Anyone bringing Berghia's to the swap?

[Fanof49ASU]

I was told that they eat glass anemone's......and I'm in desperate need of that.

 

[Fanof49ASU]

Or.....does anyone know how to get rid of these %$*@!$& things? They're hiding underneath every freaking rock! Way too many to kalk individually.

 

[sandalscout]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm

I picked up some peppermint shrimp for a small aiptasia problem I had, it took a few weeks for them to kick in, but the 2 of them WIPED OUT 45 or so aiptasia in like 3 days once they started. I've got about 10 aiptasia in my other tank now, they'll be moved down soon for sure.

 

[Fanof49ASU]

I'll bring a photo of these critters tomorrow.....maybe 'glass anemone' isn't the correct name.....those seem to have a pointed tip to them.
They are certainly clear (very difficult to see and photograph), yet have white ball tips. Also, the base is flat to a rock (no stem). They are always out of the light, and have an incredibly powerful sting.

I talked with Chris at the Critter, and he thought they were glass anemone's and that Berghia's would be my best bet.

 

[sandalscout]

yeah, a picture would help for sure, doesn't sound like something I'm used to (not that I have heaps of experience with pests).

 

[gflat65]

Does it have a skeleton on the rock at the base? Are the polyps clear and have white spots (somewhat regular) and white balls on the end? Does it look anything like an albino sun coral polyp?

 

[Fanof49ASU]

Well crap.....I forgot to bring in my photo. :mad2:

Gary, I'm not sure what an albino sun coral looks like, and as far as I can tell, it doesn't have a skeleton at the base. It appears to be only soft tissue.

The tentacles are extremely clear with white ball tips. Some of the tentacles are quite long.....I assume these are the larger ones....but it's hard to tell.....most are hiding underneath rocks and ledges, and difficult to get a good look at.

I will bring in a photo tomorrow.....if I don't run home at lunch.....

 

[Fanof49ASU]

OK.....had to run home and get these.
Remember, they're difficult to see as well as photograph.

http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/UFOa.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/UFOb.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/UFOc.jpg

The last pic will show how long these things can get.

 

[acrodave]

thos are not aiptasia so Berghia's will not help...not sure what they are tho

 

[Fanof49ASU]

I have aiptasia, and unfortunately, know exactly what they look like.....yeah, this is different, but I've shown these pics to Chris at the Critter and he thought that Berghia's (which I believe he mistakenly called called 'Bulgarian') would eat these.

I do know that these things will wipe out an area of zoas very quickly.

 

[sandalscout]

AH MAN! There was a big thread about those a while back, I can't remember what they were, someone had some with orangish tip on them too.... I'll try to find it.

 

[sandalscout]

okay, didn't find the thread, but perhaps this helps?

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mushridf4.htm

and here's one of the orange ones:

http://warbabiesbr.com/id133.htm

 

[rcmike]

It is hard to tell by the picture since it just shows the tenticles but I am pretty sure you have a coral there. I can't remember the name but it is common on live rock. I have some in an unlit tank that has huge polyp extension. They can't move around so I would just avoid putting something too close to them but that is just me. I like the diversity of life on live rock.

 

[acrodave]

I have raised Berghia's and as far as i know they eat aiptasia and aiptasia only

 

[cczarnik]

They look a little like florida cup corals, I had tons of them that hitch hiked in on TBS rock. But mine had a definite skeleton, think of an * structure on the rock (asterisk) and the tentacles would recede into them. Tough sob's they survived a heater explosion, the electricity, gobs of copper, and a 10+ PPM cycle.

You mentioned powerful sting earlier- tell me about that? did it get you? animals?

 

[dagermain]

does it have a visible mouth?

 

[cczarnik]

Thought more about it- 99% sure you have cup corals. Very common on florida rock. Harmless, but often misidentified and eradicated as aiptasia. Here are a couple of links:

http://www.coralidea.com/images/lps/phyllangia.jpg

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlSpec/Phyllan_americ.htm

Turn the rock over, look at the base and you'll see the skeleton. The ones I had did not tend to spread and did not seem to be invasive in any way. Hope this helps.

 

[H@rry]

I got some on some Tampa Bay rock years ago for a new tank I was starting. None of them survived the cycle though.

 

[Fanof49ASU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14092086#post14092086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sandalscout
okay, didn't find the thread, but perhaps this helps?

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mushridf4.htm

and here's one of the orange ones:

http://warbabiesbr.com/id133.htm

The second one looks a lot like them.....only a different color.

 

[Fanof49ASU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14095530#post14095530 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cczarnik
They look a little like florida cup corals, I had tons of them that hitch hiked in on TBS rock. But mine had a definite skeleton, think of an * structure on the rock (asterisk) and the tentacles would recede into them. Tough sob's they survived a heater explosion, the electricity, gobs of copper, and a 10+ PPM cycle.

You mentioned powerful sting earlier- tell me about that? did it get you? animals?

I'd bet that's what it is.
It has wiped out countless $$$ in zoas.....and for some reason, my favorites disappeared first. (Hey Rev.....the Red Wines were the first to go.)
It's a pain, because when I noticed a problem, I was concentrating on water params, and these buggers are almost invisible to the naked eye.....not to mention they hide underneath the rock work and extend to sting.

Once again, I tried for better photos. It's tough to focus on something that you can barely see with your naked eye.

In these, the colors may be a tad off.....I was trying anything to get the 'coral' visible.
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4693.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4697.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4698.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4703.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4734.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4734b.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4752.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4758.jpg
http://markfoltz.freeservers.com/_DSC4759.jpg