anemone identification and thoughts on keeping

[hammertime55]

I just started a 75 gal bow front tank which came with around 100 lbs of live rock. Attached to the rock is a ton of theses guys. I showed the pic to the young lady at the LRS and she said I had to get rid of them before I introduced any coral. There are at least a hundred of these creatures in the tank. What should I do? She suggested foul fish but didn't have any and wasn't sure when they would get any, it's pretty much the only store in town.

 

[nereefpat]

Looks like pest anemones.

It might be worth killing off the tank, since the tank is new and doesn't have any livestock.

 

[afroshacks]

I just started a 75 gal bow front tank which came with around 100 lbs of live rock. Attached to the rock is a ton of theses guys. I showed the pic to the young lady at the LRS and she said I had to get rid of them before I introduced any coral. There are at least a hundred of these creatures in the tank. What should I do? She suggested foul fish but didn't have any and wasn't sure when they would get any, it's pretty much the only store in town.

Aptasia!!! My opinion would be if you just started and have no livestock in the tank to pull the rocks and bleach them. Chances are if multiple Aptasia are in your tank you will never get them all and they will continue to just multiply. You will probably get folks saying try nudibrach, aptasia x, butterfly fish, and other remedies but from my experience once they get a foothold in your tank they can become impossible to control and more so to completely get rid of them. Just my $0.02...

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[hammertime55]

hows that done and would it effect the live rock?

 

[hammertime55]

Aptasia!!! My opinion would be if you just started and have no livestock in the tank to pull the rocks and bleach them. Chances are if multiple Aptasia are in your tank you will never get them all and they will continue to just multiply. You will probably get folks saying try nudibrach, aptasia x, butterfly fish, and other remedies but from my experience once they get a foothold in your tank they can become impossible to control and more so to completely get rid of them. Just my $0.02...

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Ouch, that sounds horrible considering the amount of prized live rock but sounds like you got a valid point. The LRS suggested peppermint shrip and filefish but there are alot of these aptasia already, and there is more today than yesterday.

 

[Sk8r]

Experiences with them vary. I have them from time to time but they don't thrive. It depends somewhat on the nutrient level of your tank. A tank during cycling is going to be 'rich' in nutrients, and they'll 'bloom' but likely die back once food becomes scarce. At times when I've had a smallish bloom, say more than 10 in a 50 gallon rig, I've gotten pep shrimp to take care of them. Myself, if you have truly live rock with a lot of specimens you want to keep, I'd just deal with it if it becomes a problem.

 

[afroshacks]

Ouch, that sounds horrible considering the amount of prized live rock but sounds like you got a valid point. The LRS suggested peppermint shrip and filefish but there are alot of these aptasia already, and there is more today than yesterday.

See if maybe someone else has ideas but I'm just being honest as far as what if do. File fish, peppermint shrimp, and other critters may help but aptasia seem to multiply faster than any thing you can put in can eat them.

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[qoeletd]

I've a copule of lysmata boggesi that doing a good work, but when I see too much aptasia I kill them with a syringe of white vinegar... directly in the middle...


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[hammertime55]

Experiences with them vary. I have them from time to time but they don't thrive. It depends somewhat on the nutrient level of your tank. A tank during cycling is going to be 'rich' in nutrients, and they'll 'bloom' but likely die back once food becomes scarce. At times when I've had a smallish bloom, say more than 10 in a 50 gallon rig, I've gotten pep shrimp to take care of them. Myself, if you have truly live rock with a lot of specimens you want to keep, I'd just deal with it if it becomes a problem.

There's at least a hundred in there right now. So if I get some pep shrimp and see what happens what's the ramifications? Is it just a coral issue or will they harm fish also?

I really don't want to kill off everything since there is alot of live rock that is in there but if that's what I need to do then ok.

 

[hammertime55]

I've a copule of lysmata boggesi that doing a good work, but when I see too much aptasia I kill them with a syringe of white vinegar... directly in the middle...


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I've heard that works, but I have a small town of these varmites.

 

[Bent]

There's at least a hundred in there right now. So if I get some pep shrimp and see what happens what's the ramifications? Is it just a coral issue or will they harm fish also?

I really don't want to kill off everything since there is alot of live rock that is in there but if that's what I need to do then ok.

They will eat fish when they get big enough.

Gah.

 

[afroshacks]

They will eat fish when they get big enough.

Gah.

Right now with the tank empty you can try peppermint shrimp but if anything I'd do nudibranch. Peppermint shrimp are hit or miss when it comes to eating aptasia. But peppermint shrimp will eat nudibranch so you cant do both. Nudis will eat aptasia for sure but now it's a matter of how long it will take to get them all and how many nudis you'll need. Maybe someone else can chime in here with more knowledge on the topic of nudibranch. I got a bad outbreak in my 125 and bought nudis to clean it and it was like they were disappearing so I kept replacing them over and over. Two years later I had to take the tank down and I still had aptasia when I did.

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[Pet Detective]

If you have them...they won't go away on their own, they become a nuisance beyond belief, irritating corals to the point of causing the coral to recede at the point of contact...when you become fed up with them, and you will, try a Matted File Fish...for me, it was the only thing that worked conclusively, you have to give it a few months but they will hunt them all down eventually. My tank is aiptasia free finally, after years[plural] of trying everything and anything possible.

 

[billdogg]

Get yourself a syringe - 20 - 50cc, and fill it with boiling water. You can kill each and every one of them where they sit without bothering anything else in the tank or disrupting the cycle in any way. IME, 100% effective 100% of the time. It may take a few weeks to get them all depending on how many there are, but if you turn it into a "Big Game Hunt" every night they'll be gone in short order. My wife spies them out for me. It is much easier to see them from the sides so she directs me to them.

 

[hammertime55]

If you have them...they won't go away on their own, they become a nuisance beyond belief, irritating corals to the point of causing the coral to recede at the point of contact...when you become fed up with them, and you will, try a Matted File Fish...for me, it was the only thing that worked conclusively, you have to give it a few months but they will hunt them all down eventually. My tank is aiptasia free finally, after years[plural] of trying everything and anything possible.

Going to try the file fish for sure did you have corals in tank while he was doing his thing or should I wait to introduce corals AFTER these varmits have been eliminated? Right now I just have LR.

 

[hammertime55]

If you have them...they won't go away on their own, they become a nuisance beyond belief, irritating corals to the point of causing the coral to recede at the point of contact...when you become fed up with them, and you will, try a Matted File Fish...for me, it was the only thing that worked conclusively, you have to give it a few months but they will hunt them all down eventually. My tank is aiptasia free finally, after years[plural] of trying everything and anything possible.

where's the best place to get the Matted File Fish and the Red Shrimp?

 

[homer1475]

If it were me, I would nuke the rock and start over. Dead dry rock(or bleached in this case) will once again become live rock in time. No need to start out the hobby behind, you'll constantly be playing catch up and never truly enjoy your tank.

 

[Pet Detective]

Going to try the file fish for sure did you have corals in tank while he was doing his thing or should I wait to introduce corals AFTER these varmits have been eliminated? Right now I just have LR.

Yes, I had corals in the tank, the file fish nipped my LPS for a little while, he did less damage than the Aiptasia did...now he's a model citizen, eats almost anything I feed him.

I would definitely get rid of Aiptasia before adding corals.

I purchased my Matted File Fish from Blue Zoo Aquatics.

 

[Reefiez]

dump the live rock, order some dry rock, start over.

battling hundreds of these when you start a new tank as a new hobbyist is just setting yourself up for failure imo.

 

[Bent]

dump the live rock, order some dry rock, start over.

battling hundreds of these when you start a new tank as a new hobbyist is just setting yourself up for failure imo.

No question. Nuke it all.