Help!!!

[brianjoy81]

I noticed on one of my rocks i have about 10 small clear anenome looking things. I started looking online and looks like they might be baby Aiptasia's. I tried to take pics but camera will not focus on them. They are small clear and have several arms protruding from them. I read several ways to kill them ranging from using a needle to inject them with lemon juice,to taking the rock out of the water and burning them with a hot piece of metal. Any suggestions? i will try and get the neighbors camera and see if i can get some pics so that we can identify these mystery creatures.

[brianjoy81]

Have yall ever heard of a Berghia Nudibranchs. I just read that they eat Aiptasia's.

[Sandy]

Sure sounds like Aiptasia to me. What I found to work best for me are Peppermint Shrimp. Plus, they are pretty cool to have in the tank. Copperbanded Butterfly Fish also eat Aiptasia, only drawback to them are that once all the Aiptasia are all gone the fish tend to starve to death cause that's all they eat. There are chemicals you can use and I have even heard of injecting them with boiling water. There are alot of options out there. You just have to choose which one you think you will like the best. Hope this helps.

[Gz28]

Yeah peppermint shrimp ate all of mine too. dont freak out too much they are only harmful if they are touching your corals, and because they spread so fast. I would wait on G to get back and Try the peppermint shrimp.

[Jessi84]

Have yall ever heard of a Berghia Nudibranchs. I just read that they eat Aiptasia's.

These are only good if you have a severe infestation and they will die as soon as they cannot find anymore of the Aipstasia...Peppermint shrimp work well and Aipstasia-X works very well too (this is what I use as the shrimp get eaten in my tank)!

[Shelly]

Is the rock in the tank in such a way that makes it so you can't pull it out for abit??

Thought it was a new tank set up.

[C-21 USAF]

I agree with Jessie...I'm almost 100% with Aiptasia-X and coupled with the shrimp you'll be fine...that's what I did and it worked.

[phisher]

May or may not be aiptasia, a lot of small anemones/polyps can come in on live rock...I wouldn't go ready, fire, AIM!!! just yet. Try and see if it has a hard base of any kind that it retracts into.

Any of the mentioned methods can work for aiptasia removal if you want to go that route.

We spent the weekend in Orlando listening to the lecturers at MACNA talk about the benefits of known pest animals in a reef tank. They are looking into how the byproducts of aiptasia & other pests are beneficial and actually help to feed a lot of corals. I am not saying this is the gospel truth at this point but its interesting to watch. Old timers can remember when we spend many restless hours hunting and killing bristle worms and could never imagine them being helpful...so who knows.

[Gerwin]

you just got a lot of good advice Brian.
If they are on one rock..hell yank the rock and cook it in the Mississippi sun for a day, it will be live rock again one day in the near future.
Apstasia X / Joes Juice have them both and they work
Peppermint shrimp , Some butterfly's work to
And as Phisher said they are playing with apstasia for a while as filters in a natural sort of way and maybe even more as I did not goto that lecture apparently or a fell asleep...j/k it was a awesome .

[phisher]

Yea it was the first one on Friday by Anthony Calfo that you guys walked into right at the end.

[Gerwin]

Old timers can remember when we spend many restless hours hunting and killing bristle worms and could never imagine them being helpful...so who knows.

ha...I was the one back then that said leave them be, they have a purpose and it serves better than any risk. Once again folks I stumble upon greatness through logic and common sense.
Of course "everything in moderation" should always be remembered