Crabb
New member
So I gotta say, I love soft corals. But I loathe the ugly, destructive, unregulated and ridiculously fast growth of protopaly's. Perhaps you don't know the one's I'm talking about, but it's the ugly brown ones that come as a hitchhiker and decimate your favorite colonies of Zoanthids, Palythoas, Ricordias, etc, etc.
So I took matters into my own hands. WARNING: Protopalys can potentially be toxic. Be sure to wash your hands before and after said extermination, and be insanely careful if you decide to use this method.
I experimented with several different "cocktails", but the one I found the most effective was: one part 1/2 strength BRS calcium chloride, one part white acetic acid, and two capsules of cayenne pepper with 40,000 capsaicin heat units each. Let the solution sit for approximately 10-20 minutes and strain through a paper towel. Take a 60 mL syringe and a 24 gauge needle and inject into the tissue of the offending protopaly group AND individually as much as you can. It's best to do this from a point where you can visualize from the top of the tank. Turning off any power-heads helps immensely. The injection typically will follow the collateral circulation of the coral to other adjoined members. Use only a 60 mL portion approximately every 5 days so as not to cause tank destabilization, and ALWAYS run charcoal throughout this time. Give it about 5 days, and during that time you will see the tissue slowly recede and dissolve. Inject any remaining offenders one at a time, carefully injecting each one. Continue doing this until your problem is gone. Afterwards ALWAYS wash your hands and NEVER re-cap the needle with your hands! Use the needle and insert it into the cap without using your hands and use a flat vertical surface to secure it.
I know, some are probably aghast at the idea of killing coral, and yet these same people would no doubt embrace such methods to eradicate aiptasia, mojanos, or other nuisance type creatures. I must admit, I would have rather found a home or other use for them. But when push comes to shove and your growth threatens other members in an enclosed environment, I will cull the herd to promote balance, diversity, and growth.
For those facing a similar problem I wanted to make it known. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
BTW you may also notice that if this oozes out of the paly it will irritate small live-rock inhabitants in close proximity (aka bristle worms, copepods, etc). Don't worry, it doesn't kill them, they just hurriedly move to another area.:beer::uzi:
So I took matters into my own hands. WARNING: Protopalys can potentially be toxic. Be sure to wash your hands before and after said extermination, and be insanely careful if you decide to use this method.
I experimented with several different "cocktails", but the one I found the most effective was: one part 1/2 strength BRS calcium chloride, one part white acetic acid, and two capsules of cayenne pepper with 40,000 capsaicin heat units each. Let the solution sit for approximately 10-20 minutes and strain through a paper towel. Take a 60 mL syringe and a 24 gauge needle and inject into the tissue of the offending protopaly group AND individually as much as you can. It's best to do this from a point where you can visualize from the top of the tank. Turning off any power-heads helps immensely. The injection typically will follow the collateral circulation of the coral to other adjoined members. Use only a 60 mL portion approximately every 5 days so as not to cause tank destabilization, and ALWAYS run charcoal throughout this time. Give it about 5 days, and during that time you will see the tissue slowly recede and dissolve. Inject any remaining offenders one at a time, carefully injecting each one. Continue doing this until your problem is gone. Afterwards ALWAYS wash your hands and NEVER re-cap the needle with your hands! Use the needle and insert it into the cap without using your hands and use a flat vertical surface to secure it.
I know, some are probably aghast at the idea of killing coral, and yet these same people would no doubt embrace such methods to eradicate aiptasia, mojanos, or other nuisance type creatures. I must admit, I would have rather found a home or other use for them. But when push comes to shove and your growth threatens other members in an enclosed environment, I will cull the herd to promote balance, diversity, and growth.
For those facing a similar problem I wanted to make it known. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
BTW you may also notice that if this oozes out of the paly it will irritate small live-rock inhabitants in close proximity (aka bristle worms, copepods, etc). Don't worry, it doesn't kill them, they just hurriedly move to another area.:beer::uzi:
