Preventing Zoa Spread

[ariellemermaid]

Regardless of how we got here, we’re concerned the zoa on the right might end up taking over this entire rock structure which is a significant portion of our display tank. It’s even beaten back our feather duster infestation (we had hoped the opposite would happen). So our question is: what would you do to prevent this zoa from spreading further?

 

[Eastside reefer]

F aptasia will work

 

[ariellemermaid]

F aptasia will work

I don’t need to kill it per se, I just want to draw a line on the rock so to speak and say no further…. Is it possible to like wrap something around the rock or similar?

Speaking of aiptasia x; is it just me, or is it completely worthless for use on aiptasia? Thankfully I only have it on a rock in my sump that I’m about to remove. But I used it 2-3 times and the aiptasia keeps coming back in the same spots bigger than ever and spreading to new ones.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Any other ideas out there? It’s prettier than it looks in the picture (a nice pale blue), but we can’t have it taking over the tank either.

 

[Kasrift]

I don’t need to kill it per se, I just want to draw a line on the rock so to speak and say no further…. Is it possible to like wrap something around the rock or similar?

Speaking of aiptasia x; is it just me, or is it completely worthless for use on aiptasia? Thankfully I only have it on a rock in my sump that I’m about to remove. But I used it 2-3 times and the aiptasia keeps coming back in the same spots bigger than ever and spreading to new ones.

Maybe a macro algae, it can't grow on that.

 

[fish farmer]

Any other ideas out there? It’s prettier than it looks in the picture (a nice pale blue), but we can’t have it taking over the tank either.

That looks like an invasive palythoa. Can you remove the rock? I've had luck siphoning them out with stainless steel straws after using F aiptasia or kalk paste. Be mindful when handling them as they may contain palytoxin.

 

[ariellemermaid]

That looks like an invasive palythoa. Can you remove the rock? I've had luck siphoning them out with stainless steel straws after using F aiptasia or kalk paste. Be mindful when handling them as they may contain palytoxin.

Hmmmm. That would explain why it’s literally the only flourishing coral in the entire tank. I had a green invasive paly in a QT tank that completely took over a coral rack, but I thought this looked more like a zoa. I’m pretty sure the rock is a shelf rock upon which other rocks depend for the entire structure, cemented together. I’ll have a closer look when I can get back to the tank. I’m not sure where I got it from, but I feel like it was from Tidal Gardens in a $1000 pack of stuff, so that would be disappointing.

Maybe a macro algae, it can't grow on that.

Funny you say that because I relatively neglected my QT for a while and out of control macro is what kind of choked a paly out, made it stretch, etc. Finally just dumped the whole rack in acid. I don’t know how I would control macro though without just creating a new problem. My tangs would probably make short work of it too.

 

[ariellemermaid]

That looks like an invasive palythoa. Can you remove the rock? I've had luck siphoning them out with stainless steel straws after using F aiptasia or kalk paste. Be mindful when handling them as they may contain palytoxin.

Do these pictures help at all?

 

[OrionN]

When I had Zoanthus overgrowth in the past I killed them with Sundial Snails. There are Zoanthus eating spiders too that you can get.
If you just want selectively control, then you are just going to do it manually. I think Kalk paste feeding will do it. That is how I plan to Zap any Zoanthus that got over to my rock structure.
I am setting up a Zoanthus and RFA cube tank but I think I am going to have the Zoanthus on oyster shells so I can move them around and keep them off of the rock structure.
They can be invasive for sure.
Several of my Zoas that I really like