Purging my tank of Tulip Anemones

[momof6kids]

Well, Doug and I finally had enough. We have lost so many different corals by these beautiful but deadly. They literally at up anything in their path. The only thing that could keep it away was my RBTA.

We had thought that we would try using a torch and burning them off, but we had a couple of problems with that. One, it destroyed the coralline algae as well, and you could smell the dead and dying anemones. I didn't want to have to cycle the rock all over again, so this option was out.

What we ended up doing is for any rocks that had coral on them, I used a pair of tweezers and plucked, pried and scraped them off. The rock that didn't have anything else on it but anemones Doug took outside and used a pressure washer and blasted them off.

Here are some before and after pictures. I am also sure that we didn't get them all (but we got rid of thousands of them). Whenever I see one pop up, I am plucking it out.

Just think I could have sold them on Ebay and made a fortune. I would not have been happy knowingly introducing these into anyone else's aquarium.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LIVE-CORAL-mini...ryZ46308QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Before:

and after:

and a Full Tank Shot, after:

 

[camz28]

i have the same but i dont think that many , im going to try to clean it up with in 2 weeks

 

[magic]

Well, Doug and I finally had enough. We have lost so many different corals by these beautiful but deadly. They literally at up anything in their path. The only thing that could keep it away was my RBTA.

We had thought that we would try using a torch and burning them off, but we had a couple of problems with that. One, it destroyed the coralline algae as well, and you could smell the dead and dying anemones. I didn't want to have to cycle the rock all over again, so this option was out.

What we ended up doing is for any rocks that had coral on them, I used a pair of tweezers and plucked, pried and scraped them off. The rock that didn't have anything else on it but anemones Doug took outside and used a pressure washer and blasted them off.

Here are some before and after pictures. I am also sure that we didn't get them all (but we got rid of thousands of them). Whenever I see one pop up, I am plucking it out.

Just think I could have sold them on Ebay and made a fortune. I would not have been happy knowingly introducing these into anyone else's aquarium.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LIVE-CORAL-mini...ryZ46308QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Before:

and after:

and a Full Tank Shot, after:

Nice job!

 

[Brian]

Wow! The results are amazing! Great Job! I know that must have been a chore.

 

[MikeNapoli]

Good work Erna and Doug! That's real dedication.

 

[malulu]

Erna,

i did it about 1.5 year ago, took me almost one week!
you see, it is not that bad, right? it sounds painful... but once you bite the bullet and start doing it... you will very satisfy you did it!! yeah!!

 

[NJ_ychung1]

never heard of them ... is it the same as aptaisia.... your before picture looks alost like yellow polyps...

 

[momof6kids]

That's what happens when you take pictures during the day and you have huge windows that let in light. ;D

Here's a older picture that shows what they look like. They are a bright green with pink tips. They are like majanos or aiptasia in that they are a weed.

 

[AnDom1]

Great Job Erna & Doug!!!!!

I am fighting a similar problem with what I thought are Aiptasia...But a healthy Copperband Fly and a number of Peppermint shrimp have not touched them... So now I suspect they are Majano anemones and along with injecting with Joe's Juice, I just remove the worst pieces, wire brush them and finally, let 'em bake in the sun on my deck for several days. I am doing this section by section so I don't have to breakdown the tank. Progress is slow but visible. Can't wait to claim victory. ;D

Again, congrats on a job well done.

Dom

 

[blange3]

Great job Erna and Doug! Looks very nice.

I do see another potentially invasive species sitting on top of the rockwork. ;D

 

[momof6kids]

Yeah, a really kind friend gave me those. ;D

How is the basement coming along?

 

[blange3]

Yeah, a really kind friend gave me those. ;D

How is the basement coming along?

The basement dweller is on his way home as we speak, so I expect a lot of activity this week!

Carpet shopping should happen shortly as well, so we can get the upstairs tank ready!

 

[JRodrig692]

Have to say you did a FINE job clearing them up.

In all the reading I have done, this is the first tank that I have seen with these things. I presume that others have them, just no one wants to show.

They are nice looking though.

 

[momof6kids]

They are nice looking though.

I know, if I could have controlled them, I would have left them alone. :'(

They are beautiful, but as I said before, anything that got in their path, they devoured.

 

[boontonbob]

Hey Doug/Erna - Very nice job on enduring what sounds like painstaking work! My patience has been tested to the max. lately as well with bulkhead leaks on my new sump. There have been recent evenings where I said I really don't know how much more I can endure. I've been skimmerless too long. My memories of my prior system running smooth for two years has kept me in the game.

Keep chipping away at the stone! (or should I say plucking!)
Bob

 

[DiazE]

Do you still have any available?
I would like to experiment with them in my sump; use them as detritus eaters.
:

 

[momof6kids]

You are more than welcome to come and get some. Unfortunately they are starting to come back in some areas, no where near what they were, but still disappointing to say the least after all the hard work we did. I live in Bridgewater, where are you?

Erna

 

[DiazE]

You are more than welcome to come and get some. Unfortunately they are starting to come back in some areas, no where near what they were, but still disappointing to say the least after all the hard work we did. I live in Bridgewater, where are you?

Erna

Sorry for the late reply, I am always on RC. I live in Jersey City near Lincoln Park off Route 440.

 

[Phyl]

I would excercise extreme caution in purposefully adding something like this to your system (no matter where). I've seen aptasia kick up in one area of the tank when they stated in another. For example in an overflow box or fuge when they started in the display. Or in the display when they started in the fuge. I don't know how similar these are to aptasia, but I wouldn't add aptasia to my system on purpose, and I doubt I'd add these either. They seem like a bear to rid.