Aiptasia on TBS rock?

[figuerres]

Interesting find today...I was checking my sump water level and observing some of my "bad" gorillas in the sump. Then as I scanned my eyes to my return pump...I see...a tiny anemone.

It is not a cup coral...I've got a lot of those in the tank.

Any suggestions as to what I should do?

If I try to keep it - doesn't it require light for photosynthesis? or can it live with just supplemental brine shrimp...?

I had one that grew in the dark.... it grew till I had to get rid of it as it was large and was looking like it would eat a fish :eek2:

If I try to get rid of it - obviously I don't plan on having peppermints in my sump - do I scrape it off?

It's sitting on the bottom of my sump - about the size of a dime. There is a baffle that separates it from my gorilla crabs.

I find it amazing that it made it down the overflow (aga megaflow).

if it's not gonna eat any fish or such...

then i'd let it grow a while and ID what kind it is... might be one you can keep ....

 

[phil519]

Sound reasonable to me. I didn't plan on doing anything to it...but I think it won't survive without some food. I'm going to try and get a pic of it to post -but it's clear and with the acyrlic sump - it's difficult to photo.

 

[phil519]

quick other question. I looked at this pinnedAiptasia Post and I know identification is difficult - but it looks like the pic all the way on the left (first row).

Anyway - as I said - i'll me eye on it and if next week there are 10 of them - I'll know what to do.

Don"t forget Mark, Marys husband that dives all this rock up outa the Gulf!

OOOPS I forgot about him. I also didn't know he's married to Mary! yes - many kudos to you too!

EDIT: I do not think this is aiptasia - although it may "look" like the pic I mentioned above - I do not think it is. Just want to be clear on that. It seems more likely to be some kind of hydroid (if I understand the term correctly)

 

[figuerres]

quick other question. I looked at this pinnedAiptasia Post and I know identification is difficult - but it looks like the pic all the way on the left (first row).

Anyway - as I said - i'll me eye on it and if next week there are 10 of them - I'll know what to do.



OOOPS I forgot about him. I also didn't know he's married to Mary! yes - many kudos to you too!

EDIT: I do not think this is aiptasia - although it may "look" like the pic I mentioned above - I do not think it is. Just want to be clear on that. It seems more likely to be some kind of hydroid (if I understand the term correctly)

Question:

do the arms have any branching?
if they do then it's not an anemoney at all.

I have some gorgonians on my rock that for the first 3 months were hard as heck to see, and could have been mistaken as aiptasia .... now they are very big and no chance of confusion.

if you can get it to attach to a small rock and then you can move it where you can get a photo...

 

[phil519]

So what is this thing?

So what is this thing?

I would guess it to be about an inch long when fully extended - 2 inches if the tentacles were all the way out.

 

[figuerres]

Hmmm....

try and get a better focus, you have a good start at a photo; just work on focus so we can see some details.

when you get a better shot give an indication of the animals normal "UP" side.

from what I could see it might be any of several things... which is no real help...

if you can get a sharp focus Dr. Ron might be able to help ID it.

is it "Attached" to one side?

is the end near the lower right the "UP" or the "DOwn"?

can you feed it ? what happens? how does it process food?

can you count the arms?

are the arms just simple tenticles or are they branched?

each of the above can help narrow down the ID

 

[phil519]

Sorry - I've been trying to do my best to answer your questions (and also weigh how much time I really want to spend iding this critter versus euthanization!). Here's a better pic...

It appears to have "attached" itself to the glass (small glass container with open lid i put it in). The water in the sump flows over it - hasn't made a move to get out of the glass for 48 hrs.

I attempted to feed brine shrimp but the shrimp appeared to simply not "stick" to the tentacles. But then again this was when it was withdrawn in that previous photo. I tried to count the number of arms - but they are too small to see.

 

[figuerres]

Yeah!!

Good Photo!!

from what I see this is definately an Anemone of some kind.

may be the evil kind.... that part I have to leave to others to say.

you may post this to Dr. Ron and see what he says...
or start a new thread here asking the fine folks of TBS to comment on it.

 

[phil519]

Thanks figuerres, I will post and try and get an idea from Dr. Ron.