Restarting due to blue clove polyps

[dart]

Hi Reefers,


My tank has been running for about 2.5 years now. I've been through pretty much every algae issue in the book, and just as things were finally settling down, I discovered blue clove polyps have taken over most of my rockwork. At this point, I don't see a realistic way to get ahead of it, so I've decided to bite the bullet and do a full restart with a new aquascape and new sand. I want to move livestock to a temp setup, along with some live rock and sand from the current tank, until I finish cycling the new setup.

Here's what I'm working with livestock wise:

• Pair of clownfish
• Pair of damsels
• One striped blenny
• One small sand-sifting goby
• A handful of corals as well

Current display tank is 75 x 50 x 55 with a sump of size 60 x 42 x 35.

For the temporary home, I've got a spare 60x30x30cm tank available. My big question for those of you who've done a restart before, is this tank big enough to safely hold this stock for however long the new display takes to cycle?

I don't have anyone who can take the fish or corals off my hands temporarily, so I'm on my own to make this work. If you've been in a similar spot, I'd really appreciate some valuable advise to handle this situation.

• Whether you think this stocking is workable in that footprint for a few weeks.
• Any tips for keeping aggression and water quality in check in a tank that size.
• What you'd do differently if you were restarting from scratch with limited holding space.

Really appreciate any experience or advice you can share. Trying to get this right without stressing out the livestock any more than necessary.

 

[KrisReef]

Fendendazole can erase them>

I accidentally got some, somehow they were growing and filling in nicely across some of the rocks in my reef. I got a lifetime supply of Goat Dewormer from tractor supply, without a script, in CALIFORNIA. It killed them in one shot.

LEt me find the link-

Here it is.

I used 2.75ml in 135 total system gallons, of this product
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...25ml?msockid=2f9430279f4d64f423eb234f9eb66595

Shake the bottle well, the stuff seems to settle.

SOme of my snails survived, which isn't supposed to happen?

 

[dart]

@KrisReef Thanks for the suggestion. I have been through a couple of threads about using Fenbendazole but was not sure if I should go that route. After I made up my mind to restart, I ended up getting new dry rocks and I have built an aquascape already.

 

[KrisReef]

@KrisReef Thanks for the suggestion. I have been through a couple of threads about using Fenbendazole but was not sure if I should go that route. After I made up my mind to restart, I ended up getting new dry rocks and I have built an aquascape already.

Good luck!

If you are transferring stuff that might have cloves, I would recommend dipping those during the transfer, but they need to be rinsed well, and even that is supposed to be risky as the medication adheres to rocks, for months according to others.

 

[dart]

Good luck!

If you are transferring stuff that might have cloves, I would recommend dipping those during the transfer, but they need to be rinsed well, and even that is supposed to be risky as the medication adheres to rocks, for months according to others.

It’s going to be a tedious process for sure. Il have to remove them from their current plugs and transfer them to new plugs before I can move them to new setup. I won’t stick them directly onto the rocks until I make sure there is no sign BCP growing on them.

 

[KrisReef]

It’s going to be a tedious process for sure. Il have to remove them from their current plugs and transfer them to new plugs before I can move them to new setup. I won’t stick them directly onto the rocks until I make sure there is no sign BCP growing on them.

Good luck!

 

[Tcook]

Fendendazole can erase them>

I accidentally got some, somehow they were growing and filling in nicely across some of the rocks in my reef. I got a lifetime supply of Goat Dewormer from tractor supply, without a script, in CALIFORNIA. It killed them in one shot.

LEt me find the link-

Here it is.

I used 2.75ml in 135 total system gallons, of this product
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...25ml?msockid=2f9430279f4d64f423eb234f9eb66595

Shake the bottle well, the stuff seems to settle.

SOme of my snails survived, which isn't supposed to happen?

Did you have any inverts like urchins or other corals you had to remove first?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I’ve had to do a rock swap once because of blue clove polyps. I cycled the rocks in a separate container for a month then did a straight rock swap. The hardest part was fragging every single coral and gluing them to the new rocks. But in the end you end up with a 100% pest free rocks. No need to move the fish IMO

 

[Fish Fan]

I think Mr. Mojo above has a great plan; cycle your rocks so that you can do this all in one day with minimum stress.

To cycle the rocks as quickly as possible, I'd suggest using Fritz Turbostart if it's available in your location as this product can cycle a tank (or more specifically your rocks) very, very quickly, much quicker than other bacteria products.

Good luck!

 

[dart]

I’ve had to do a rock swap once because of blue clove polyps. I cycled the rocks in a separate container for a month then did a straight rock swap. The hardest part was fragging every single coral and gluing them to the new rocks. But in the end you end up with a 100% pest free rocks. No need to move the fish IMO

This sound like a great idea. Did you have to replace sand too when you were doing this? I want to replace sand too because there is blue clove polyps on sand in some parts of the tank. Does adding new sand like CaribSea Live Sand Arag-Alive Special Grade or CaribSea Live Sand Arag-Alive Ocean Direct along with cycled rock cause another cycle due to die off? If I choose to keep fishes in the tank and do these, would it affect the fishes?

 

[dart]

I think Mr. Mojo above has a great plan; cycle your rocks so that you can do this all in one day with minimum stress.

To cycle the rocks as quickly as possible, I'd suggest using Fritz Turbostart if it's available in your location as this product can cycle a tank (or more specifically your rocks) very, very quickly, much quicker than other bacteria products.

Good luck!

