Let's say I had a rock...

TampaSnooker

Active member
...and it was covered in brown palys - the type that like to pop up randomly everywhere. What is the absolute quickest way that I could kill all of them without leaving much harmful goo (or reproductive matter) to leach out when I put the rock back in the tank? It is a nice shelf rock - 1" x 12" x 6" so I'd really like to keep the rock for the aquascape.
 
I had a rock with some nice zoes on one side and ugly brown zoes on another. I boiled some water and dipped the end with the brown zoes in it. then placed it to a bucket with tank water to cool so the good zoes would be ok, then repeat till brown zoes were gone. Note: the rock will get hot if dipped to long and thaat heat will transfer to the good zoes so that is why I placed it to cool in tank water each time.
 
This thread is rather obtuse IMHO. I am sure that you can find an LFS or a local reefer that will trade you lb for lb or size for a lousy piece of LR. I would not seek to intentionally kill a living coral....JMHO.. good luck
 
I would not boil it I read a story a while back about a man getting his family really sick by boiling live rock covered on zoas. He was even outside in the backyard and it still leached in and got everyone sick.
 
This thread is rather obtuse IMHO. I am sure that you can find an LFS or a local reefer that will trade you lb for lb or size for a lousy piece of LR. I would not seek to intentionally kill a living coral....JMHO.. good luck

Well if your from where I am from no one wants that crap everyone knows it grows like weeds and as soon as you mention them they say no thanks. So what would you prefer we do with them then? Over populate are tank? I can put them in the ocean I live right by one but thats not good reefkeeping either. Or last but not least what I do is set it in the drive way and leave it there a few days then scrub the rock clean.

I know its not the right thing to do bc it is a living coral but my LFS would laugh at me if I brought them in.
 
Well if your from where I am from no one wants that crap everyone knows it grows like weeds and as soon as you mention them they say no thanks. So what would you prefer we do with them then? Over populate are tank? I can put them in the ocean I live right by one but thats not good reefkeeping either. Or last but not least what I do is set it in the drive way and leave it there a few days then scrub the rock clean.

I know its not the right thing to do bc it is a living coral but my LFS would laugh at me if I brought them in.

I didn't mean to be obtuse. :hmm5: The Tampa market is full of goodies. Basic brown palys are shunned. If anyone would like them, bring me a rock. But I am partial to the shape of this one, so your rock better be really cool! For those who have boiled them, any issues from the noxious steam to be considered?
 
Missed Jacuzzi's post because I was stuck on the obtuse comment. I have a lot of concern about boiling them and what would be released. Doesn't seem safe. Perhaps some out of tank work with a scalpel and hope the residual matter doesn't grow.
 
i would wait until i did my next water change and while you have a couple buckets of old tank water scrape the zoas that you don't want off the rock and rinse the rock off in the bucket of water and re-rinse it off in another to get all the goo off then put it back in the tank. And repeat next water change to get off any that you missed
 
I didn't mean to be obtuse. :hmm5: The Tampa market is full of goodies. Basic brown palys are shunned. If anyone would like them, bring me a rock. But I am partial to the shape of this one, so your rock better be really cool! For those who have boiled them, any issues from the noxious steam to be considered?

I live in Tampa Fl as well if I posted them on the reef club forums id be stoned to death lol
 
I know its not the right thing to do bc it is a living coral but my LFS would laugh at me if I brought them in

have you tried with the local club or LFS, or you worried about some deleted saying no? At least give it a try... good luck!
 
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At the rate that these brown palys overtake and kill other more desireable corals, I have no ethical qualms about mutilating them. 1 species of clones that can overtake countless other colonies is no debate. As I and gotsopranos said, Tampa market is spoiled. We have so many good stores and closet aquaculturists here that it is almost insulting to offer up a trade. And in my obtuse ways, I'm attached to this particular rock. I am not allowed to buy, sell or trade in this forum, so that leaves me with erradication. Perhaps gotsopranos could broker them for me? I'll trade a 5 gal bucket of used DI resin for the polyps but I want to keep the rock.

As it stands, I'm going with the scraping in a bucket method. Boiling seems potentially lethal, hence unwise. Now that means i actually have to do a water change...
 
...and it was covered in brown palys - the type that like to pop up randomly everywhere. What is the absolute quickest way that I could kill all of them without leaving much harmful goo (or reproductive matter) to leach out when I put the rock back in the tank? It is a nice shelf rock - 1" x 12" x 6" so I'd really like to keep the rock for the aquascape.

Use scolding hot freshwater, rinse it one or twice, use bleach, and then rinse once more. Let it dry. Then grab a tooth brush and scrub...all of it should come off easily.

When they close up, they can sometimes retain enough water to live, and it always sucks when you dip in it freshwater and dry it, only to find out they all survived.
 
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