Risky Purchase?

[sde219]

I'm looking into buying a reef setup locally. I'm planning to keep all of the livestock(perhaps sans a tang), corals, rock, and equipment. I'll be selling the tank/stand because I'd prefer to use a 65g tank I already own and will be able to plumb in advance of receiving the existing setup.

 

Unfortunately, the tank has a pretty large population of Majano anemones - on the rock, on zoo colonies, near ricordeas.

 

The setup is arguably fairly priced but I'm trying to decide whether getting back into the hobby with a immediate issue in the tank is too much of a hassle to combat.

 

I'd really like to let the existing owner know whether or not this is a problem that 1) I could deal with at the existing price, 2) maybe I should ask for a discount in light of the issue, 3) is too much trouble for someone who was buying an existing setup largely for the convenience.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks in advance.

[amos]

IMHO, majanos are very difficult to get rid of, and may not be worth the hassle. If you haven't battled them before, I might not recommend taking it on full blown. Its hard to put a price on inheriting that type of pest, unless you are willing to completely bake all of the rock (and lose all of the corals). Just some thoughts.

 

Jon

[jason the filter freak]

meh kalk paste on dose worked for me to kill all of mine on my old rock that i bought for a dollar a pound, it's up to you. I'm assuming you're talking about the 54 corner set up?

[steveoutlaw]

You could always boil the rocks to get rid of all the nasties and then re-cure the rock.

[sde219]

meh kalk paste on dose worked for me to kill all of mine on my old rock that i bought for a dollar a pound, it's up to you. I'm assuming you're talking about the 54 corner set up?

 

That would be the one. I was trying be vague because I don't want to disparage the item for sale. I was just pretty disappointed to see a decent number of Majanos. I suspect using kalk would be a solid option.

 

I've got other concerns about moving an existing setup particularly one with a deep sandbed also. I was kinda hoping that getting an existing setup might provide for a plug-and-play type tank. This more likely to spend a few weeks challenging me.

 

 

You could always boil the rocks to get rid of all the nasties and then re-cure the rock.

 

If that's really the case, then the setup is too much immediate hassle because the rock has a decent amount of colonies, msshrooms, and ricordeas I would want to keep and it's the biofilter for some fish I'd like to keep alive.

Edited October 25, 2008 by sde219

[dschflier]

I have had a lot of luck with peppermint shrimp. My suggestion would be to move the sand and rock first. Filtrate with carbon and Phosphate remover for a couple of days. Within 5 days your tank should be crystal clear. During the moving if you Kalk as many as you see and then do this for the week while letting some shrimp help as well you should be in good shape. If the price is right you could end up with a really nice tank at a good price. Would you have a place to keep the fish while you work on letting the tank settle down?

[treesprite]

IMO if when you say biofilter you are including the dsb, there's probably no way to keep it without just keeping it in whatever it is in to use as a remote DSB or refugium w/DSB in it. Either way, it isn't really "plug and play" if right off you have to "fix" it.

[reefmontalvo]

Also on the DSB. You have to realize there are millions of colonies of bacteria in the sand. When you go to move the sand your going to distrupt the colonies resulting in loss of the bio filtration. I have heard bad things about tryn to move DSB, you could have the opposite effect and have a Bio-Hazard.

[sde219]

Also on the DSB. You have to realize there are millions of colonies of bacteria in the sand. When you go to move the sand your going to distrupt the colonies resulting in loss of the bio filtration. I have heard bad things about tryn to move DSB, you could have the opposite effect and have a Bio-Hazard.

 

I definitely understand this one. I've heard a variety of things about the bio-benefit versus bio-hazard aspect of DSBs particularly when moving one. Because of the fish involved a sandbed of some depth is necessary. Does anyone have any specific advice on moving a DSB?

[reefmontalvo]

I definitely understand this one. I've heard a variety of things about the bio-benefit versus bio-hazard aspect of DSBs particularly when moving one. Because of the fish involved a sandbed of some depth is necessary. Does anyone have any specific advice on moving a DSB?

 

The best I heard and this was from guys back in my hometown was "don't do it!!". The best Ican figure is you can build yoru own in yoru tank then take about a cup of old established sand from anybody here and throw it in the tank and in a few weeks you will have a DSB. I used this process in the start of my new tank, along with a few medium sized pieces of live rock.

[jason the filter freak]

You could always boil the rocks to get rid of all the nasties and then re-cure the rock.

 

Haven't we learned a lesson about boiling reef items?

[treesprite]

Haven't we learned a lesson about boiling reef items?

LOL. How could anyone forget?

 

I still suggest sticking with just using the 54 for a refugium rather than sell - the nice DSB may be worth more than the price of the tank that it is in.

Edited October 26, 2008 by treesprite

[trble81]

Haven't we learned a lesson about boiling reef items?

 

 

Totally was going to say the same thing.

