Trimming star polyps...any angst?

psyrob · #1 09/15/2007, 11:18 PM

My green star polyps have started to overgrow everything in their path. I bought a tiny frag for 8 bucks three years ago from the LFS and now it is a monster...It is overgrowing my zoas and my prized riochordia (sp?) mushrooms...I think the only thing to do is cut them back, as they are jumping across gaps in the live rock and threaten to take over the entire tank

Anyway, I also feel bad killing pieces of the coral, especially as we are striving to be stewards of the ocean...There really is too much of this coral to frag and try and trade (My tank is full anyway) or sell...Anyone else worry about the Karma about "trimming" a coral?

ludnix · #2 09/15/2007, 11:30 PM

I honestly wouldn't worry about it considering the colony as a whole is thriving, and in order to maintain your tanks balance some polyps need to be removed (which would naturally be eaten by something anyways).

However, I would be more than happy to take some frags off your hands if you want to give some of them a new home. (I will gladly pay shipping if you're willing).

pfish · #3 09/15/2007, 11:47 PM

I use a syringe with concentrated calcium hydroxide( Kalk). I turn off the pumps so it doesn't blow around. The star polyps will draw it in when they close up and it kills them .
This works great for controlling green star polyps.

LukFox · #4 09/15/2007, 11:48 PM

How much is too much to trade away? You could always just make bigger frags, lol. I'd seriously be willing to take some, depending on what you'd charge.

psyrob · #5 09/16/2007, 12:05 AM

I really am not trying to be too sappy, but I do feel some angst about killing something...

The thing about fragging it is I don't yet have a frag tank set up. My 60 gallon is really full, it is four years old and all the LPS and softies have filled it up and there is no room to place frags in the tank...I'm not complaining, but success at this level has created new problems... I am in the process of setting up a 10 gallon frag tank and plumbing it to the tank, but with a family (two kids), it is slow going...once I set it up I can frag and i will try and contact you guys in CA to send some frags to you for cost of shipping and handling. I was concerned that the green stars will kill some other corals before I get the frag tank up and running (which may be a month from now) and the I need to take some action now, as my richordias and zoa's are starting to be overgrown. I know, I should have taken this action earlier, but life gets in the way sometimes...

Thanks for the feedback...

ludnix · #6 09/16/2007, 12:29 AM

Is a frag tank really necessary for frags your are going send off? I always was under the impression is was for frags you receive that you want to grow out before putting in your display.

Sorry for if I'm under the wrong impression.

psyrob · #7 09/16/2007, 01:14 AM

the thing with the frag tank is I figured I would cut the corals, glue them to a plug, put the plug in some egg crate in the frag tank and look to swap/sell them once they had grown onto the plug (that is, that they weren't just attached to the plug with the super glue, but were growing over the plug). There's just no room in my main tank to put plugs, not even in the sand, I need to have a separate tank, I think. I'm also going to frag a porites digita and the riorchordias, glueing them to plugs and putting them in the separate, smaller tank...

audio101 · #8 09/16/2007, 01:31 AM

I would buy some also depending on their brightness, I have a hard time finding neon green star polyps.I live in northern california so shipping shouldn't cost to much.

ludnix · #9 09/16/2007, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by audio101
I would buy some also depending on their brightness, I have a hard time finding neon green star polyps.I live in northern california so shipping shouldn't cost to much.

From what I've read that's mostly based on their tank situation not, their particular genetics. I've mostly read it's based on their lighting.