Question about Blue Clove Polyps

[Peter Gott]

***Note: I've been told I'm long-winded, so feel free to skip the background/context and go straight to the actual question below if you're otherwise not going to read my post. It is similarly marked with asterisks.

Soooo I made a mistake I swore I'd never do and made an impulse purchase without sufficient research. I am making a pest aquarium, and at AquaTek today I found some scattered blue clove polyps amongst the substrate and talked the staff into fishing out a few small shells with five to ten polyps each on them for my lest aquarium.

Now I have read that these guys spread like wildfire, and that's part of why I got them. See, my pest aquarium is somewhat of an experiment in nutrient export. It actually started with Xenia and crabs. So it is hooked up to my main display tank.

Here's what I did not realize: these guys are so invasive because they *spawn*. I have peppermint shrimp in my DT to take care of spawning aiptasia, but from what I have read, there isn't really a good predator available for these guys. So unless I act fast to remove them (kind of a hassle since my pest aquarium is basically a dumping ground for live rock rubble), I probably have to deal with them ending up in my DT. And here is where the question comes in:

***I have read conflicting reports as to whether they will grow on/choke out SPS, and my DT is primarily SPS. In your experience, will they harm SPS or just cover the live rock around them?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

[victoly]

I'm the resident bcp expert/victim. Once they're in there, you're gonna have a tough time getting them out. I have a miracle cure you can try, but it will toast crabs and softies.

[victoly]

They won't grow on the sps themselves, but they will infest the plugs. They also don't sting , so that's a bonus. They do however "spawn" or break off and move around at will.

[+Capt. Obvious]

I have some I got from victoly and I can say...mine are attached to grains of sand... Yes they spread like gangbusters

[esacjack]

I picked up a bunch of LR rubble, and among the rubble were two acro skeletons. (you can see them in my pico 3g tank build) It started as one polyp...now its like 40 or 50... The ones I have are extremely small. So I'd err on the side of caution, versus just tossing them in there.. If they get out of control, reef epoxy will smear them out...

[Peter Gott]

I forgot to say thanks for the replies--thanks guys! 8}