Cloves are slowly taking over my SPS tank. What are my options?

[steallife904]

cover them with putty, will have to do over and over until gone............. or im afraid your only way would be to pull the rocks and scrub or replace. I had some green palys take over once and tried everything. Ended up pulling all rocks and scrub and trash some.

 

[Joe0813]

Won't touch SPS? Ha! That is far from true. Most importantly it depends entirely on the specific fish. Occasionally you'll get one more interested in softer corals than hard but I can assure you emperors will absolutely eat SPS polyps.

not saying its impossible but I have never in the 12 years I've been doing this seen an emperor even nip at SPS... they always go after zoos and sometimes LPS

 

[Joe0813]

It's a 115, which might be kind of small for a fish like that....

what if you just get a Juvi to eat the stuff you don't want... then sell or trade him back into your LFS

 

[deputydog95]

a Raccoon butterfly might fit the bill. There is no real way of knowing how it will react to the clam though

Beautiful fish, but probably a no go. This is what LiveAquaria says about them:

Overview
The Raccoon Butterflyfish is yellow-orange, but darker on the upper half of the body. It has a black patch around its eyes, with a broad white stripe posterior to it. Two black stripes bordered in yellow reach from the white stripe to the dorsal fin.
The Raccoon Butterflyfish is a peaceful fish that may reside in a 125 gallon or larger fish-only aquarium with other butterflyfish. It should not be kept in a reef tank since it will eat invertebrates and is deemed unsafe with corals.

When first acquired, if it will not eat, it may be tempted with a small anemone. Once acclimated, it can be fed a varied diet of meaty foods, crustacean flesh, mysis shrimp, and frozen preparations several times daily.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 1-1/2" to 2-1/4"; Medium: 2-1/4" to 3 "; Medium/Large: 3" to 4"; Large: 4" to 5"; X large 5" to 6"

 

[deputydog95]

cover them with putty, will have to do over and over until gone............. or im afraid your only way would be to pull the rocks and scrub or replace. I had some green palys take over once and tried everything. Ended up pulling all rocks and scrub and trash some.

The problem is they've migrated around the tank, into places I can't get to. So once I think I'm in the clear, another patch pops up since I can't get to all of them. Never ending cycle. They're a total nuisance...

not saying its impossible but I have never in the 12 years I've been doing this seen an emperor even nip at SPS... they always go after zoos and sometimes LPS

Interesting, but do they actually eat cloves? Would be a shame to have it eat what few zoas/paly's I have, but not touch the cloves

Any idea how they are around clams?

I have some LPS. Mainly a large blasto colony and a bi color hammer. And a couple chalices but I don't really consider them LPS as they don't have any dangly parts

what if you just get a Juvi to eat the stuff you don't want... then sell or trade him back into your LFS

How do you get the fish out again when you're tank is full of rock and encrusted corals?

 

[deputydog95]

not saying its impossible but I have never in the 12 years I've been doing this seen an emperor even nip at SPS... they always go after zoos and sometimes LPS

What do you think they meant by the fish will go after "stony" corals but it's ok with SPS? Contradictory, no? Or do you think they meant LPS?

The adult Emperor Angelfish, also called the Imperator Angelfish, has a bold, blue body covered with bright yellow horizontal stripes culminating in a bright yellow to orange caudal fin. A striking blue-black mask covers the eyes and a similarly-colored vertical band extends from the pectoral fin two-thirds of the way up the body. This band is highlighted in a sapphire-blue in front, and bright yellow, caudally. The mouth is white.
The juvenile is black with circular white and blue stripes starting at the tail. Although sought after for its colors, in captivity, the adult coloration may not be as striking or brilliant. The changing angelfish will vary in coloration and pattern as it transforms from juvenile to the adult coloration.

The Emperor Angelfish requires a 220 gallon or larger tank with live rock for grazing and hiding. They also require extensive rockwork and deep caves to feel secure. It will nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles, but may be kept with small-polyped stony corals and somewhat noxious soft corals.

It should be fed a diet of Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, mysis or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items.

 

[Dmorty217]

A emperor may pick every now and then at a SPS but won't do it enough to kill the SPS. LPS and all other meaty corals are a toss up, same for the clam. I find that getting fish as juveniles and keeping the tank well fed usually negates the risk involved with fish eating corals. I will * that with every individual fish is different.

