Brown Polyp Invasion! Help Please!

gemini8npg · 07/21/2011, 01:32 AM

Hello. I usually do not post in these forums but I always find the most helpful information here on R.C. The only reason I'm posting now is because I need help identifying these brown polyps that are overtaking my tank. I would also like any advice/suggestions on how to eradicate them. These things are like weeds. They were from my original tank, and stupid me added them to my new tank. I added all of the soft coral from my original 5 year old tank to my new system. I wanted this new tank to be mixed with soft and hard coral but little did I know that the once slow-growing soft coral would thrive under the new M.H. lighting.
To sum it up, I want this stuff gone. It is growing out of control. It encrusts the rock with a "spider-web-like" white material. I can't seem to ID it through my web searches. All I know is that I bought a small frag of it when I first got into the hobby, about 7 years ago now. I'd really like to have some words with the individual who sold me this crap.
I've tried everything from Kalk paste, sodium-hydroxide, to a blow torch. The crap keeps coming back! I assume all that's left is bleaching/ nuking the rocks but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. So does anybody know what this is or how to get rid of it? Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Sugar Magnolia · 07/21/2011, 05:04 AM

Can't tell from that pic. Try to get a closer, clearer shot.

doctorgori · 07/21/2011, 05:16 AM

A "experienced" aquarist such as myself can kill anything, you just need more experience

rnscross · 07/21/2011, 05:35 AM

its not an encruting star pollyp is it?

Jeremy Blaze · 07/21/2011, 06:28 AM

Look kind of like hydroids.

Squirting with kalk paste may help.

sponger0 · 07/21/2011, 06:41 AM

A member of my local club had the same issue. And now hows tiny blue polyps all over his tank, just like your pic. A tiny bit was on a rock he picked up and now its everywhere.

daveonbass · 07/21/2011, 06:46 AM

Kinda looks like those little tube snails that I think I have.

Sugar Magnolia · 07/21/2011, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

A member of my local club had the same issue. And now hows tiny blue polyps all over his tank, just like your pic. A tiny bit was on a rock he picked up and now its everywhere.

Those would be clove polyps. They are very efficient spawners and have taken over my tank.

gemini8npg · 07/21/2011, 11:10 AM

Thanks everyone for your replies. rnscross, if I remember correctly, they were sold to me as brown star polyps. However, I do not think that they are brown star polyps. They look more like what Sugar Magnolia suggested: clove polyps. I've just been unable to find anything similar on the web. Jeremy Blaze, I also thought that they might be hydroids, but again, picture comparisons have not turned up anything similar. Oh, and this stuff laughs at kalk paste

. Here's another picture. I will try to get a close-up today.

Ethan Music · 07/21/2011, 04:26 PM

To bad they are brown they would be pretty cool if they were blue,green,orange,purple or anyother color lol. Can't help you here good luck though!

sponger0 · 07/21/2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Music

To bad they are brown they would be pretty cool if they were blue,green,orange,purple or anyother color lol. Can't help you here good luck though!

My friend who has them are a nice light blue color so they actually look good. But they are everywhere

JKDMan · 07/21/2011, 05:22 PM

maybe u can contain them by growing desirable colonies to fence it in

gemini8npg · 07/21/2011, 09:48 PM

Thanks for the suggestion but it's past the point of any containment attempt. I will kill a portion of it and then it will grow right back.And this crap isn't like GSP which has a nice mat that will usually peel right off. No, this stuff lays down a web-like root system that makes it impossible to peel off. I'm afraid that I will have to do something drastic in order to avoid a full tank redo. Here's a close up pic I took tonight along with a link to a video I took of it.
http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/...=VIDEO0002.mp4

psyrob · 07/21/2011, 10:54 PM

Drastic plan: Take out the rock, scrub with a brush as much as you can, then blow torch the rest...put rock back in after dunking it once or twice in some salt water...

gemini8npg · 07/21/2011, 11:43 PM

It's not just on the rocks that you see in the pictures. The whole back of the tank is a foam/rock structure, made from eggcrate, and it's adhered to the tank with silicone. These nuisance polyps are growing like crazy on 1/3 of the background. I am leaning towards somehow ripping that portion of the background out and dealing with it outside of the tank. I guess I should have mentioned that before, about the background. The loose rocks, I've done just what you suggested. I've scrubbed the hell out of them with a stainless steel brush (barely works) and blow torched them. Each time though, it seems that I miss some of it and I'll notice some polyps the next day; ugly brown bastards seem to mock and taunt me after surviving a torching

. Also, the rock takes a long time to recover (coraline growth) so I just don't like the torch approach. But I guess I'm running out of options at this point. I'd still like to positively ID it, even though I hate it in my tank.

