Zoanthid control

[cabin]

It has not escaped my notice that zoanthids can spread very efficiently and, to me, somewhat alarmingly. Removing them seems difficult, as they get into every little nook and cranny of the reef, and they have a toxic mucus. So it seems inadvisable to attack with a scalpel or razor blade because of the amount of mucus that will be released into the tank. That leaves removing the whole rock, and since they seem to spread to every rock, that is a problem, also.

With all this in mind, I'm thinking of trying to eliminate them from my new tank by scaping them off the rocks as I tranfer them from the old. I'm ambivalent, however, because they ARE pretty. Am I over-reacting to the toxicity/aggression problem?? Any thoughts from fellow reefers would be most appreciated.
Wynne

 

[msman825]

you just give me a Hollur and I'll come help you get rid of them. I'll be like a big ole Nudie on them thumbsup: thumbsup

 

[msman825]

That is if i can out run Laurie. I'll most likely be on the water. But still let me know:lol: lol

 

[Naturebatslast]

Carbon will help mitigate some of the problem, depending on your scale.

 

[ME2003]

"Am I over-reacting to the toxicity/aggression problem?? "
No, Anthony Calfo talks about being poisoned a couple of times by zoos.
The toxins can also hurt other corals. Here are some links with more details.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/ac/feature/index.php
Never Mix Different Species of Propagated Coral...

... in holding tanks and heated baths. The production of mucus and noxious compounds in
defense of the assault of propagation, as well as the influence of competitive species,
can create a harmful or poisonous environment. At the very least, there is an increased
chance of pathogenic and possibly contagious infection with the production of excessive
mucus in crowded environments.


Reduce the Impact of Defensive Chemical Compounds and Other Noxious Elements...

... through regular partial water exchanges, efficient protein skimming and small,
frequent applications of
quality chemical filtration media (carbon, PolyFilters(tm) and the like).
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=158730&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=708236
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158663
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=707782

 

[msman825]

in holding tanks and heated baths. The production of mucus and noxious compounds in
defense of the assault of propagation, as well as the influence of competitive species,
can create a harmful or poisonous environment. At the very least, there is an increased
chance of pathogenic and possibly contagious infection with the production of excessive
mucus in crowded environments.:crazy1: crazy1 SO this is whats wrong with me then. They have turned me into a Addict. pinks, yellows, greens, blues, I lik-em all. Gotta have em.:hmm2: hmm2 This reminds me of the warning label on a pack of cigarettes. Whats in your tank that IS NOT toxic one way are the other. It's like tim magraw says I like it,I love it, and i'm gonna get me somemore of it. They sure made me a zooahalic:lmao: lmao
:lol: lol

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Calfo was poisoned by sun polyps, which are a VERY large zoanthid family member (Think an oral disk about 1- 1 1/2 inch wide versus the regular eraser sized polyp of sea mat), but are not your garden variety sea mat. Sun polyps are really the only ones large enough to worry me personally for palytoxin, but each to his own... I guess in the interest of safety it is cool to be cautious. Gloves and eye wear should be fine, as long as you don't stick the razor into your mouth like Calfo did.

I have a curved chisel I got especially for scraping off about a centimeter of rock under the colony and taking them off of LR in that manner, as a whole.

Like MsMan said, if you need helping finding them a home, just holler... They are always welcome at my place!


Laurie

 

[jessiesgrrl]

This link has some good pics of them:

http://www.club-zoa.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1923&page=1


Laurie

 

[msman825]

cutting all jokes to the side . one thing comes to my mine and most likely the toxic of all toxic. Is your SKIMMER. I am the worlds worst at jurking it out of the sump doing a overhaul and cleaning job on it. barehanded, theres many more folks the same way. even a few of you. BUT right there is were it is the worst in my eye. literally tons of bact- bugs living. you dont think about it, but a little cut ,scrape playing in the collection cup mud cleaning it all up wondering were does all this mud come from. Yaw know what i'm talking about. a few of yaw remember last year were i had to stay in the hospital for 4 days cause my hand was about to roit off. they said it was most likely some sort of infection from lobster bait- red fish poison etc. who's to say really when I think about it. this always comes to mind. and could have very well played a part. Dunno :idea: idea I'll still help you get rid of your zoos and paly's though. speically the real bright ones thumbsup: thumbsup

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Wow, sorry to hear that!

Laurie

 

[Hedonist]

Frankly Wynne, I try to keep creepy crawlys out of my big tank.... to much of a hassle IMO to keep them under control. I have a few that are growing in my tank that needs to come out.. course they are on a lower rock in my reef structure... go figure

If you have to have them, maybe you can have then in an area that is easliy accessed, maybe up front with rubble rock around them. That way if they spread, you can easliy frag them attached to the rubble rock.

Charlie that is something I have really overlooked.... glad you opened my eyes, I need to start wearing gloves when I clean my skimmer... I now where them for tank cleaning but never thought about the skimmer...... A side note, I got a heck of a sting from a ricordia, left a mark for several months

Denise