Quote:
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.
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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!