Mini cloves? Invasive weed?

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 23, 2016

Are these going to be bad?

I've never had anything grow so fast. Probably four weeks growth there. Bloomed from a rock of Zoas. The Zoas melted left the Fock in my sump for two months. Mounted a coral on top for the new second tank and this happen. Cool but concerning.

Tahoe61 · Jan 23, 2016

Yes they are invasive, it's not something I would intentionally add to my tank.

Lionfish Lair · Jan 23, 2016

Oh wow! That's a load of them.

cloak · Jan 23, 2016

An absolute scourge IME. I don't even want to give them away... They look pretty in the picture below, but trust me, you do not want these things...

Lionfish Lair · Jan 23, 2016

Daaaaaaang! I knew they went crazy in some people's tanks, like xenia can etc etc, but I didn't know these were such an issue.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 23, 2016

Yea they are prob like some varieties of the blue clove polyps or Japanese clove polyps.
Its on a 3" x 1' rock. hopefully they dont spread like the blue cloves by shooting themselves across the tank.

Now I just have to convince that spaghetti worm to pick another rock before I toss it in the trash.
An aside I didnt know the spaghetti would pick a rock. all my others are are in sand.

Wiz · Jan 23, 2016

Just keep it seperated. On its own rock or sand bed. They are not ugly. Just require special attention to avoid overpopulating. :-)

Lionfish Lair · Jan 23, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
An aside I didnt know the spaghetti would pick a rock. all my others are are in sand.

Everyone has that one family member that's odd.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 23, 2016

Wiz said:
Just keep it seperated. On its own rock or sand bed. They are not ugly. Just require special attention to avoid overpopulating. :)

gotta disagree there. Google blue clove polyp. Mostly nightmare stories. Some species float out to the other side of the tank. saw one at my favorite LFS in Burbank that had the most beautiful cloves but were spreading like the plague.
Do you have a species ID on these? btw? I do prefer to keep bizzaro stuff ya know.

cloak · Jan 23, 2016

Wiz said:
Just keep it seperated. On its own rock or sand bed. They are not ugly. Just require special attention to avoid overpopulating. :)

My rocks are littered with epoxy just trying to smother these things out, but it's always seems like it's two steps forward three steps back. That rock in the picture above is gone, yet there still here, there & everywhere...

Wiz · Jan 23, 2016

We can disagree that is OK.I have had similar ones in my tank for almost a year now as well as other species that people dislike Because they grow too fast. In my humble opinion I believe that most cases are a case of neglect. I think that if you give them the proper attention you can avoid letting them overcome your tank. If they do happen to get in an area where you don't want them it should be fairly easy to kill them with super glue or hot water or some method. It's just a matter of whether or not you want the extra work. Imo of course :) I have no clear pictures of them but here they are.Pink and gold Palys on the left and yellow polyps on the right are similar in their growth. Just a matter of keeping them in check.

saltyfilmfolks said:
gotta disagree there. Google blue clove polyp. Mostly nightmare stories. Some species float out to the other side of the tank. saw one at my favorite LFS in Burbank that had the most beautiful cloves but were spreading like the plague.
Do you have a species ID on these? btw? I do prefer to keep bizzaro stuff ya know.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 23, 2016

Hey I have those!! plus other "invasive" palys that are beautiful. And green sand palys too. These got nothing on them.
Check this out. Maybe the keepers fault but...http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2114911
Yea like cloaks pic above. Theres just some ya cant control I think.

And mine in the pic went from the size of a quarter to covering the rock in a couple weeks.

Wiz · Jan 23, 2016

cloak said:
My rocks are littered with epoxy just trying to smother these things out, but it's always seems like it's two steps forward three steps back. That rock in the picture above is gone, yet there still here, there & everywhere...

Try super glue gel instead of epoxy. Coats them well and kills them but picks off really easy after its done

Tahoe61 · Jan 23, 2016

The problem lies in that this coral readily spawns, the larvae end up everywhere. Just google Blue Clove Spawning and look at the images and you'll see what I mean. Read some of the horror stories as well. Myself I think they are very attractive but I do not want a tank taken over by them.

cloak · Jan 23, 2016

Wiz said:
Try super glue gel instead of epoxy. Coach them well and kills them but pics off really easy after its done

Thank you for the heads up, but I'm pretty sure I can cover more ground with epoxy than the glue. Chewed up bubble gum pretty much. ;)

FWIW, I call this picture JAIL. That Leptastrea would run wild if I hadn't contained it... (over & over again)

On a side note; if you look closely you'll see those darn clove polyps in the picture below.

Wiz · Jan 23, 2016

I am pretty obsessive. So maybe I just find it easier than most. Lol I would not want anyone's tank to suffer so maybe it is better just to get rid of them.

Wiz · Jan 23, 2016

In my tank the yellow polyps are the worst. They pop up everywhere like you're saying. But I either rip them off or cover them with glue or both. Haven't had an issue yet That I couldn't handle. Knock on wood lol

Tahoe61 · Jan 23, 2016

I have heard of individuals treating with Fluke tabs.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 23, 2016

Wiz said:
I am pretty obsessive. So maybe I just find it easier than most. Lol I would not want anyone's tank to suffer so maybe it is better just to get rid of them.

these suckers are toast.
Im actually kinda bummed