zygote2k August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 After many years of doing maintenance I have compiled a list of corals that you shouldn't introduce to your tank because of their smothering ability or ability to kill other corals. 1) Briareum. MS was the first to have this coral back in the day and it sold like hotcakes. Everyone had to have it. When it established itself, it tended to grow across everything in its' way including GSP. Only way to remove it is to scrub it from the rock. 2)Sympodium. Little blue polyps that look amazing and they're blue to boot. Grows fast and reproduces sexually or by stolons and runners. You can have a blue carpet tank if you're not careful. Scrub to remove. 3)Anthelia. Comes in many colors. Liams Cloves are another type that is prettier but has same growth habits of Pink Anthelia. Stolons and runners and not much that it won't grow over. Kills GSP, pocillopora, acros. 4)Borneman Anemones. One member made a fortune selling these because everyone had to have one. Turns out they act as if they are giant aiptasia and sting everything. Grows and reproduces faster than you can remove them. 5)Green Yuma mushrooms. The Yuma craze captured everyone a few years back and the green ones were pretty popular. Unfortunately they sting anything that comes close and if enough of them grow in a tank, they poison the water against new growth of new corals. 6)Kenya Tree. Often sold as a beginner coral. Easily grows in any toilet and drops numeous pieces of itself that lodge in rocks and crevices making it hard to remove. Reproduces quickly. 7)Galaxea. Gonna be on the ban list soon. Has incredibly far reaching sweeper tentacles that burn any tissue upon touch. Encrusts well and sometimes comes in rainbow coloration but the damage it causes far outweighs the color bonus. 8)Green Star Polyps. GSP has qualities similar to Briareum but tends to be more easily controlled. 9)Xenia. Has similar qualities of Anthelia but tends to require cleaner water and is more sensitive to water chemistry fluctuations. Can overrun a tank. 10)Palythoas. 90% of the palys are problematic in that they grow too fast for the home aquarium. Poisonous to boot. Many change from beautiful specimens to Outlaw Stew Palys if lighting conditions fluctuate. Grows over everything including GSP. Nuke Greens, Purple Deaths, Grandis aren't usually a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 10)Palythoas. 90% of the palys are problematic in that they grow too fast for the home aquarium. Poisonous to boot. Many change from beautiful specimens to Outlaw Stew Palys if lighting conditions fluctuate. Grows over everything including GSP. Nuke Greens, Purple Deaths, Grandis aren't usually a problem. You always like to make me re-live my poisoning, don't you Rob? When that happened to me and I was working with the CDC, they told me they had tested most of them and that they ALL contain palytoxin, but the concentrations vary. They also told me that a lot of zoanthids contained toxins. While not palytoxin, it can still put a hurtin on you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 lol rob your list sounds like the content of my first tank.....and now I wont put any of those in for the same reason you mention.....especially that kenya tree....it spreads like wildfire steve whats that stew recipe again? boil, scrub and inhale steam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 You forgot one step Jenn.........ignore the symptoms until your lungs start collapsing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 I agree the Kenya tree and blue clove polyps are like the plague, they reproduce and spread very quickly, everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfish01 August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 My brother can give u horror stories about kenya trees..had to tank down completely to get rid of... Boilrd rocks,u name it.. he wont even look at one now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 I love all of those corals!!!!! I have/had all but the first...and apparently I can kill things that spread like the plague...I've killed them all excluding my GSP that I try to keep contained to one rock... So if you anyone needs a lesson in how to kill them just ask me,lol or maybe it's my an water? I do fine with most LPS,lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 I love all of those corals!!!!! I have/had all but the first...and apparently I can kill things that spread like the plague...I've killed them all excluding my GSP that I try to keep contained to one rock... So if you anyone needs a lesson in how to kill them just ask me,lol or maybe it's my an water? I do fine with most LPS,lol Fascinating lol... Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 Well, wait.............are we talking Kenya Tree or Colt? As I understand it, Kenya Tree is fairly fast growing but stays to itself, while Colt Coral drops babies everywhere and will take over a tank. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef August 4, 2013 Share August 4, 2013 Well, wait.............are we talking Kenya Tree or Colt? As I understand it, Kenya Tree is fairly fast growing but stays to itself, while Colt Coral drops babies everywhere and will take over a tank. Can anyone confirm or deny this?Both are weeds Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 5, 2013 Author Share August 5, 2013 same stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 Kenya Tree (capnella) and Colt (cladiella) are not the same, two different corals. The kenya feels rough and leather like while the colt is slimy and smooth, similar to xenia. The Kenya drops buds or branches to reproduce while the colt can do the same but normally spreads from the base or by the branch touching a nearby rock and adhearing to it, just like xenia. The Kenya will have sclerites near the base while the Colt is completely soft. Both can be called weeds because they spread quickly but I think the Kenya tree is hardier and reproduces faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecrackerbob August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 I love em all too!!! I would say this, if you want an sps tank than I would stay away from all or most of these. that said, if you like a softie or LPS tank (like me) go for it... but everyones results may vary... interesting about the coming bans... does anyone have a link to the final list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 interesting about the coming bans... does anyone have a link to the final list? The last list I have seen was last year but I did read they are supposed to have a determination and new list out in Nov 2013. