TimeConsumer
Active member
Would you believe me if I told you one of the pieces has been in the tank for 2 years and I've never seen more than 3 at once? I just pluck them out once they get too big for my taste.
lost battle with neomeris
- Thread starter NaClH2O Getaway
- Start date
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
I completely believe that you have a very minimal issue. I actually have a couple friends that have it to the same degree. It seems to be that its only a few like you have or a total outbreak like a lot of us have. it's still unclear exactly what kicks it off but for the guys like us its enough to make us want to turn off everything and walk away.
:headwally:
elegance coral
They call me EC
SWEET:dance::bounce3::bounce2::bounce1::celeb3::beer::celeb1:
Thanks for the update. Glad to hear everything worked out. Sorry about your fish though.:sad2:
Peace
EC
Woah, now this is a scary thread for me lol. I recently had a number of the same little things growing on one rock. I've always kind of liked them and I get sad when they die off for whatever reason. They seem to come back every couple of years or so.
One observation I've made is that they do prefer lower-flow areas. By low flow I mean flow that doesn't break them in half over time
Coincidentally, the rock that has them on it was recently moved into my new tank, and I placed it in front of a Vortech; my closed loop outputs are also flushing water right at the rock. The little green things are dying off (or blowing off or rocketing off lol). I'll move them to my refugium in the hopes that they'll process nutrients lol.
So glad to hear that your tank isn't swarming with the little buggers anymore. Did you try just pointing a Tunze right at some?
One observation I've made is that they do prefer lower-flow areas. By low flow I mean flow that doesn't break them in half over time
Coincidentally, the rock that has them on it was recently moved into my new tank, and I placed it in front of a Vortech; my closed loop outputs are also flushing water right at the rock. The little green things are dying off (or blowing off or rocketing off lol). I'll move them to my refugium in the hopes that they'll process nutrients lol.
So glad to hear that your tank isn't swarming with the little buggers anymore. Did you try just pointing a Tunze right at some?
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
I did try this before I took down and restarted the tank those buggers had a solid foothold they were actually growing ON the powerhead. Both on the sides and directly in the flow...
saveafish
New member
Species Name: Neomeris annulata
Authority: Dickie 1874
Common Name: Fuzzy Tip, Spindleweed
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Indonesia
Natural Environment: Intertidal rocky areas
General Husbandry: Requires high alkalinity and calcium levels and very bright light to maintain.
Aquarium Suitability: This is a calcareous, aragonite containing green alga is difficult to eradicate as it contains a mixture of terpenes, e.g., brominated sesquiterpenes, which are located in its thallus tips. Therefore, except for some nibbling by parrotfish in the wild, this alga can remain a tough situation to resolve once it gets going in aquaria!
Potential Control Species: Urchins: Diadema setosum, Mespilia globulus
Species Name: Diadema setosum
Authority: (Leske, 1778)
Common Name: Hatpin Urchin
Range: Indo-West Pacific/Red Sea to South Pacific and north to Japan
Natural Environment: Inhabits reef areas and found on rock and rubble areas covered in algae
General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 75 to 83°F (24 - 28°C). Body size is about 4 inches (10 cm), with spines extending to 12 inches (30 cm). Nocturnal and consumes huge amounts of algae.
pecies Name: Mespilia globulus
Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Name: Blue Tuxedo Urchin
Range: Eastern Indian Ocean to Western Pacific
Natural Environment: Inhabits reef terraces, beneath overhangs, crevices and also found on rock and rubble areas covered in algae
General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 75 to 83°F (24 - 28°C). Body size is about 2 inches (5 cm), with very short spines. Nocturnal and consume huge amounts of algae including coralline algae.
Authority: Dickie 1874
Common Name: Fuzzy Tip, Spindleweed
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Indonesia
Natural Environment: Intertidal rocky areas
General Husbandry: Requires high alkalinity and calcium levels and very bright light to maintain.
Aquarium Suitability: This is a calcareous, aragonite containing green alga is difficult to eradicate as it contains a mixture of terpenes, e.g., brominated sesquiterpenes, which are located in its thallus tips. Therefore, except for some nibbling by parrotfish in the wild, this alga can remain a tough situation to resolve once it gets going in aquaria!
Potential Control Species: Urchins: Diadema setosum, Mespilia globulus
Species Name: Diadema setosum
Authority: (Leske, 1778)
Common Name: Hatpin Urchin
Range: Indo-West Pacific/Red Sea to South Pacific and north to Japan
Natural Environment: Inhabits reef areas and found on rock and rubble areas covered in algae
General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 75 to 83°F (24 - 28°C). Body size is about 4 inches (10 cm), with spines extending to 12 inches (30 cm). Nocturnal and consumes huge amounts of algae.
pecies Name: Mespilia globulus
Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Name: Blue Tuxedo Urchin
Range: Eastern Indian Ocean to Western Pacific
Natural Environment: Inhabits reef terraces, beneath overhangs, crevices and also found on rock and rubble areas covered in algae
General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 75 to 83°F (24 - 28°C). Body size is about 2 inches (5 cm), with very short spines. Nocturnal and consume huge amounts of algae including coralline algae.
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
thanks saveafish! thats some solid information. I did try an urchin and it did not have any interest. I did not try the parrot fish because I was afraid it would attack my corals. hopfully anyone else with this problem may have better luck than me. Thanx for sharing
GroktheCube
New member
Yyeeesshhh. I have some of this in my tank, have from the beginning. It thought it was cool and harmless, but has been growing more rapidly lately. Going to go yank it all RIGHT now.
