DANGEROUS way to kill aptasia?

[So*Cal Reefdude]

go ahead and call me stupid now:hmm5: but here's the story...

well i pulled a small rock out to kill an aptasia that popped up on it. i was just going to super glue the hole to smother it, but i seen a few purple polyps i didn't know about on the rock. so i thought of something stupid to try. i gloved up and put some glasses on and grabbed a syringe and extracted about 5ml of "juice" from the zoas on the rock.(zoas are back open already) i then sucked up 15ml of RODI and(in a bucket) squirted the "juice" into the aptasia. the aptasia immediately shriveled up and about 20 seconds detached from the rock.


soooooooo im wondering if palytoxins killed the aptasia? or if the zoas i pulled the "juice" out of even had any?

 

[Takara]

chemical warfare lol,

I wonder if you disturbed leather in a small container and injected some into it would it work also?

 

[jrp1588]

haha, very nice. I would have never thought of that

 

[Logzor]

This makes you sound like some sort of evil-mad scientist.

 

[So*Cal Reefdude]

i know right? haha

i was just thinking if a lil drop can kill a person it should work on stupid little aptasia


now i wonder if its safe to do underwater in the tank?

 

[damseldude]

Nothing more natural then using something already in your tank.

 

[twerlinich]

Kalwasser blasts using a turkey baster has helped me to hold aptasia bloom on newly introduced live rock in check and even reduce it a bit but I'm not satisfied. I'm shopping for a copperband butterfly in hopes that it will be hungry enough to devour the critters. Hope it doesn't hurt my corals (leathers and softies). Also hope I can keep the butterfly alive once it's done its job as I think they're really beautiful fish. Suggestions welcome!

 

[Luckylouse]

i know right? haha

i was just thinking if a lil drop can kill a person it should work on stupid little aptasia


now i wonder if its safe to do underwater in the tank?

Umm. Please enlighten me... 1 drop of zoanthelae can kill me?

 

[Akwarius]

Not zoanthellae, palytoxin.

 

[shunter]

Makes me think, using gloves is even a better thing now!

 

[jenglish]

Palythoa is a dangerous toxin, but I think your chances of getting sick from anything short of eating it or fragging it and getting it in your eye are pretty remote. It is always good to err on the side of caution, but most reefers frag palys and zoas w/o gloves, goggles or masks and are just fime.

 

[billsreef]

You should try a control experiment, inject the aiptasia with just plain old RO/DI water and see what the reaction is.

 

[Hartdude]

You should try a control experiment, inject the aiptasia with just plain old RO/DI water and see what the reaction is.

I have heard of people using cold water or ice cubes to detach their nems from the rocks they have attached to. I wonder if the cold water principal applied to your aptasia? I too would be interested to see a control experiment.

 

[bhovinga]

Pretty cool idea

 

[waterlife]

try to use something with a small tip to squeese out some calcium into the middle of the polp. this works i have done to my tank. it most go into the middle of the polp ( mouth) if you have the test kits there is a surgine in one of them to use . but clean it well when you are finished

 

[So*Cal Reefdude]

im going to be using a nano cube for a frag/ clown breeding tank in the new year. i think im going to use it as a coral qt also. it will have several peppermint shrimp in it to control any aptasia that come on frag plugs or rocks. i would have the shrimp in my tank but my flame hawk likes to pick them apart.

buuut,


im going to be doing a controlled experiment with different chemicals that people will normally have in their tank cabinet/ tank

lets get a list of what i should be trying

1. RODI- chilled to __* F
2. Palytoxin
3. WM Cal/Alk part A
4. WM Cal/Alk part B
5. RidIck


Any other ideas?

I will be using a 10 gallon with a power filter to keep the rocks with the aptaisa.

what kind of light should i provide them?

 

[LegendLand]

theres only 2 types of palythoa that carry the toxin Palytoxin, i doubt your zoas have it

 

[hk855]

I had an australian copper band and he did the job, took him a few months though and there were only like 10 aptasia I saw but maybe more I didnt see in a 40g. Unfourtunately he didnt like moving a few months back and died mid way, now I may get another since my new tank is stable. He lasted about 6-8 months before the move and always looked healthy they are a great fish and this one didnt bother my corals.

 

[jakano]

Hmmm..... I wonder if this could work on majanos too?

 

[Luckylouse]

Copper band are hit and miss.

I wouldn't want my Acan collection to be hit by a Copperband. They are been known to pick at them .