Paly removal from stone

Hornet · Dec 15, 2019

Hi all,

I'm a starter and I recently bought a stone with some GSP on it, since it seemed like a good starter. I got some extra's with it, and it seems like I got some paly's (I'm not entirely sure but the pictures seem to match) as an extra. Because of all the horror stories I read about their toxins, they kinda scare me, especially since I have a cat and rabbits walking around the house. It's pretty deep inside the stone though and the base is covered with little bridges on the stone. How would I go about removing them safely without hurting any of the other life on the stone (or myself or other pets!) ? (GPS, and another extra, which I think is a feather duster).

Thanks for the help!

jeffchapok · Dec 15, 2019

I think the fear of palytoxin exposure from our tanks is WAY overblown. As long as you don't boil them on the stovetop or try to eat them, there's nothing to fear.

But if you want to get rid of them, here's something to try -- if they are far enough away from anything else that you want to save, turn off all circulation in your tank, bring some RODI water to a boil, and squirt it directly onto the paly with a turkey baster. It my take a few applications, but you'll eventually zap them.

FYI, I use this method to spot treat GHA with great success.

JCOLE · Dec 15, 2019

Also, you can mix up some kalk paste and squirt it on the paly. It will melt it.

GabeM · Dec 15, 2019

jeffchapok said:
I think the fear of palytoxin exposure from our tanks is WAY overblown. As long as you don't boil them on the stovetop or try to eat them, there's nothing to fear.

But if you want to get rid of them, here's something to try -- if they are far enough away from anything else that you want to save, turn off all circulation in your tank, bring some RODI water to a boil, and squirt it directly onto the paly with a turkey baster. It my take a few applications, but you'll eventually zap them.

FYI, I use this method to spot treat GHA with great success.

+1 on palytoxin not being a big deal as long as you are careful when handling them. I have a bunch in my tank with no issues.

That being said I do not think I would boil them as that may release palytoxin. I would just take some epoxy or reef putty and cover it. This seems to be the best method.