How did you go about doing that?
Peter,
I use a mixture of RODI and sodium hydroxide. The drain cleaner Rooto (from Ace Hardware) is pure crystaline sodium hydroxide. I coined the term for it as "Reef Napalm" back in 2009.
I got the idea from here:
http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/aiptasia_control.html
I mixed a two times normal solution (2N) of NaOH.
The webpage advises against using commercial drain opener, but I used ROOTO Brand crystal lye formula drain opener. It is all lye, but if anyone prefers, lab grade NaOH can be ordered online, but it costs a good bit more. The ROOTO lye is about $5 a jar, and is more than you will need in your lifetime. Available at any ACE Hardware Store. A 2N solution of NaOH uses 80 grams of NaOH in one liter of RODI. I used a digital scale, but 80 grams comes out to 1/3 cup. Mix the solution up in a plastic container you can seal up. It will get warm when you mix the lye and water together (exothermic reaction). And be VERY CAREFUL about fumes coming off the solution while it is warm right after mixing. It does not feel good to breath it in (personal experience).
The solution is just slightly heavier than water, so you must have no flow at all in the tank when you use it. It kills any coral it gets on. It looks like water, but when you put it in sea water, it turns a milky translucent color. Just slowly syringe it on the coral. It sticks. You would apply it like Joe's Juice.
Leave it on for about 15 minutes, then just start up the pumps. You will see the stuff swirling around, but don't worry, it just dissolves and doesn't hurt anything. It is the same active ingredient as what is in AquaVitro Balance by Seachem, just a lot stronger. You may see a slight increase in your pH, but just by a little. Fish may peck at it, but they don't get hurt either.
I've been using this stuff for 5 years to kill aiptasia, mojano, nuisance mushrooms, palys, corals. It is better and more effective than any commercial aiptasia killer. And the lye just dissolves into sodium and hydroxide ions after it has done its job.
If you decide to try it, you might get a gallon of saltwater in a separate clear container and squirt some on a small piece of rock, so you can see how the Napalm acts under water. Just be aware that some will fall off the pest you apply it to, so you would need to shield any desirable corals from it.
Also, the amount of Reef Napalm you use should be in accordance with your tank net volume. Don't use a lot at one time in a 40 net gallon system. Break up the killing into several days. In my 465 gallon net system, I would not hesitate to use 200 ml in one session, just size it accordingly so you don't spike the pH of the water too much in any one session using the Napalm.