07/21/2011, 01:32 AM	#1
gemini8npg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Mchenry, Illinois Posts: 15	Brown Polyp Invasion! Help Please! Hello. I usually do not post in these forums but I always find the most helpful information here on R.C. The only reason I'm posting now is because I need help identifying these brown polyps that are overtaking my tank. I would also like any advice/suggestions on how to eradicate them. These things are like weeds. They were from my original tank, and stupid me added them to my new tank. I added all of the soft coral from my original 5 year old tank to my new system. I wanted this new tank to be mixed with soft and hard coral but little did I know that the once slow-growing soft coral would thrive under the new M.H. lighting. To sum it up, I want this stuff gone. It is growing out of control. It encrusts the rock with a "spider-web-like" white material. I can't seem to ID it through my web searches. All I know is that I bought a small frag of it when I first got into the hobby, about 7 years ago now. I'd really like to have some words with the individual who sold me this crap. I've tried everything from Kalk paste, sodium-hydroxide, to a blow torch. The crap keeps coming back! I assume all that's left is bleaching/ nuking the rocks but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. So does anybody know what this is or how to get rid of it? Thanks in advance for your time and help.

07/21/2011, 05:04 AM	#2
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Can't tell from that pic. Try to get a closer, clearer shot. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

07/21/2011, 06:28 AM	#5
Jeremy Blaze Former Reef Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Washington, IN Posts: 5,864	Look kind of like hydroids. Squirting with kalk paste may help. __________________ Trust me my friend, the names are not important at all. I've own hundreds of different zoas and palys and don't know the name of a single one. In my opinion, they are a waste of valuable time. Mucho Reef

07/21/2011, 06:46 AM	#7
daveonbass Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: texarkana, TX Posts: 1,364	Kinda looks like those little tube snails that I think I have. __________________ dave Current Tank Info: 58g reef, 60 total gallons including rocks and sand, 36" 6 bulb ATI Powermodule, DAS skimmer, Bio pellets, 2 MP10 vortechs

07/21/2011, 10:54 PM	#14
psyrob Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 508	Drastic plan: Take out the rock, scrub with a brush as much as you can, then blow torch the rest...put rock back in after dunking it once or twice in some salt water... __________________ We have engaged the Borg.... Current Tank Info: 60 gallon mixed reef, 4X54 T5s, 10 gallon frag tank, Reefbreeders PAR38 led bulb, Euroreef Skimmer, wp25 pump ReefAngel controller

07/21/2011, 05:16 AM	#3
doctorgori Moved On Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Simon Bar-Sinistar Posts: 1,097	A "experienced" aquarist such as myself can kill anything, you just need more experience

07/21/2011, 05:35 AM	#4
rnscross Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 314	its not an encruting star pollyp is it?

07/21/2011, 06:41 AM	#6
sponger0 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 6,659	A member of my local club had the same issue. And now hows tiny blue polyps all over his tank, just like your pic. A tiny bit was on a rock he picked up and now its everywhere.

07/21/2011, 11:10 AM	#9
gemini8npg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Mchenry, Illinois Posts: 15	Thanks everyone for your replies. rnscross, if I remember correctly, they were sold to me as brown star polyps. However, I do not think that they are brown star polyps. They look more like what Sugar Magnolia suggested: clove polyps. I've just been unable to find anything similar on the web. Jeremy Blaze, I also thought that they might be hydroids, but again, picture comparisons have not turned up anything similar. Oh, and this stuff laughs at kalk paste . Here's another picture. I will try to get a close-up today.

07/21/2011, 04:26 PM	#10
Ethan Music Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Shelby, Michigan Posts: 394	To bad they are brown they would be pretty cool if they were blue,green,orange,purple or anyother color lol. Can't help you here good luck though!

07/21/2011, 05:22 PM	#12
JKDMan Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 187	maybe u can contain them by growing desirable colonies to fence it in

07/21/2011, 09:48 PM	#13
gemini8npg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Mchenry, Illinois Posts: 15	Thanks for the suggestion but it's past the point of any containment attempt. I will kill a portion of it and then it will grow right back.And this crap isn't like GSP which has a nice mat that will usually peel right off. No, this stuff lays down a web-like root system that makes it impossible to peel off. I'm afraid that I will have to do something drastic in order to avoid a full tank redo. Here's a close up pic I took tonight along with a link to a video I took of it. http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/...=VIDEO0002.mp4

07/21/2011, 11:43 PM	#15
gemini8npg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Mchenry, Illinois Posts: 15	It's not just on the rocks that you see in the pictures. The whole back of the tank is a foam/rock structure, made from eggcrate, and it's adhered to the tank with silicone. These nuisance polyps are growing like crazy on 1/3 of the background. I am leaning towards somehow ripping that portion of the background out and dealing with it outside of the tank. I guess I should have mentioned that before, about the background. The loose rocks, I've done just what you suggested. I've scrubbed the hell out of them with a stainless steel brush (barely works) and blow torched them. Each time though, it seems that I miss some of it and I'll notice some polyps the next day; ugly brown bastards seem to mock and taunt me after surviving a torching . Also, the rock takes a long time to recover (coraline growth) so I just don't like the torch approach. But I guess I'm running out of options at this point. I'd still like to positively ID it, even though I hate it in my tank.

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