Thoughts on Clove Polyps

[Str8linespeed]

What are your thoughts on Clove Polyps such as the ones pictured? Are they like Xenia or GSP which spread like mad and are hard to eradicate?

Pick not mine, just used as a reference.

 

[Tisbe]

Those are know to get out of control. Isolate them on their own rock and you should be able to keep them under control.

 

[themagicman]

I've never had any problems with these, although they can be kind of temperamental sometimes. They're also a lot easier to remove with tweezers if need be too. It's those BCP you have to worry about. These grow extremely fast under the right conditions and any tissue that happens to float away will most likely plant a flag & continue to grow. FWIW it's been years since I removed a small colony from my tank, yet I'm still struggling to completely eradicate them from the system.

 

[thegrun]

I keep mine on a separate rock island, but as posted above they really are not that hard to remove if they do spread, provided you don't let them get too far out of control. I personally like them.

 

[Str8linespeed]

I had some boring basic xenia, that was growing like crazy. It was on its own island and I thinned it out a few times. I liked the waving of it but I was sick of thinning it and it was boring and ugly so I finally tossed it out completely. My wife likes those things that wave in the flow of the water, so Im trying to find something with more color such as those clove polyps above to keep her happy. I just want to make sure that they arent going to be a problem. Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[mcgyvr]

Spawn of satan IMO..

I will never put xenia/clove polyps/green star polyps/anthelia or any other similar coral in any tank unless I want it eventually covered by that stuff..

"isolation" is simply not reliable/guaranteed.. removal depending on the type can be fairly easy to downright impossible..
The only reason I broke down my old tank was Blue Anthelia.. Started with a 1" frag.. 8-12 months later it covered every visible surface of rock in my 72" long tank..

 

[Str8linespeed]

Spawn of satan IMO..

I will never put xenia/clove polyps/green star polyps/anthelia or any other similar coral in any tank unless I want it eventually covered by that stuff..

"isolation" is simply not reliable/guaranteed.. removal depending on the type can be fairly easy to downright impossible..
The only reason I broke down my old tank was Blue Anthelia.. Started with a 1" frag.. 8-12 months later it covered every visible surface of rock in my 72" long tank..

I had a 1" frag of the Blue Anthelia as well. It was starting to spread off the plug, and all of a sudden it died with in 2 days. I consider myself blessed actually. I wasnt even upset. Im uncertain if I will go with something like this, but its why Im asking the question.

 

[mcgyvr]

I had a 1" frag of the Blue Anthelia as well. It was starting to spread off the plug, and all of a sudden it died with in 2 days. I consider myself blessed actually. I wasnt even upset. Im uncertain if I will go with something like this, but its why Im asking the question.

I used to actually flip my rocks over and just bury it in the sand.. Leave that for a week or so and it would be visibly gone.. Another few weeks and it was back meaner than ever..

On occasion it would die off some.. But then just come right back.. I tried everything and there was nothing I could do to remove it.. and yes it would just float right to another rock and spread all over that one..

There are just too many other pretty corals that I stay away from all of those now.. Just not worth it..

 

[garygonzales]

they are easy to prune imo...i have these and they grow crazy good..but all over..lol..they did travel all the way to the back and now are growing on my back glass...kinda cool....

 

[davocean]

Worst thing I ever put in my tank ever.
They do not creep across rocks like xenia, rather they release spores and therefore travel everywhere, making them very difficult and often impossible to contain.
There's a long thread floating around about fluke tabs being used to wipe them out, but good luck getting fluke tabs anymore, and check that thread to see what a problem they have become for many.

 

[davocean]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2153276

 

[homer1475]

When I upgraded tanks I did not use any of my old live rock because of star polyps.

It started with a tiny 3 head frag that after a year was literally everywhere in the tank. They are not as easy to prune like GSP or Xenia. Any tiny piece that floats away or is left on the rock will sprout up a new colony.

I will never put them in another tank

 

[Str8linespeed]

The more I think about it, the more I do not want anything that could become invasive. Hence the reason I threw away all my Xenia already. I appreciate the input and experience.

 

[DM and the Boys]

They don't become invasive like star polyps and have a nice shape/color to them.