Unfortunately Fritz Turbostart is not available in germany. I am planning on using Nitri-Bac, AmmoMix and BIODiversity for Modernreef to cycle the rocks.

Another question that I have is , can i place some rocks in the sump so it can seed some bacteria from the curent setup? What are the changes of algae and blue clove polyps infesting rocks in the sump?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

This sound like a great idea. Did you have to replace sand too when you were doing this? I want to replace sand too because there is blue clove polyps on sand in some parts of the tank. Does adding new sand like CaribSea Live Sand Arag-Alive Special Grade or CaribSea Live Sand Arag-Alive Ocean Direct along with cycled rock cause another cycle due to die off? If I choose to keep fishes in the tank and do these, would it affect the fishes?

I didn't have cloves on the sand so I didn't need to replace the sand. If you need to replace the sand then I'm not sure, I think you might need to pull the fish if you are doing that, sorry. Hopefully we can get some more comments coming in, good luck

 

[dart]

I didn't have cloves on the sand so I didn't need to replace the sand. If you need to replace the sand then I'm not sure, I think you might need to pull the fish if you are doing that, sorry. Hopefully we can get some more comments coming in, good luck

No worries, I am still trying to figure out what the best option is to perform the restart without stressing too much.

 

[Fish Fan]

I think in your situation, given the clove polyps, I would not use the old rock or sand, I would use new sand and either replace or bleach your old rock, and then start brand new.

 

[KrisReef]

Did you have any inverts like urchins or other corals you had to remove first?

I removed what snails I could, but I found a few that were crawling about after the treatment? Stomatella's)

I do not have any shrimp or urchins, so I left them be.

Organ pipe coral slowly died. I have a few frags of blue ridge coral that are still alive, but appear to be slowly eroding.

Maixima and Deresa clams are fine.
I thought about removing the inferno (bubble tip) anemones but I didn't and they are thriving.

Corals seem happier, I suspect clove polyps are aggressive chemical warriors?

 

[Tcook]

I removed what snails I could, but I found a few that were crawling about after the treatment? Stomatella's)

I do not have any shrimp or urchins, so I left them be.

Organ pipe coral slowly died. I have a few frags of blue ridge coral that are still alive, but appear to be slowly eroding.

Maixima and Deresa clams are fine.
I thought about removing the inferno (bubble tip) anemones but I didn't and they are thriving.

Corals seem happier, I suspect clove polyps are aggressive chemical warriors?

Was thinking of using feben or one of the 6 watt blue lasers. I’m guessing that cloves could be a recurring issue like bryopsis is. Have to do the fluconazole every 6+ months.

 

[KrisReef]

Did you have any inverts like urchins or other corals you had to remove first?

Two starkii damsels, Foxface lo and a Copperband (who eradicated aiptasia years ago)

I have been trying to clear out a Kenya tree that I held for another reefer who had a leak, but it was popping up around the tank like whack a mole- weed. It seems to have melted.

For both Kenya tree and the polyps I had, I am keeping a close eye and planning a second treatment if any Zombie Survivor Corals resurface after the first treatment.

 

[dart]

I think in your situation, given the clove polyps, I would not use the old rock or sand, I would use new sand and either replace or bleach your old rock, and then start brand new.

I wont be using the old rock and sand, I want to start fresh. But I dont know how and where to move fish and corals till I cycle the new rock. There is no one around who can help me keep the fish and corals for the time being.

I can cycle the aquascape in a brute container like Mr. Mojo suggested. My worry is mainly about die off from adding Caribsea sand on the day of transfer causing another ammonia spike.

Do you think I can keep those fishes in a temp tank of size 60x30x30 ( roughly 50 litres) for a few weeks till i cycle the new rock and sand in main display tank?

 

[KrisReef]

Was thinking of using feben or one of the 6 watt blue lasers. I’m guessing that cloves could be a recurring issue like bryopsis is. Have to do the fluconazole every 6+ months.

There have been reports of "Stubborn" polyps that resisted even elevated treatments.

One user who had treated a second time, a few weeks after the first does was able to eliminate them.

Other's have reported success without reemergence (Like some aquatic weeds will do). I think between the plant and animal kingdoms, plants may have long dormant, or seasonal stages that allow them to dissappear and then reappear after a year or two. Dead "flesh" generally does not have a dormant stage.

Here was another reference that I found helpful
https://reefbuilders.com/2023/11/01/my-experience-with-fenbendazole/

The irony, some are claiming Fenbendazole as a cancer treatment (I didn't read up on that, yet.)

 

[KrisReef]

I wont be using the old rock and sand, I want to start fresh. But I dont know how and where to move fish and corals till I cycle the new rock. There is no one around who can help me keep the fish and corals for the time being.

I can cycle the aquascape in a brute container like Mr. Mojo suggested. My worry is mainly about die off from adding Caribsea sand on the day of transfer causing another ammonia spike.

Do you think I can keep those fishes in a temp tank of size 60x30x30 ( roughly 50 litres) for a few weeks till i cycle the new rock and sand in main display tank?

Have you read the "Sand Rinse Thread" on here?

With new sand, even "live sand" in a bag I would focus on rinsing the fine dust from the new sand until it runs clear, and then add it without having to deal with cloudiness when-ever the gravel is stirred in the tank. Rinsing in tap water, multiple times until the fines are removed does not remove live bacteria completely.

The new sand should not cause an ammonia spike unless it comes with an ammonia source. A proper rinse should remove any waste or funk that might biodegrade.