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
I never did. unfortunately that stuff was everywhere. there was no way to pull all the rock out
out
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
OK so this is absolutely the last resort but its also EXACTLY where I ended up after years of fighting (and losing!) 4 major steps weather pending 2 months to rebuild. It seems lengthy but it's actually not a lot of work, just a lot of time waiting :uhoh3: :
I have a 100 gal main tank with about 75-100 lb of live rock. You may adjust the following accordingly
You will need:
A gallon ( or 2 ) of bleach,
A large container ( I used a 20-30ish gallon rubbermaid trashcan with a lid that I cut a hole into so I could route cords out without letting everything in )
A couple gallons of Muriatic acid (found at home improvement stores or pool supply stores) I used 3 gallons from Lowes although I have been told the concentration of pool supply brands are stronger.
A large amount of Baking soda ( I got a 13.5 pound bag from Costco that was cheap and worked perfectly )
A large table or something to lay the rock out onto that can sit outside for a long period of time ( I used a plastic 6ft folding table for mine )
DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING OUTSIDE!!!!!!
Step one is to empty the tank. Unfortunately everything and anything in the tank may hold spores that will spread and reseed once brought back to the clean tank. I gave a friend a few corals that he wouldn't let me trash and he has randomly had neomeris sprouts that he never had before pop up here and there that luckily never took off. No fragging from him!... Fish may be different so find a sitter for those for a couple months. I didn't have to worry about fish since I lost them to the H2O2 Nuke that I tried previously against the neo (fail!) Anything you are planning to reuse should go into the rubbermaid. Sand, rock, powerheads, bioballs, etc. Pour in the desired amount of bleach ( the more the merrier ) and fill the rest with water so that everything is submerged and will stay under water through evaporation for several days. Plug in at least one powerhead for circulation and cover. I let that soak for a week min. I pulled the rock out and rinsed it well before I set it to the side so the sand could soak an extra 2 days since you can't acid dip the sand. I stirred it with pvc pipe a couple times a day.
Step two is to drain, rinse and put all the rock only back into the rinsed container. Sand and any other items can be laid out on the table to begin to dry once they are rinsed VERY thoroughly. I just spread the sand out about an inch or so thick.
Step three (RUBBER GLOVES, SAFETY GLASSES, PREFERABLY IN GRAVEL OR DIRT AND AWAY FROM PETS and KIDS!!!) this is going to be messy CAREFUL CAREFUL CAREFUL!!!!!!! Muriatic Acid is NO JOKE !!! Fill the container containing all your rocks with water until just a little bit of the rocks stick out to keep the acid to water concentration as high as possible. When you pour the acid in they will be completely covered. Put a strong powerhead in to keep everything mixed up and moving ( BE SURE TO RUN CORDS SO THEY WILL NOT GET WET! ) Make sure you have room for all the acid and the bubbles/foam that will be created (a lot). Slowly pour in about a half gallon of the first bottle. It will start to foam pretty instantly then slow. When the foam slows down pour the other half of the bottle in. Wait for that to slow then add the next gallon. Repeat until you have added all of the acid you would like ( again I did 3 gallons) I let it soak for like 30 min. The longer you let it soak the more rock will be eaten away by the acid. 30 min will give you bright, clean, fresh rock! You are going to see some nasty looking foam and bubbles, keep back a ways. It will likely begin to overflow or come very close, this is normal. After 25 or 30 min begin to slowly add the baking soda. This is going to neutralize the acid AND FOAM LIKE CRAZY!!! STAND UP HILL!!!!!! now everything WILL overflow!! KEEP ADDING SLOWLY UNTIL ITS ALL IN. Let everything sit for 5-10 min with the powerhead still running then it will be safe to drain and refill as needed to rinse everything super clean. As the rocks are completely rinsed ( no longer clouds the water when shaken underwater ) they can be placed on the table to dry. If possible do this during the hottest summer days so that the high temps can penetrate deep into the core of the rocks and really dry them out. I Let them in the CA summer sun (110-115 degrees) for like 6 weeks. In the meantime I filled my tank with a gallon of bleach and topped off with tap water then ran it for a couple days to flush all the pumps, plumbing and sump components. Drained, refilled, drained and wiped everything down then let it dry until my rocks were ready.
It is now time to rebuild the system. You will need to recycle and re-establish beneficial bacteria and balance before you can add livestock again. I dosed Brightwell's Micro-bacter for a month or so as well as added a bag or two of live sand to seed the sandbed. Photo-periods should be minimized and slowly increased 30 min weekly back desired length to lessen the chances of algae blooms. ( I took about two and a half months re-establishing my tank ) If followed fairly close with patience you will love the hobby like you used to. I do not have ANY pests, algae, neo, bubble or any other problems. My coraline is back and everything is running as it should. I am keeping SPS, LPS, macros, copepods, isopods, amphipods, fish, crabs, shrimp and a clam with no problems. All my Parameters are perfect or near perfect. I am absolutely glad I did it and if given the chance to do it again I would although I hope I never have to. I actually wish I would have done it sooner and saved myself the frustration and money trying to battle the neo.
any questions feel free to ask
brandon429
Well-known member
Nacl I remember when using the toughest peroxide dose Ive seen didnt beat them for you its madness.
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
I did the rocks in bleach first for two reasons really. One being that I wanted the bleach to "soak" into the rock as deep as possible just to kill off anything that may be below the surface if thats even possible. And since I was dipping sand and equipment anyhow, why not. I knew the acid would only be a Flash dip and wouldn't have time to really penetrate beyond the layers it ate away
Secondly....why not I wasn't taking any chances with this crap! I considered putting the rock in my oven at 500 for a few hours too but I don't think my wife would have seen my thought process over the smell.
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
OMG I was just looking at pics of the H2O2 Nuke when I was looking for the acid bath photos to share!
NaClH2O Getaway
Member
HAHAHAHA I did indeed go a little bonkers:crazy1:
