tampasnooker
Active Member
I have been fighting a very aggressive invader that most people seem to be referring to blue clove polyps. It is very similar to the few images of Sansibia or Sarcothelia that I"ve found.
So far, the only cure I've come across is Fluke Tabs which were banned in the US some time ago. It also kill leathers, other cloves and star polyps and seems to be reported to linger in rocks that are treated outside the tank. Well, I have a couple large Nephthea colonies and 2 types of tricolor cloves that need to be preserved. The nephthea is on a 30# rock that is not removable.
I've tried fw dips on the zoa colonies which are fairly tolerant of the salinity change and it works great - they just peel off the rock in a web in FW, but I need a way to get them out of the cloves and a few others and they don't like salinity change. 10% peroxide in 90% tank water seems to knock them back for a week or so. Same with toothbrush scrubbing. But then they are back... What grows on the bare glass is easy to scrape off, but areas with coraline algae just let it fester. The coralline is on the bottom is firmly established and doesn't come off with a scraper.
My tank is a 180 BB peninsula and fortunately, they keep to the bottom. Unfortunately, that's where a lot of my LPS, zoas and cloves are and the blue cloves are very aggressive towards the colonies they invade. LPS especially are irritated by them and start to retract rapidly. Polyps are only about 1/8" and so are tough to see. I debated about putting some sugar sand on the bottom to try to isolate it, but the web/mat spreads through the existing areas where there is sand to cushion rocks. As of now, every single frag, colony and pebble on the bottom of the tank has or had them growing on them. I am moving in a month or 2 and I'd rather not take them with me!
Anyone have success eliminating these buggers?
So far, the only cure I've come across is Fluke Tabs which were banned in the US some time ago. It also kill leathers, other cloves and star polyps and seems to be reported to linger in rocks that are treated outside the tank. Well, I have a couple large Nephthea colonies and 2 types of tricolor cloves that need to be preserved. The nephthea is on a 30# rock that is not removable.
I've tried fw dips on the zoa colonies which are fairly tolerant of the salinity change and it works great - they just peel off the rock in a web in FW, but I need a way to get them out of the cloves and a few others and they don't like salinity change. 10% peroxide in 90% tank water seems to knock them back for a week or so. Same with toothbrush scrubbing. But then they are back... What grows on the bare glass is easy to scrape off, but areas with coraline algae just let it fester. The coralline is on the bottom is firmly established and doesn't come off with a scraper.
My tank is a 180 BB peninsula and fortunately, they keep to the bottom. Unfortunately, that's where a lot of my LPS, zoas and cloves are and the blue cloves are very aggressive towards the colonies they invade. LPS especially are irritated by them and start to retract rapidly. Polyps are only about 1/8" and so are tough to see. I debated about putting some sugar sand on the bottom to try to isolate it, but the web/mat spreads through the existing areas where there is sand to cushion rocks. As of now, every single frag, colony and pebble on the bottom of the tank has or had them growing on them. I am moving in a month or 2 and I'd rather not take them with me!
Anyone have success eliminating these buggers?
