Looking for help: $500.00 Reward

[JR's Reef]

Are you sure they are star polyps? From your description ( They are not on a carpet. They spread via thin, vein like "roots." ) they sound like Hydroids to me. Many Hydroids look like a star polyps and they reproduce very quickly.

I have to agree and a pain to get rid of I've read a few articles about how to deal with them but can't search for then ATM

 

[dakotasreef]

If they are truly gsp or a soft coral, you could try longspine urchins or tiger cowries. The longspines keep my blue cloves under control. They have not totally eliminated them, they keep large patches clear. Maybe if I got more, I could completely eliminate them.

Good luck.

 

[geemanaz]

sound like you might have Myrionema amboinense in your tank . It's highly unlikely you will be able to manually or kalk paste to completely eliminate them. One sure fire natural control for this hydriod is the Lynx nudibranch. However, you will need to plan ahead and move the nudibranch out when all hydroids are consumed
[video=youtube;i1Hk5Sg8JG4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Hk5Sg8JG4&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[Reef keeper]

Best thing right now would be pics imo

 

[Captain Nemo]

+1 hydroids. Try adding higher flow to the tank, and adding ALOT of peppermints and emerald crabs. Just know that once these are gone you may have to remove the crabs and shrimps if you feel you have to many for your setup then. Or you can use aiptasia-X if you are really brave!!!

 

[Reef Keeper 18]

remove rock and lather the polyps in lemon juice

 

[Raistlarn]

I've heard of people using torch lighters to kill pests, though you'll also have to take each rock that has them out of the tank. If you do this you'll most likely kill off all the coraline, pods on the rock and possibly other corals(if you hit them with the flame), but you could kill off most of polyps/hydroids within a few days. Then I would use epoxy on the ones that are too close to the corals to use the lighter. But if they are all over the sides of the tank you'll have to use a razor or sponge to get them off the tank, doing this would require draining the tank unless you use a water vac leading to the sump, for that you'll need a filter sock on the sump side of the vac to catch the remnants.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Raistlarn welcome to R2R!!

 

[KLR]

I got rid of my hydroids by CONSTANT scrubbing and plucking...VERY difficult to do and it took me about a year to complete,my tank is now 95% rid of hydroids. You can get nudibranches that eat them and some fish are reported to pick at them.

Good luck!

 

[WT INC]

Are you sure they are star polyps? From your description ( They are not on a carpet. They spread via thin, vein like "roots." ) they sound like Hydroids to me. Many Hydroids look like a star polyps and they reproduce very quickly.

sounds like what Gary said.

 

[WT INC]

To my R2R Friends,

I have a beautiful 350 gal SPS/LPS reef tank that has developed a serious problem with invasive star polyps. I am willing to pay $500.00 to the person that leads me to / or provides me with a solution that rids the tank of the star polyps. Respectfully, your solution can't be "empty the tank of its contents and start over." I have already arrived at that solution myself and fear it will be my only choice if I don't come up with something else soon.

These are not your typical Green Star polyps. These look like Briareum but grow without a mat. They are not on a carpet. They spread via thin, vein like "roots." They are everywhere on my rocks and intake pipes and are now starting to encroach on and kill my corals.

I have tried kalk paste, various aiptasia solutions, electric/electrolysis aiptasia tools, and scrubbing individual rocks. None of these have worked. I also introduced a Leather-jacket Filefish that took a liking to my LPS...rather than these polyps. Crabs and Snails ignore the stuff.

The polyps have now reached critical mass and are too wide spread for these types of solutions.

I believe I am down to one of three choices now...

1) Introduce a natural predator like this guy: Melevsreef.com - GSP eating Nudibranch

Problem: Can't find one...and if I did...would it work? How many would I need? Would it attack anything else?

2) Some sort of chemical additive that circulates with the water that kills the polyps without killing anything else...yes, I know...fat chance...

3) See above "Empty tank and start over"

I seek your help and will try any reasonable ideas...and reward the $500 for something that works.

Please submit your ideas...either to this post or PM me.

Thank you, Dave

can you take picture?

 

[Raistlarn]

Thank you

 

[kuyatwo]

Get a galaxea or hydnophora colony lay them the upside down on the stuff see if it will sting it death


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[secretreefer]

I think pictures of the situation would better help determine the solution.......

 

[shimin]

I didnt read all posts but try a uv light in a glass tube with all painted black but the end and fry them I could find all the parts if you wanted to try that like a uv spot light and you could make it pin point small areas

 

[mobatic]

Turn off all pumps, kalkwasser paste them to kingdom come, come back in an hour or so, siphon everything out.

Turn on powerheads, everything back to normal!

 

[Giancarlo]

If you could take a picture so everyone can see what this is, it will really help out your situation, and any future reefers that come across the same problem.

 

[mchippo]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I will take pictures and post them just as soon as I can.

 

[mchippo]

Turn off all pumps, kalkwasser paste them to kingdom come, come back in an hour or so, siphon everything out.

Turn on powerheads, everything back to normal!

I have an 8 foot tank with 20 or 30 large coral rocks in it. Almost all have the star polyp infestation. Kalk pasting is just not practical...I would never be able to get all of polyps and they would grow back. It would be a never ending battle. Thanks tho...

 

[mchippo]

Get a galaxea or hydnophora colony lay them the upside down on the stuff see if it will sting it death


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An interesting idea...but polyps are too wide spread and intermingled with my corals. I would end up killing my corals... thanks for the suggestion tho...