[Highland Reefer]

If you are truly concerned I would soak all the rock & sand in muriatic acid or vinegar to kill everything and to try to get rid of any phosphates that the rock & sand have absorbed. This would also help in reducing any possible heavy metal contaminants. I do not believe much could live through this procedure and it has worked for many aquarists in the past.

 

 

 

This a link about how to properly do it: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...mp;pagenumber=1

['Ric]

I initially tried to get rid of the Majanos with Joe's Juice. It works very well, but eventually they will come back. The ones in my tank had some pretty nice colors, so I stopped trying to get rid of them. They have not taken over the tank like Aptasia as some people say they do. They started to take over a giant rock I have at the top of the tank, but then a colony of Palys grew huge and beat them back. They don't like the Palys. I also got some peppermint shrimp, so maybe they are keeping new ones from coming up?

 

All in all, I don't know what the big deal about them is - unless the ones I have are not really Majanos.

They are pink and green flower anemones, basically. Other than growing, what is their downside?

 

'Ric

[lanman]

You could always boil the rocks to get rid of all the nasties and then re-cure the rock.

 

hehehe... Steve - you are a devil!!

 

bob

 

I'm looking into buying a reef setup locally. I'm planning to keep all of the livestock(perhaps sans a tang), corals, rock, and equipment. I'll be selling the tank/stand because I'd prefer to use a 65g tank I already own and will be able to plumb in advance of receiving the existing setup.

 

Unfortunately, the tank has a pretty large population of Majano anemones - on the rock, on zoo colonies, near ricordeas.

 

The setup is arguably fairly priced but I'm trying to decide whether getting back into the hobby with a immediate issue in the tank is too much of a hassle to combat.

 

I'd really like to let the existing owner know whether or not this is a problem that 1) I could deal with at the existing price, 2) maybe I should ask for a discount in light of the issue, 3) is too much trouble for someone who was buying an existing setup largely for the convenience.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

As the pest-king of WAMAS (I entered pictures of my aiptaisia in the 'anemone' photo contest) - Majano's spread more slowly than aiptasia, but are slightly more difficult to kill. I suggest setting up a tank for the new rock - and killing them before you aquascape with that rock. Especially if it is a nice shallow tank, making it easier to get at the pests. Use a Salifert syringe (one with the long skinny tube - like for testing Calcium) - and kalk mixed with water. I took an x-acto and cut the tip of the syringe at an angle, so it is sharp. Poke the tip right INSIDE the base of the majano anemone where possible, and give it a shot. Give it a couple of days - and if anything is alive - zap it again.

 

I would only go to the trouble if you are getting a good deal on the setup - and it's all items you want, or can sell.

 

bob

[sen5241b]

I'm looking into buying a reef setup locally. I'm planning to keep all of the livestock(perhaps sans a tang), corals, rock, and equipment. I'll be selling the tank/stand because I'd prefer to use a 65g tank I already own and will be able to plumb in advance of receiving the existing setup.

 

Unfortunately, the tank has a pretty large population of Majano anemones - on the rock, on zoo colonies, near ricordeas.

 

The setup is arguably fairly priced but I'm trying to decide whether getting back into the hobby with a immediate issue in the tank is too much of a hassle to combat.

 

I'd really like to let the existing owner know whether or not this is a problem that 1) I could deal with at the existing price, 2) maybe I should ask for a discount in light of the issue, 3) is too much trouble for someone who was buying an existing setup largely for the convenience.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I just had a discussion with someone who put majanos in their tank and about 2 years later said she wished she never heard of them. They will spread out of control, out compete and damage or kill your corals.

[amay121]

Not worth the hassle. I did the exact same thing you are thinking about looking to save a buck and I regret it so much. I had HA, bryopsis, aiptasia, you name it. After almost 7 months, I was finally winning against the hair algage, but it was getting harder and harder to reach the aiptasia. Take it from me... DON'T DO IT..

[ctenophore]

IME peppermints do not eat majanos, ever. I have used hundreds of peppermints to kill tens of thousands of aiptasia successfully, but have never physically witnessed a single peppermint eat a majano. So you might get a mutant one that does, but then again you might be better off playing the lottery.

 

Just scrape/chip the good coral off the rock, soak the rock in pH 8.3 fresh water for a few days, and you should be majano free. Bacteria should still be present when you're finished, but any coralline algae, sponge, etc will die. Sometimes you can dip the rock for a shorter period and the majanos will let go willingly, before the coralline, etc. dies. Either way be ready for a cycle, especially combined with moving the sandbed.

 

A good way to move a sandbed is to just scoop it all into a cooler or round keg tub and flush out as much of the detritus as possible with the leftover tank water. Everything will stay alive as long as it is kept wet and relatively temperature stable. Dump it back in once the tank is moved and use all new freshly mixed/aerated seawater.