Little blue menace coral. Help, I'm being invaded!

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Hey all, I am looking for tips on how to eliminate or control this little blue coral that is taking over my tank. It was cute a first, but now is crowding out many of my other corals. So far, I've tried plucking it out and I've tried using AptasiaX on it. The plucking worked, but tedious. The AptasiaX just seemed to annoy it and I can't use that stuff too close to the corals I want to save. Also, can anyone put a name to it?

Here is a pic of my entire tank. If you look closely, you'll see the little blue menace everywhere. Help!

 

[DMG Reef]

It looks like Blue Sympodium. I love that stuff but my Fox Face ate my frag before it could spread.

 

[rkpetersen]

Nice tank. Blue clove polyps. An absolute nightmare. Spread everywhere via runners. Eventually crowd out most other corals. Many established tanks have had to be rebooted because of this horrible stuff. People complain about all kinds of invasive aquarium pests but don't often mention this despite the fact that it is one of the worst. I don't know of a definite solution once it gets well established.

 

[ZoWhat]

Heres your answer:

Eliminating Blue Clove Polyps with Fenbendazole

A few years ago, I purchased a rock that had some beautiful Space Monster zoas on it. It also had some Blue Clove Polyp on it as well. I saw the BCP, I knew it was there, I really didn't worry about it at all because I had no idea what it could become. Fast forward....its now everywhere. Its...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Jimmy pop Colson uses those to separate his acros. He has said when he needs to control them that he has found tuxedo urchins will eat them

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Jimmy pop Colson uses those to separate his acros. He has said when he needs to control them that he has found tuxedo urchins will eat them

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll try getting a tuxedo urchin. I've never had an urchin so, I need to do some research first. I'll report back.

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Heres your answer:

Eliminating Blue Clove Polyps with Fenbendazole

A few years ago, I purchased a rock that had some beautiful Space Monster zoas on it. It also had some Blue Clove Polyp on it as well. I saw the BCP, I knew it was there, I really didn't worry about it at all because I had no idea what it could become. Fast forward....its now everywhere. Its...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the link. Seems almost too good to be true. And the author was hilarious -- wife wanting to know why he was trying to kill the pretty blue stuff . . . HA! I laughed out loud.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll try getting a tuxedo urchin. I've never had an urchin so, I need to do some research first. I'll report back.

They are hard workers and I don't find them to be very destructive. They are known to pick up small frags like zoas but mine typically only carried around snails. Just acclimate them slowly

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Just an update: I've had one tuxedo urchin and so far he hasn't eaten any of the blue clove polyp menace. He's cruised around my tank and picked up some stuff to decorate his spines, but no eating of the blue close polyps yet. I'll give him until around Christmas when, if he hasn't done the job, I"ll have time to try the chemical method (fendbendazole).

 

[Sailfinguy21]

I have 5 sea urchins. 1 long spine black urchin. 1 pinkish pin cushion. 1 blue tuxedo, and just recently i got a orange black pin cushion.

The 5th one is some blue colored urchin forgit the name but i took it out if my 135 and put it in my 30g because it kept eating the tips of my smaller acroporas it climbed over.

Other then that i havent had urchins eat corals

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

I have 5 sea urchins. 1 long spine black urchin. 1 pinkish pin cushion. 1 blue tuxedo, and just recently i got a orange black pin cushion.

The 5th one is some blue colored urchin forgit the name but i took it out if my 135 and put it in my 30g because it kept eating the tips of my smaller acroporas it climbed over.

Other then that i havent had urchins eat corals

Yup, the urchin is still not eating the blue clove polyp. I am mentally planning how I will treat the tank with fenbendazole.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Blue clove polyps. Send me some for my nano. lol

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Well, the urchin didn't work. I am ready to try fenbendazole. Anyone have any they'd like to sell?

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

I found "Fish Bendazole" online by Thomas Labs for less than $10. I'll order that and give it a go.

 

[C. Eymann]

Sarcothelia is what you are dealing with here, very commonly mistaken for blue sympodium.
Unfortunately, sarcothelia is like cancer, generally successful eradication takes drastic measures, in many cases of dealing with this frustrating invasive resilient pest, people remove the affected rocks.

 

[EMeyer]

Fenbendazole was entirely effective for me. I had two tanks overrun. I removed every affected frag or rock, and soaked them in a high dosage (I think 10x the usual dose). Then I rinsed the living crap out of them before turning to the tanks.

This stuff is a miracle cure. But it is also really potent. Even after rinsing and returning them to the tanks, just the residual medication was enough to 100% kill every piece of GSP or Xenia in the tank, even though those were never directly dipped. Bonus!

The only problem I experienced was that it also hurt my Tubipora. Didnt kill it (I dont think you can actually kill Tubipora), but it took a while to recover.

I'd avoid whole tank treatments of this or any other chemical if possible. It works AMAZING as a dip. Its been a year or so, and I havent seen a single polyp show up again, in any of my systems.

--

Oh, I think suggestions to put a sea urchin in a reef tank make about as much sense as suggesting you leave a large, hyperactive dog alone in a room full of kittens and expensive china. But perhaps others enjoy their reef a bit more on the dynamic side than I do.

 

[S.Pepper]

I found "Fish Bendazole" online by Thomas Labs for less than $10. I'll order that and give it a go.

Luv your U.N. But I guess in this case, u actually r.;Hilarious

 

[S.Pepper]

;Hilarious

 

[Lorenzo Angotti]

Hi, I have some blue star polyps on a small rock but is place near the back of the tank wall, I’m hoping eventually it will spread on the back glass to giving me a stunning blue colour. I have heard that if placed on your main rock, it does takes over and hard to get at so I’m hoping that I can control it on the glass wall by means of scraping with a razor of some sort, making sure that no bits get blown else way, it will probably be done with my wave pumps switched off and a vac at had to suck up any that are loose. Crossed fingers any way, but I hope for you, you solve yours, good luck.

 

[Try'nNotToKillStuff]

Fenbendazole was entirely effective for me. I had two tanks overrun. I removed every affected frag or rock, and soaked them in a high dosage (I think 10x the usual dose). Then I rinsed the living crap out of them before turning to the tanks.

This stuff is a miracle cure. But it is also really potent. Even after rinsing and returning them to the tanks, just the residual medication was enough to 100% kill every piece of GSP or Xenia in the tank, even though those were never directly dipped. Bonus!

The only problem I experienced was that it also hurt my Tubipora. Didnt kill it (I dont think you can actually kill Tubipora), but it took a while to recover.

I'd avoid whole tank treatments of this or any other chemical if possible. It works AMAZING as a dip. Its been a year or so, and I havent seen a single polyp show up again, in any of my systems.

--

Oh, I think suggestions to put a sea urchin in a reef tank make about as much sense as suggesting you leave a large, hyperactive dog alone in a room full of kittens and expensive china. But perhaps others enjoy their reef a bit more on the dynamic side than I do.

Thanks for the suggestions. I wish it was only on a few rocks and then I would indeed pull them out and treat outside of the DT. Unfortunately, it is on every single rock. So, full DT treatment it is.