400 gallon project

[Tn23]

Still looks great Brad.
That yellow Sponge stuff has really taken over your rocks since I've last come by. Wow.

[asylumdown]

it's funny how things you paid for at one point can become such a nuisance. The fire coral makes the tank look freaking cool, however.

[untamed]

Originally Posted by Salty23

Still looks great Brad.
That yellow Sponge stuff has really taken over your rocks since I've last come by. Wow.

I wish it was a sponge. It is an encrusting hard fire coral, with stinging cells that causes me a lot if itchiness if I happen to touch it. It also drives my CA/Alk usage through the roof.

Yes, it does look kind of pretty...but I can't enjoy that view so much.

[mikellini]

Now on p 14 of 118... amazing.

Regarding the fire coral, what about removing your healthy colonies and keeping them in a bin under some light for a while, then going dark to kill off the fire coral? Might be easier than removing everything... although a bit less entertaining

[gobytron]

Still one of the nicest builds in the GVRD...

[untamed]

Originally Posted by gobytron

Still one of the nicest builds in the GVRD...

Still working on things. I finally decided to upgrade my CA reactor. ( pics to follow).
It is working, but I think I need to put the first reactor back in as an additional reactor. ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.

[mikellini]

Did you see my post above?

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by untamed

Still working on things. I finally decided to upgrade my CA reactor. ( pics to follow).
It is working, but I think I need to put the first reactor back in as an additional reactor. ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.

I would feel similar to yourself and be looking at the fire coral and wondering how much of your alk is it using...

I can't imagine the work it will take to remove it from your system but it sure seems like it LOVES the parameters in your tank and has a growth advantage over the rest of your corals...

If you ever need a hand getting in there and removing it, I'm sure a lot of us would be happy to help.

Did switching your solenoid wind up just offering a temporary boost?

I wonder if there are any biological options or if you could blast them with hot water or something and kill it off in small batches.

The Millepora genus, although not susceptible to many things, does have few areas that can lead to its demise. Having zooxanthellae algae makes them susceptible to bleaching. Higher temperatures than they are used to will cause this too, along with their being too close to a Metal Halide lamp.

From http://animal-world.com/Aquarium-Coral-Reefs/Fire-Coral and in regards to the branching fire coral so possibly not applicable.

Predators are another nuisance. These include the Pyrgomatina barnacles, both commensal and carnivorous marine worms, (polychaete), and Filefish from the Aluterus and Cantherhines genus. The Crown of Thorns Starfish Acanthaster planci, will also eat these hydracorals, even thought they are stung in the process.

Some of the most interesting predators are nudibranchs, such as the Phyllidia nudibranchs. These feed on Fire corals but can ingest the stinging nematocysts without digesting them. They then use these same nematocysts as defense by transporting them through their intestines to their dorsal appendages. When the sea slug feels threatened, it will then fire the stinging nematocysts at the predator!

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by untamed

ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.

What's your Mag @ ?

[lastlight]

Could you not cover large areas with some dark plastic? Thinking black garbage bag strips anchored for a week maybe? You'd have to weave the bags underneath your other colonies but one rock at a time might be manageable. If they're pressed close to the encrusted coral and there's no flow over it maybe a day or two would kill it.