 

[Joe0813]

What do you think they meant by the fish will go after "stony" corals but it's ok with SPS? Contradictory, no? Or do you think they meant LPS?

The adult Emperor Angelfish, also called the Imperator Angelfish, has a bold, blue body covered with bright yellow horizontal stripes culminating in a bright yellow to orange caudal fin. A striking blue-black mask covers the eyes and a similarly-colored vertical band extends from the pectoral fin two-thirds of the way up the body. This band is highlighted in a sapphire-blue in front, and bright yellow, caudally. The mouth is white.
The juvenile is black with circular white and blue stripes starting at the tail. Although sought after for its colors, in captivity, the adult coloration may not be as striking or brilliant. The changing angelfish will vary in coloration and pattern as it transforms from juvenile to the adult coloration.

The Emperor Angelfish requires a 220 gallon or larger tank with live rock for grazing and hiding. They also require extensive rockwork and deep caves to feel secure. It will nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles, but may be kept with small-polyped stony corals and somewhat noxious soft corals.

It should be fed a diet of Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, mysis or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items.

"small-polyped stony corals" Thats SPS..... yes they can nip at them but usually they leave them alone

 

[deputydog95]

A emperor may pick every now and then at a SPS but won't do it enough to kill the SPS. LPS and all other meaty corals are a toss up, same for the clam. I find that getting fish as juveniles and keeping the tank well fed usually negates the risk involved with fish eating corals. I will * that with every individual fish is different.

That seems logical. Do they actually eat cloves?

And how do you get them out if they become a problem?

"small-polyped stony corals" Thats SPS..... yes they can nip at them but usually they leave them alone

It also says this though:

It will nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles, but may be kept with small-polyped stony corals and somewhat noxious soft corals.

 

[Dmorty217]

IME no, the Emperor won't eat cloves unless you starve the fish to force them to eat other sources of food in the tank. If the fish becomes a problem you could either make or buy a fish trap or the other alternative is to try and catch the fish at night with a net or if all else fails you have to tear your tank apart. Obviously tearing the tank apart really sucks and most try to avoid it at all costs

 

[Joe0813]

That seems logical. Do they actually eat cloves?

And how do you get them out if they become a problem?



It also says this though:

It will nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles, but may be kept with small-polyped stony corals and somewhat noxious soft corals.

Stony and SPS are different

 

[Dmorty217]

Stony=LPS
Small Polyp stony= SPS

 

[deputydog95]

Stony=LPS
Small Polyp stony= SPS

Ok, that make sense. I've familiar with SPS and LPS. I had just never heard of LPS being referred to as simply "stony" corals before.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[deputydog95]

IME no, the Emperor won't eat cloves unless you starve the fish to force them to eat other sources of food in the tank. If the fish becomes a problem you could either make or buy a fish trap or the other alternative is to try and catch the fish at night with a net or if all else fails you have to tear your tank apart. Obviously tearing the tank apart really sucks and most try to avoid it at all costs

Well, if it won't for sure eat cloves, no point in risking the health of the fish by starving it. I guess I'll pass on this one. They are beautiful though.

 

[ReefWreak]

Just do the fluke tabs. I did it in my nano to get rid of GSP that was starting to take over the tank (I spent 3 hours with dental picks prying GSP out of the rocks, and it came back within weeks).

Yes, you won't be able to keep xenia for a long time, but I was able to keep Pipe Organ polyps shortly after treating the tank, and the GSP were gone. I got the idea from hearing the side effect of killing GSP when treating the tank with Fluke Tabs for Blue Polyps as had been mentioned earlier.

It looks like you have mostly SPS, so I wouldn't sweat it. It did look like you had some cyano as well, and that might be exacerbated from the additional nutrients being added by dying clove polyps.

I don't like doing chemical treatments, but if you don't have many (or any) softies to lose, I wouldn't hesitate. I did the treatment, with an SPS, LPS, and clam filled tank (with a shrimp and snails) and didn't have a problem. I documented my experience here. Thank you, past me.

 

[smatter]

It looks like Knopia, not Sympodium.