HELP! Trouble with acropora

[five.five-six]

Well, several of my acro are just out of control. For the past few years, my biggest ongoing maintenance routine has been trimming overgrown acropora colonies. Roughly every 9 months I have to cut out enough that it takes 2-3 5 gallon buckets to bring it all to the LFS. Yea, metal halide lighting sucks like that.

Anyways, I have 2 really thick colonies. One of them grew over a very nice clam and killed it with shade. Last weekend I filled one 5 gallon bucket but couldn’t really get at these 2 colonies with bone cutters. I did get a 15 pound rock out and cut a bunch off with hand saw but most of my rock structure has fused itself together with encrusted SPS, basically now it’s just one 200 pound piece of rock.

I’m afraid to use a hammer and chisel, I think the energy would transfer through the rock and crack my tank. I’m thinking of some sort of dental drill or perhaps using a reciprocating airsaw though I’m afraid the oils would contaminate the tank. The saws are pretty cheep at HF though.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.harborfreight.com/air-reciprocating-saw-58910.html[/URL]

I think this would work but I’d just have to figure out how to protect the tank from the oil. Perhaps run denatured alcohol through it and lube it with vegetable oil or something that wouldn’t be really detrimental to the tank.

 

[drexel]

I don't think I would risk getting any oils or other contaminants in the tank. I would probably use a Japanese handsaw and coat it with molykote 111 and cut away. That's the one thing I hate about halides, they just grow corals too damn well.

 

[five.five-six]

That's the one thing I hate about halides, they just grow corals too damn well.

Yeah, metal halide’s suck like that.

 

[wishntoboutside]

Time for a bigger tank with newer equipment lol

 

[bakbay]

Sorry to hear — that’s one big, First World problem! lol

If it were me, I would try something like this? Any clean garden tool would do but try to find a crevice and snip the corals apart. Agree that using the hammer & chisel is a bad idea.
https://a.co/d/2nrycAG

 

[Jimbo327]

This is a problem I don't have. LOL.

Maybe try to use a metal snip, those really pack a punch.

 

[Bck2hobby]

Any pics of your problem before you mow em down?

 

[five.five-six]

Any pics of your problem before you mow em down?

I took some but actually neither of the really big corals are in these pictures. I’ll take some more later.

 

[Pygo]

I've used Fiskar garden trimmers(the small curved hand ones, not the mega in the link above) to cut coral, frag plugs, and even to crush up rock into smaller rubble when changing up my scape(granted I had the luxury of doing it outside the tank). This will really depend on your rock though. Some pieces would cut and crumble like it was nothing, and others would just not give. Gonna have to play around and test a few sections as you do it

 

[Bck2hobby]

thanks much appreciated
nice problem to have

 

[Jimbo327]

The lesson here is to run halides.

 

[five.five-six]

I should do it this weekend, butcher these things…. They are so beautiful but they are shading everything out

 

[five.five-six]

Sorry to hear — that’s one big, First World
~snip~
Agree that using the hammer & chisel is a bad idea.
https://a.co/d/2nrycAG

That’s exactly what I used. PGA7602 over at RC suggested this surgical bone chisel. (Yes, RC is still there) Lot’s of short firm tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap. The eflow was the worst, bout 1/2 hr of tap tap tap

 

[five.five-six]

I was going to change out my halides this week after 2+ year but with much shading removed, I think I will wait a week or 3

Before:

After:

Another before:

After:

One more before:

And the scraps: