Majanos from Hell !!

[JetCat USA]

Originally posted by matt the fiddler
rather than cooking rock for a year (assuming there is not a nutrient issue), why not dry it, kill it, wait a bit- and then bring it back to life with some Fresh LR?

the funa life on the rock is saved when cooking, it all dies when dried out.

if one simply cared less about the funa life in the rock they could simply add 5 lbs of pool chlorine granules to the tank and let nature take its course for a week then add a dechlorinate and you'd be ready to go again.

[aurora]

If you use a butterfly to treat your majano, you can train the fish to eat only majano. I have a 300g SPS tank that was heavily infested last year and almost gave up on it. I'm talking about majano covering my side glass like gsp. Cooking the rocks was out of the question since my SPS colonies were so large that they are sealed into the rockwork. I finally relented and got a racoon butterfly. I trained the racoon to eat majano by keeping him in my refugium and feeding him exclusively live rocks with majanos on it from my main tank. He learn to pick the rocks clean. After about 2-3 weeks, I released him into my main tank and boy did he went to town. Cleaned out all visible majano in 2 weeks. There are some left in tiny cracks and nooks and the only way to remove them would be to dry the rocks. He was also picking at my LPS. I lost a prized electric orange scolemia that I've had for years. The problem was getting the fish out after he cleaned up the tank. I finally broke down the rockwork and removed the fish. The raccoon did not bother any of my sps that I could see. My advice for anyone trying this method would be to remove your prized LPS before embarking on this venture. Try keeping it at a friend's tank or a separted tank. I still have an occasional majano needing kalk injection but the problem is definitely under control now.

[montrealreef]

Thanks for the tip aurora... I might try that but I must say I'm a little bit nervous because the last time I tried a raccoon he almost killed my SPS in one week!!

[matt the fiddler]

"the funa life on the rock is saved when cooking"

yes and no- on of the big things for me to keep would be the encrusted corals. unless the kalk keeps them at bay...

However, if the problem continues, and I end up moving the tank in a year, which I plan on- that might be the time to start over with some fresh rock, rubble, dry my old rock [5 years old in some cases, so the diversity isn't what it used to be] and build the new system with a combo of the two.

[Klownfish]

I just got back from MASM. I asked everybody, every vendor, and every one I could find about these nasty critters. Here's what I was advised:

Take out as much infested rock as you can, and soak in Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure. Let it soak for about 5-10 minutes. It makes the Majano's release, and they will float off the rock to the top of your bucket. Keep soaking until they release. It won't kill the rock, or any corals attached to the rock. It may make zoa's close up a bit, but after a day, they will be fine.

For rock that can't be removed, try the Tropic Marin "Apitisia Kill" and feed their mouths, then, go back and inject them with a hypodermic needle into the base, or foot, of the anemone. A mix of "Kill Apitaisia" mixed with RO/DI H20 will help the float the dead anemone up to the top of your tank, where you can net them off.

I haven't tried these myself, yet. I plan to this weekend, and I will post my results! FWIW, several people recomended these products, who were NOT affiliated with Tropic Marin.

The Tropic Marin sales rep did give me some samples to try out. He was a great guy, who offered sound advice, with his samples.

I hope it works! I will post results, as soon as I can test the products!!!

[Klownfish]

Originally posted by bob21115
I started with 2 or 3 on one rock. I didn't know they were pests. After all the attempts to get rid of them is what caused them to spread.

Bob-
Thanks for your post with pictures. Your tank rocks! I'm glad to hear you were able to rid your tank of these nasty awful pests. I think you give us all a little hope...

[chris4869]

I'm so glad that some of you are successful in killing these pests.

Everytime I kill one, I get about four little ones more. I've tried pretty much everything you guys mention too including pulling them out with a tweezer. I haven't tried blow torching it yet. hehehe. The hot water injection is by far the least affective one. I have a hard time removing the dead flesh, and always ended up getting more than before. I had a copperband, and I guess I must have gotten one that is on a diet. It died a few months afterward of starvation.

The last thing that I recall using was the Blue Life Aiptasia Control. I was surprised that it worked better than Joe's Juice, but I did get some re-growth.

I kinda gave up after my last Blue Life Aiptasia Controll session. I don't know what happen, but I have fewer aiptasia now than I did before. I guess my little pepermint shrimps (x2) are finally eating the little guys. They don't like touching the big guys for some reason. I've discovered that 3 have migrated to my refugium, but I don't mind.

Good luck you guys!

[aznepydna]

The solution for me was a bi-color angel. It took a few months but it eventually ate every last one. It did nip at my sps though but did not cause any damage.

[montrealreef]

I just wanted to give you an update on the damage caused by a 2 inch raccoon that I had tried as a predator for majanos 3 weeks ago. It targeted a few of my SPS colonies to the point that the corals started to brown out and the the polyps retracted completely. It was removed after one week. Today before going to work, I noticed that one of those colonies started to RTN (a small 2-3 mm area at the base). By the time I got back, the volleyball sized colony had completely peeled of its skeleton. Time will show whether the rest of the colonies that he picked on will have the same fate. I just finished a whole battery of tests and all the water parameters are in check. I really think this was induced by the butterfly.

I would not recommend this fish unless you are willing to loose some of your prized specimens.

[bob21115]

This is why I took all the coral out I could.

