only method i haven't tried yet is the hang the rock upside down method...my rocks are glued together and I have space growing on the top so that method is out... very frustrating.

 

[mfinn]

Kalk paste will probably kill a rbta, but do you really want to deal with the mess?
Not sure how big you (op) are talking about, but even my smallest clone rbta in my tank would really make a difficult mess to clean up if I did that.
I too have a couple problem wandering rbtas, but if I really wanted to remove them I'd look for other ways.

 

[saltcreep74]

Today's my monthly 30% water change so I'm already prepared.

What other methods are there?

 

[hobie61]

Following. They've taken over my tank (45 gal) and havent found a way to rid of them. Very frustrating. Attached to rockwork crevices that i cannot reach and rub to release. A dozen plus in the tank now, and keep dividing. Killed some corals. I try poking them most days with tongs hoping they will release. Works sometimes. My other nuisances are zoas and GSPs. Wish i never placed in the tank. Thanks for advice.

 

[Biokabe]

Welcome to my old frustration... all the unhelpful suggestions about "Just pry up the foot!" after you've spend more than an hour trying to do literally that. In my opinion, BTA's are just a more attractive, less invasive version of aiptasia, and I will never have one in my tank again unless it's dedicated to nothing but BTA.

To the OP:

There is no easy way to do it for any nems that are anchored deep within the rockwork. There are some non-easy things that you can do, but fair warning, they are time-consuming.

First, a few tools you will need: hydrogen peroxide (12% if you can find it); dental picks; old credit cards; nitrile gloves. And a LOT of time.

If you're at your absolute wit's end with them, hydrogen peroxide will absolutely irritate them and may (may!) convince them to leave their anchor point. This is best done out of water, but if you can't get it out of water it can work with all flow turned off. Get a dosing syringe with a luer lock tip, a nice thick gauge with a long needle. Fill it up (about 3ml worth) and apply around the edges of where the 'nem is attached. Don't inject directly into the 'nem unless you're trying to kill it. And for the sake of the rest of your livestock, you don't want to kill it if you can avoid it.

To make it easier: Use a dental pick to pry up a section of the foot, and squirt the peroxide underneath. This causes bubbling that they find unpleasant (understandable, since it's also lethal) and may cause them to detach. Keep working with the pick to dislodge the foot. If you can get a pick with a somewhat chunkier "bar" instead of the finer hook, you can also use that directly. 'Nems don't like the feel of steel, so if you can get the steel under the foot and work it around, you can again sometimes dislodge them.

The credit card is more to hold the dislodged foot in place than anything else. If you're this far gone, you probably don't have access to slide the card underneath the foot. Constant wide pressure - again, you're trying to make the 'nem unhappy where it is and like it would prefer to be somewhere else.

And the gloves are because... well, sometimes you just don't have an alternative but to get in there directly with your hands. 'Nems are pretty slimy and can sometimes slip off of your bare skin, so the gloves help you grip it better if you can actually manage to dislodge it.

If you go this route (ESPECIALLY if you're using peroxide), don't try to work on more than one 'nem at a time. Peroxide can be dangerous to the rest of your livestock if you use too much of it, especially if you're using 12%. That's one of the reasons I advise using it out of water or during a water change. It will naturally dissipate back into regular water over time, but in the time after your initial application it can be dangerous.

 

[saltcreep74]

Welcome to my old frustration... all the unhelpful suggestions about "Just pry up the foot!" after you've spend more than an hour trying to do literally that. In my opinion, BTA's are just a more attractive, less invasive version of aiptasia, and I will never have one in my tank again unless it's dedicated to nothing but BTA.

To the OP:

There is no easy way to do it for any nems that are anchored deep within the rockwork. There are some non-easy things that you can do, but fair warning, they are time-consuming.

First, a few tools you will need: hydrogen peroxide (12% if you can find it); dental picks; old credit cards; nitrile gloves. And a LOT of time.

If you're at your absolute wit's end with them, hydrogen peroxide will absolutely irritate them and may (may!) convince them to leave their anchor point. This is best done out of water, but if you can't get it out of water it can work with all flow turned off. Get a dosing syringe with a luer lock tip, a nice thick gauge with a long needle. Fill it up (about 3ml worth) and apply around the edges of where the 'nem is attached. Don't inject directly into the 'nem unless you're trying to kill it. And for the sake of the rest of your livestock, you don't want to kill it if you can avoid it.

To make it easier: Use a dental pick to pry up a section of the foot, and squirt the peroxide underneath. This causes bubbling that they find unpleasant (understandable, since it's also lethal) and may cause them to detach. Keep working with the pick to dislodge the foot. If you can get a pick with a somewhat chunkier "bar" instead of the finer hook, you can also use that directly. 'Nems don't like the feel of steel, so if you can get the steel under the foot and work it around, you can again sometimes dislodge them.

The credit card is more to hold the dislodged foot in place than anything else. If you're this far gone, you probably don't have access to slide the card underneath the foot. Constant wide pressure - again, you're trying to make the 'nem unhappy where it is and like it would prefer to be somewhere else.

And the gloves are because... well, sometimes you just don't have an alternative but to get in there directly with your hands. 'Nems are pretty slimy and can sometimes slip off of your bare skin, so the gloves help you grip it better if you can actually manage to dislodge it.

If you go this route (ESPECIALLY if you're using peroxide), don't try to work on more than one 'nem at a time. Peroxide can be dangerous to the rest of your livestock if you use too much of it, especially if you're using 12%. That's one of the reasons I advise using it out of water or during a water change. It will naturally dissipate back into regular water over time, but in the time after your initial application it can be dangerous.

Thank you...appreciate your recommendations...something to thank about.

 

[mfinn]

I've tried the ice cube on the foot and the powerhead directed at them all with out success.
I think Biokabe is spot on.
It's not going to be easy if your rock structure is hard to pull apart.