Bryopsis treatment during tank transfer

[sfb911]

Hi folks,

So a couple of questions regarding byropsis. I'm in the process of redoing my display (in small part because of a bryopsis, in large part to redo my rock, stocking and do some equipment upgrades).

As part of this I have a 'transfer' system setup in the basement for a couple of months (90 gallons). All of my corals and fish will be going into this once its cycled and running. It will be largely just a bunch of frag racks and few pieces of rock (along with some remote support rocking)

I've been thinking about how to handle the corals to treat the ones that do have bryopsis on or around them, fortunately most of the ones in question are smaller zoa frags and a couple of blastos. If I can get things cycled sooner rather than later, I'm hoping I can avoid it spreading to other corals

(again I'm not breaking down the display due to bryopsis, its just one reason of many including a bunch of large upgrades / new rock, livestock etc).

My initial thought was during the move / acclimation to dip everything non sps in either a 50/50 or 30/70 (Hydrogen Peroxide / Tank Water) dip for 1-5 minutes depending upon the coral.

The zoas, I'll probably get a bit more aggressive with 50/50 for 5-10 minutes with a blast or two of pure H202. Most of them are small frags that I could easily dip more than once once they are in the transfer tank over the course of a week or so.

My biggest problem is my largest and most expensive zoa colony was going to be a casualty of the upgrade. In essence I had planned to sell frags of it to fund the upgrades, its around 100-150 polyps of "rainbow incinerators" that are going for between 20-25 bucks a polyp in my area without much difficulty..however recently the bryopsis has started to run wild through the colony. I'm guessing my best initial option is to dip the entire rock.....its a large rock....probably take 2-3 gallons of water to cover it in a bucket /barrel, so I'm wondering what folks would suggest for a H202 dip for this? The same as above? 50/50 and maybe a couple quick squirts of 100%? H202?

Once I get it fragged, I can obviously dip the smaller pieces easier but just logistically this won't happen, I'm going to have to move the rock to the transfer tank before I frag it...(I have to remove most of the rock in the tank to get it out).

So, curious to hear opinions / options etc. Strength of Dip, Length of dip etc on the big colony and smaller frags.

Also - suggestions on a fish, invert etc to put in the transfer tank to help with any stray bryopsis would be good (I know fish including tans and lawnmowers can be hit or miss). I will be adding some lettuce nudis as a precaution but they only do much in my experience.

Thanks
Steve

 

[sfb911]

Oh also! None of the original rock from the display will be going back into the main system until its been sitting outside in a closed container for at least a month or two (possibly longer since I have new rock) and then cooked in a dark holding tub for another month or two. And then it will be going into a remote holding tank which is connected to the display.

 

[Reef Frog]

So you just want to address some bryopsis growing on a rock bound colony of zoas on a rock and some frags on ceramic plugs?

FRAGS
I would remove everything I could from a ceramic plug and replace it with a brand new plug, or recycled plugs that have been soaked in bleach solution. Bryopsis has an affinity for that material and being located right next to a living coral is a great source of nutrients.

BIG ZOA ROCK
When I had bigB I dipped a small zoa colony in a 50/50 solution once and it worked out fine. But based on the large value of this colony I might do a 30/70 ratio for a 5 minute soak just to be sure all goes well. I might even just experiment on a part of the colony since you're talking $2K or more worth of coral. Swish the rock around in the solution so the mix gets everywhere. Don't forget to get the polyps closed in the DT before putting it in the H2H2 mix container. Brush any infected open areas of the rock (side margins, clear areas) with a stiff toothbrush in 100% 3% solution. This is a great opportunity to get squirted in the eye so wear goggles.

There's a good chance this would get rid of the problem, especially if introduced back into YOUR low nutrient display or QT or DT that is carefully watched for the first sign of reemergence. It could happen.

But IMHO you should do much more before selling frags to anyone else. And I would I feel obligated to tell them what's going on & what you've done about it if I were in your shoes. I'm betting you have already decided to do that. BigB is dreaded for good reason and you don't want to be the guy that spread it around the area. I've never heard that zoa name, but it must be something special to command that price. Having a giant colony of super premium colorful zoas is a rare & awesome sight. Why not keep it if you can? Got a photo you can post?

I have an idea for a much more thorough eradication job that I bet would be close to 100% effective that you may want to try if selling. It will take some extra time & effort. Nothing exotic but just a multi pronged procedural approach that I believe most buyers would accept. Let me know if you want to see it and I'll post.

Your plans seems well thought out - good luck with your project.

 

[soulpatch]

I have dipped my utter chaos in a 50/50 solution without any issues as well as spot hit them with peroxide paste (baking soda and peroxide). They stay closed for a while afterwards but I haven't lost any when i had to treat.