How do I control clove polyps on a coral colony?

[7hogwarts]

I have a nice colony of Jawbreaker shrooms that is getting overrun with clove polyps. How do I eliminate the cloves?
I thought about just taking the colony out and scrubbing the cloves with a toothbrush. Good Idea?

 

[Shep]

I think @ritter6788 has some experience with this

 

[ritter6788]

I have a nice colony of Jawbreaker shrooms that is getting overrun with clove polyps. How do I eliminate the cloves?
I thought about just taking the colony out and scrubbing the cloves with a toothbrush. Good Idea?

If you don't have a lot you can scrub them out of the tank but the potential is still there for them to come back in force.

If you can find someone with fluke tabs (not easy to do) you can make a dip with them or treat the whole tank. It kills them dead and they won't return.

There is another mention of fenbendazole working but I have no experience with that. @twilliard could possible know more.

 

[7hogwarts]

If I treated the whole tank, wouldn't that kill off stuff other than the cloves?

 

[bct15]

I treated my tank with fluke tabs and they worked very well... Still have some as well.

Here is a link about using fenbendazole to do the same thing, which has a very similar ingredient as fluke tabs menbendazole. (According to this guys experiments that is what was killing of cloves in fluke tabs).

https://maxdraco.wordpress.com/2013...ue-cloves-polyps-xenia-aiptasia-hydriods-etc/

 

[ritter6788]

If I treated the whole tank, wouldn't that kill off stuff other than the cloves?

Leathers, star polyps, Xenia and such. Shrimp, crabs, lobsters are at risk also. Cloves can get so bad you need to treat the whole tank. They release planular larvae and can end up anywhere in the tank. You can't isolate them like Xenia. It's the most invasive coral ever. I've never seen them in the wild but I imagine there has to be massive patches of nothing but blue cloves somewhere in the ocean. I used to like them until they almost took over my entire 75.

 

[zoo]

I'd try to saw off the shrooms from the rock then kill the cloves in vinegar then reattach with superglue

 

[jcdeng]

I have read somewhere that a CBB eats them?

 

[twilliard]

I have a nice colony of Jawbreaker shrooms that is getting overrun with clove polyps. How do I eliminate the cloves?
I thought about just taking the colony out and scrubbing the cloves with a toothbrush. Good Idea?

Scrubbing them would be counter productive.
Its true that fenbendazol will work but there are risks to inverts and stars.
Also the corals mentioned.

 

[twilliard]

Leathers, star polyps, Xenia and such. Shrimp, crabs, lobsters are at risk also. Cloves can get so bad you need to treat the whole tank. They release planular larvae and can end up anywhere in the tank. You can't isolate them like Xenia. It's the most invasive coral ever. I've never seen them in the wild but I imagine there has to be massive patches of nothing but blue cloves somewhere in the ocean. I used to like them until they almost took over my entire 75.

There is a proper dosing and cleanup method where leathers, shrimp, and crabs are not at harm.
Good info thank you!

 

[KorL]

Ship the jawbreaker to me and i'll deal with the problem

 

[KorL]

I would chip the jawbreaker off the main rock, then try to chip off any cloves attached to the jawbreaker rock

 

[ritter6788]

This is what happens when you try to manually remove them.

 

[twilliard]

This is what happens when you try to manually remove them.

Ohh my!!
That got out of hand for sure
They can spread like wildfire.
The biggest concern about a tank treatment would be the massive amounts of organics.
Carbon is the friend!

 

[KorL]

There's no getting rid of them once they've taken over that much. But hey, it's a good reason to start over

 

[jcdeng]

you can try to cover the entire patch with kalk paste (or aiptasia-X), do 1-2 patches per week so your alk and pH don't go out of whack.

 

[twilliard]

There's no getting rid of them once they've taken over that much. But hey, it's a good reason to start over

There is a way to rid of them.
Tank teardown is not necessary

 

[ritter6788]

There's no getting rid of them once they've taken over that much. But hey, it's a good reason to start over

I got rid of them with fluke tabs. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ritter6788s-75-gallon-sps.71555/page-5#post-1091671

 

[twilliard]

My frag of blue cloves is growing out nicely
I know crazy hu
I am growing them for my next stage of treatment.
Fingers crossed (peroxide)

 

[7hogwarts]

Thanks for all the advice. The cloves are not the blue clove. They are bigger. They almost look like alveopora.(not stony) and an ugly brown. (Not that I think any brown coral looks good)