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/11/docs/list_of_66_proposed_corals.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecrackerbob August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 all i can say here is wow.... guess its time to stock up. As if I didnt have enough to think about with the maryland gun bans on Oct 1.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 I would add red mushrooms to the list. Spread like the plague. Just pulled about a quart of Anthelia out of the 90 yesterday. Interestingly, the Acropora nana next door was winning the battle against it, but the BTA was getting overwhelmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 Do folks still like anthelia or sympodium or cloves or gsp along the back glass or is that passe now like a big rock wall is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 5, 2013 Share August 5, 2013 Lol I love wall of spreaders! And big rock walls are still around...personal preference all around I'm sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 6, 2013 Author Share August 6, 2013 Do folks still like anthelia or sympodium or cloves or gsp along the back glass or is that passe now like a big rock wall is? I have a few tanks where GSP covers the back wall or overflows. GSP is much easier to deal with as long as you keep it on an area that can be easily pruned. It doesn't have sexual reproduction either but grows as an encrusting mat. Sympodium reproduces sexually and thrives in aquarium conditions. It just pops up anywhere and grows over everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 I like the gsp encrusting on overflows or the back wall as long as there's no rocks touching the wall With regards to sympodium, I guess I'm that guy then because I've tried to keep it three times, the first time it had nudis and the second two times it just withered away. Everything esle in the tank was fine though. I guess that was a good thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 I have a few tanks where GSP covers the back wall or overflows. GSP is much easier to deal with as long as you keep it on an area that can be easily pruned. It doesn't have sexual reproduction either but grows as an encrusting mat. I have had GSP go sexual a few times before with it releasing pink eggs and sperm into the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 Sticky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integral9 August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 (edited) I disagree with Xenia as a general statement. The longbar xenia isn't all that nice imo. But the Pompom Xenia I think is actually quite nice. It's easy to control and doesn't hurt anything that I have found. It does grow fast, but just kind of bounces off anything it runs into. I guess I was unknowingly nostalgic, but I liked having a wall of it on the back wall of my 55. It really made the tank come alive with all of it's pulsating and movement in the flow. Somewhere I have this pic w/out the macro filter: Edited August 6, 2013 by Integral9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohaverd August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 After many years of doing maintenance I have compiled a list of corals that you shouldn't introduce to your tank because of their smothering ability or ability to kill other corals. 1) Briareum. MS was the first to have this coral back in the day and it sold like hotcakes. Everyone had to have it. When it established itself, it tended to grow across everything in its' way including GSP. Only way to remove it is to scrub it from the rock. 2)Sympodium. Little blue polyps that look amazing and they're blue to boot. Grows fast and reproduces sexually or by stolons and runners. You can have a blue carpet tank if you're not careful. Scrub to remove. 3)Anthelia. Comes in many colors. Liams Cloves are another type that is prettier but has same growth habits of Pink Anthelia. Stolons and runners and not much that it won't grow over. Kills GSP, pocillopora, acros. 4)Borneman Anemones. One member made a fortune selling these because everyone had to have one. Turns out they act as if they are giant aiptasia and sting everything. Grows and reproduces faster than you can remove them. 5)Green Yuma mushrooms. The Yuma craze captured everyone a few years back and the green ones were pretty popular. Unfortunately they sting anything that comes close and if enough of them grow in a tank, they poison the water against new growth of new corals. 6)Kenya Tree. Often sold as a beginner coral. Easily grows in any toilet and drops numeous pieces of itself that lodge in rocks and crevices making it hard to remove. Reproduces quickly. 7)Galaxea. Gonna be on the ban list soon. Has incredibly far reaching sweeper tentacles that burn any tissue upon touch. Encrusts well and sometimes comes in rainbow coloration but the damage it causes far outweighs the color bonus. 8)Green Star Polyps. GSP has qualities similar to Briareum but tends to be more easily controlled. 9)Xenia. Has similar qualities of Anthelia but tends to require cleaner water and is more sensitive to water chemistry fluctuations. Can overrun a tank. 10)Palythoas. 90% of the palys are problematic in that they grow too fast for the home aquarium. Poisonous to boot. Many change from beautiful specimens to Outlaw Stew Palys if lighting conditions fluctuate. Grows over everything including GSP. Nuke Greens, Purple Deaths, Grandis aren't usually a problem. Where was this post when I needed it??? I bought a chunk of Kenya Tree from someone who said it was Colt coral like a year ago, I didn’t find out until I gave some to someone at the FFE that it was Kenya Tree. I also made my Foxface Lo a permanent frag tank resident because I thought he was nipping the "colt coral" and making all of the branches fall off, when in fact... It was just a piece of crap Kenya tree spreading its branches all over my tank lol. The GSP has come in handy for me though... I used it to cover up some of the pipes on my closed loop. And I like how large chunks of it sway back and forth in the flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 6, 2013 Share August 6, 2013 The good thing about fast growing corals like xenia is they can help to remove things like phosphates from the tank when they are thinned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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