Coral Removal

[zoltarblue]

Starting to get my tank set up but some of the rock it came with has this coral on it. Its not something I am interested in. Any way to safely remove it that anyone knows of otherwise I am going to get rid of the rock I guess. Seems a shame its on three large pieces

[BowieReefer84]

I bet a store would trade you bare rock for rock with xenia on it. Or maybe even a fellow member.

 

I hope you don't mean get rid of, as throw away.

[Guest thefishman65]

Look like cabbage coral IMO. I suppose you could bleach it, but that would kill everything which is probably not what you want.

 

[EDIT]

My Xenia is much taller than that. Which is why I thought cabbage. I would take the Xenia or the cabbage

Edited July 27, 2011 by thefishman65

[Integral9]

that looks like a briarium to me.

 

ime, it's easiest to remove the "infected" rock as scraping it off will never get it all and even a tiny morsel left over will regrow the entire colony, slowly, but even w/out direct light, or flow. Short of drying the rock out or using a brulee torch, I can't seem to kill the stuff. Also, makes ure you get rid of it all. Even the smallest bit will regrow to that size in about a year.

[mling]

I bet a store would trade you bare rock for rock with xenia on it. Or maybe even a fellow member.

 

I hope you don't mean get rid of, as throw away.

 

I would be one of the "fellow member" interested in trading you a bare rock or two for it.

I've quite a lot of bare rocks in my sump.

[zoltarblue]

I would never think or just tossing it in the woods or something so no worries there. Zygote actually said its peach briareum. A LFS right down the road from me told me to bring it in and he would weigh the rock and give me trade for new rock. Just wanted some more opinions before I did since there is 4-5 "big" rocks involved and I am sure while I will get similar weight it will not be nice big round boulders like these. I have looked at the other rocks and am hoping it is not hiding on any others I have not noticed. As a after thought I may be in the market to buy some nice rock once this is all done with depending on what I am offered at the LFS.

[zygote2k]

It's Peach Briareum. One of the sponsors here on WAMAS was one of the first importers of the stuff. It's the coral equivalent of Kudzu. If someone is willing to trade it for fresh rock, do it. The only way that I was able to eradicate it was to scrub it off with a bristle brush and rinse it under tap water till all remnants were removed.

[lanman]

It's really beautiful when it grows out; but you need to keep it on a rock separate from the rest of your rockwork.

 

bob

[davelin315]

Ask and you shall receive! I had a large patch that I put into a fish only tank with only ambient lighting and it took a few weeks but it died off. If you are patient enough, leave it in the dark for a few weeks until it crumbles when you touch it - it'll then be dead and it will not come back.

[Jon Lazar]

Here's a good way to remove slimy corals like xenia and kenya tree without killing them and spreading their tissues and chemicals all over your reef. Take a 2"x2" piece of gauze. Fold it in half and put it between your index finger and thumb. Reach into the tank and pinch the kenya tree coral, but keep the gauze between your fingers and the coral. (Think of the gauze like a glove to keep your fingers from getting slimy.) The gauze will allow you to maintain a good grip on the coral, so just gently tear the coral free from the rock. It should come free at the base without ripping the coral in pieces.

 

Using gauze like this allows you to remove most of the organic material (the coral) and keeps your rock in place. IME the gauze works so well there is usally nothing left at all on the rock. If there is a little bit of residue left, scrub it off with a toothbrush.