Using Fluke Tabs to Kill Blue Clove Polyps

[ritter6788]

My tank is absolutely infested with Blue Clove Polyps (Sansibia sp.) I learned from this thread, http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/86509-killing-blue-cloves-fluke-tabs.html that fluke tabs will kill these and any Xenia in a reef tank. They will also kill Star Polyps but the treatment takes more time. I don't have any issue with GSP but these blue polyps had to go.

Here is a before pic under all white leds that shows the extent of the infestation,

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There are many zoa colonies in there that you can't even see because they are buried in the blue cloves.

I crushed up one tab, dissolved it in RO/DI water and dumped it in the sump. I turned the skimmer off and I'm not running any carbon. The next morning there was no difference. By the time I got home from work (about 24 hours after the initial dose) the polyps were all closed up. My cleaner shrimp died (this treatment is hard on snails, shrimp and crabs) but other than that no corals, fish or other inverts were affected so far and my tank has a little bit of everything (sps, lps, zoas, clams). I brushed a few of the polyps and they fell right off the rocks. This morning they seemed to be getting thinner.

I haven't seen these zoas in months. There was even some type of encrusting sps that I didn't even know about that showed up once the polyps started retracting.

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I'll update more later.
http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/71555-ritter6788s-75-gallon-9.html

 

[Guppy Breeder]

Wow.. If i still had a sw and u hadnt treated yet i would have offered to buy a small rock if u had one

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[franklypre]

I read that on R2R as well but couldn't find the exact fluke tabs, which brand did you use and where did you get them. I too am tired of these, they are more invasive than anything I've seen or heard about, I'd rather have aptasia any day.

 

[ritter6788]

@Guppy Breeder wrote:

I can't give these away around here. After seeing my tank no one wants them. They would be fine for an all softy tank but I'll never put them with sps, lps or zoas again.

@franklypre wrote:

You can't buy them in the US anymore. I heard you can buy them in Canada still.

I agree on rather having Aiptasia. I've dealt with those easily but these cloves are much worse. They "nuke" themselves and wipe out sps colonies. I'm not sure how it's done but they've taken out several of my colonies. One patch will die all at once and the sps is left there with RTN.

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[franklypre]

I have experienced the exact same thing, they die out in mass and take a frag or part of a colony with it. I have had friends beg for some and refused to give them any, they are attractive but they are just to invasive. Please keep this thread updated with your results as I am very interested, thanks BTW.

 

[Guppy Breeder]

My tank as of now is jyst 3 damsels 9hermits 1# rock and a featherduster... Byt im tryin to sell it

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[ritter6788]

Just got home and the polyps are starting to thin out more. I can brush them and they fall off easily. I'm going to continue the treatment for another 24 hours at least. I hope by tomorrow night I can turn the skimmer back on and do a big water change. All the other corals look fine.

 

[Ashlar]

Maybe zip tie an old toothbrush to a section of flexible tubing and do a scrub / siphon to get em out?

Interesting treatment, and WOW, I never realized those things could go so crazy!

 

[bimmerzs]

@ritter6788 wrote:

An Algae mower vac would be great to help you clean up the rock. These things are great, I bought one at MACNA after watching his live demo. http://www.algaemower.com/

Cheers,

 

[ritter6788]

I saw the algae mower at MACNA. No way that thing would do anything for the cloves. I used to scrub them with a rough toothbrush and the next day they were back and then some. They have choked out zoas/Palys and lps. They have killed sps by nuking themselves and taking the sps colony out with it.

You can't isolate them like xenia either. They are brooders that release free swimming larvae that can settle anywhere in your tank. If you don't kill everyone they just come back in force. I have them in my sump but never put them there.

I did a 20 gallon water change, turned the skimmer back on and added fresh carbon. The tank is slightly cloudy and the polyps are really looking like they are on their way out. The other corals, fish, inverts and clams look fine right now.

Right now I'm smiling because this is really working.

 

[kar2oons]

Following this thread I'm sick of these Blue Snowflake polyps also I have a "Blue Snowflake Apocalypse" going on in my tank!


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[franklypre]

It always seems to me they come back times 2 or 3 when I plow them with the toothbrush. Glad to hear it's working for you, I'll probably be going this route in the next week or so myself.

 

[bimmerzs]

The algae mower would help...it has a drill bit attachment also that would totally remove any material and also a vacuum to suck it up as it grinds away. The problem with a tooth brush is that it leaves tiny residue that regenerates. After your treatment is would make quick work of the dying material since it brushes right off.

Cheers,

 

[Ashlar]

@bimmerzs wrote:

Kicking em while they're down, so to speak.

 

[hooterhead]

When those things "nuke" themselves, they are spawning. They do it in our 5 gal display at the store. They eject tiny off-white balls and then die off within a couple of days, only for their little offspring to rise again within a week or two. Interesting thread. Hadn't heard of this before. Will be following.

How's water quality?
Anything but inverts showing stress?

 

[ritter6788]

@bimmerzs wrote:

Yes it would help for cleaning up the dead material. I don't think it would have any effect on healthy, untreated polyps.

@hooterhead wrote:

Mine spawn all the time without the die off. I think it's more of a defense mechanism. They only die off when they get around the base of sps corals. Just a guess but I think when the sps tries to fight back the polyps they release a toxin that kills the colony. I've had the cloves take out the same green milli colony twice but I was able to save frags.

Last night the water was slightly cloudy, sort of purpleish from the polyp die off. All of the other corals looked fine yesterday evening. This morning before the lights were on the polyps appeared to be really starting to disappear.

 

[ritter6788]

The polyps are almost completely gone. The ones that are left are easily blown off the rocks.

My red planet colony looks bad and so does another unknown name sps frag but if that's all I lose I'll gladly take that in trade. I'm thinking another large water change today or tomorrow and letting everything settle from there for a while. I'm on the road to freedom from these polyps at least.

I'm hitting the frag tank next which will be a totally different experience since it has leathers and anemones.

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Short video of how easily they are removed now.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee283/ritter6788/3FC074DD-6AA8-48D0-9EBA-D253A7FE86E1-67102-000020056940DC62.mp4

 

[Ashlar]

Were it me, I'd be sucking not blowing

Get them out so that if any little bits do survive, they're not buried deep in the rockwork where you don't notice them until later.

 

[ritter6788]

@Ashlar wrote:

Lol... To each his own.

It wasn't a removal technique. It was more of a see if they are dead technique. They wouldn't blow off the rocks yesterday and today most of them are falling off.

 

[ritter6788]

There are almost no polyps left. The rocks look totally clean.

I lost a cleaner shrimp (for sure from the tabs), my red planet, an unknown sps similar to red planet but pink and green, all gorgonians.

I have a small ammonia and nitrite spike from the polyp die off which may have contributed to the 2sps losses. Maybe it was the tabs, I don't know. All the other sps, lps, clams, zoas look great and have nice PE.

I do know these polyps are gone and I have tons of room for new corals!

I don't recommend this treatment for a small patch of polyps but as a last resort, ready to break down, tank fully overrun with killer cloves, last ditch effort this really works with minimal casualties.

I'm not convinced it needs a full 3 day treatment so for the sake of anyone else that tries this I'm going to treat my frag tank for only 24 hours and see if I get the same results.