Originally posted by montrealreef
I just wanted to give you an update on the damage caused by a 2 inch raccoon that I had tried as a predator for majanos 3 weeks ago. It targeted a few of my SPS colonies to the point that the corals started to brown out and the the polyps retracted completely. It was removed after one week. Today before going to work, I noticed that one of those colonies started to RTN (a small 2-3 mm area at the base). By the time I got back, the volleyball sized colony had completely peeled of its skeleton. Time will show whether the rest of the colonies that he picked on will have the same fate. I just finished a whole battery of tests and all the water parameters are in check. I really think this was induced by the butterfly.

I would not recommend this fish unless you are willing to loose some of your prized specimens.

[matt the fiddler]

I have had some recent luck wiht kalk paste [not saturated, the paste that didn't dissolve from the bottom of the mix]

i turned off all pumps and filled the cracks in the rock completly trying to stab and inject them in the process them.. then let it sit for 30 min.

if they are on a vertical surface, it is much harder....

you do have to be careful when you turn your pumps on... as that is powerfull stuff

[Klownfish]

Originally posted by aznepydna
The solution for me was a bi-color angel. It took a few months but it eventually ate every last one. It did nip at my sps though but did not cause any damage.

What else did you have in your tank? What type of corals? LPS, SPS, softies?

Did you have any clams or RBTA's or LTA's?

Thanks.

[Klownfish]

Originally posted by aurora
My advice for anyone trying this method would be to remove your prized LPS before embarking on this venture. Try keeping it at a friend's tank or a separted tank. I still have an occasional majano needing kalk injection but the problem is definitely under control now.

OK, so remove any and all LPS and SPS or as much as possible.

What about clams and NICE anemones? Like RBTA's and Purple LTA's?

Would this fish go after them too? My clams are mostly easy to get out of the tank. The anemones are much more difficult. The nems do have a pair of hosting T-Percs. The Clowns might keep a Butterfly or Angel away?

My friend said she could house most of my coral and clams, but she couldn't promise she would be able to pull my anemones back out of her tank... she has too much rock.

I'm trying to consider ALL options, but I will soak some of the majano covered rock in the Tropic Marin this weekend.

[JetCat USA]

Originally posted by Klownfish
......My friend said she could house most of my coral and clams, but she couldn't promise she would be able to pull my anemones back out of her tank... she has too much rock.

Now that is a true friend. i admire anyone who will offer to hold a coral in their system knowing it came from a majano infested system. it only takes one to infest their system and the likelihood of that is pretty high. kudos to the friend.

[j.prostrata]

Has anyone tried a banded butterfly? I wanna know did your butterflies eat your snails and or your RBTA's at all? I have no problem removing corals right now to fight these mojanoes. I got mine from one hiden in a zoo rock and now I have 200-300 in my 240. I can remove the clams also and put them in my prop system but just wanted to make sure of my snails and RBTA before I purchase a butterfly.

[aznepydna]

My tank consists of RBTA's and SPS. The Bi-Color Angel did no damage to any of my corals. The only thing I noticed was that the sps did not open until after the lights went off. The angel only nipped when polyps were extended. Cannot say what it would do to clams. It never bothered the rbta's. The fish died when a maxi-jet did a meltdown in my tank. I no longer have any mojanoes or aptasia in my tank and I had hundreds before I added the bi-color. On the plus side the bicolor is beautiful and cheap.

Andy

[Klownfish]

azenphtra-
Thanks. A Bi-Color Angel may be a good option. My *guess* is an Angel would go after my clams. I could house them elsewhere for a few months.

[rick17]

Would a pyramide butterfly (reef safe) eat majanos

[kkenn]

Hi

Did anyone try the Burgess Butterfly,someone told me it works,will eat some LPS but not SPS ,is that true?Please help my alpitasia problem amd post any experience,thanks for help.

Ken

[Gary Majchrzak]

This thread deals with Majano anemones. Majano anemones aren't Aiptasia anemones and a lot of critters that will eat Majano won't touch Aiptasia.

[rick17]

Originally posted by rick17
Would a pyramide butterfly (reef safe) eat majanos

Does anybody have any experience whit these fish and majanos

[Klownfish]

I tried the Tropic Marin Elimi-apitisia on the majono's. So far, its about a 70 percent kill rate. I "fed" the majanos the stuff. It comes with a 'feeder type of tube' not a true syringe. Today, I'm going to inject those puppies with a hypodermic needle, 18g or so, right into the base.

I'll post how well it works...

I haven't had a chance to pull all of my rock out and try soaking it in the Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure.

I've been busy cleaning, and I had 2 pumps go ka-putt. I'm still thinking about a Copper Banded Butterfly, though.

[radar99]

Klownfish, I was reading along then the replies just stopped, What were your results?

[KurtsReef]

Found a neat little trick, the rock I placed in the fuge that was covered in majano's is completely (well possibly) free of majano's now.

Put the rock (if your able to) in the sump and then cover it with cheato. The majano's want to get to the light and crawl up into the cheato...easy removal from there.

Was pulling them out by the 10's and 20's for weeks everytime I visited the cellar. Its a good feeling to toss the little buggers into the trash.

[waterfaller1]

Originally posted by Gary Majchrzak
This thread deals with Majano anemones. Majano anemones aren't Aiptasia anemones and a lot of critters that will eat Majano won't touch Aiptasia.

And what would these critters that "eat mojano" be? I am about giving up the battle.