Brown Anemone?

[Force4000]

Hello everyone, new to this site. Just started a 14 gallon biocube. Got 10 lbs of live Rock, still in the process of curing. My question is I found after a few days a single brown anemone on a back rock. I've heard there bad and can spread fast. Can I take the rock out and cut it off or are there better methods?

 

[Force4000]

On the same rock is black sponge which I hear is good but some of it is flaking off, should i leave it or take it out and scrub it with a tooth brush along with killing this anenome?

 

[BonsaiNut]

A picture is worth a thousand words. You wouldn't want to kill a GOOD anemone. Odds are you are correct, but take a quick pic so we can help you out.

 

[Force4000]

Honestly it's in a corner at the bottom where I can't get a pic. It has Maby a 1/2 inch stem then has tentacles pointing up, about 15-20 of the tentacles also roughly 1/2 tall. The who thing is just one standard lighter brown color.

 

[kduen]

Does it look like this?

 

[WXB]

that is a glass nem. I forgot the name of the shrimp that LOVES TO EAT THEM. umm i want to say camel or pepermint. look up what shrimp eats glass nems. I had that problem once. went to LFS they put a glass nem into a tank with the shrimp and they WENT TO TOWN!! good luck

 

[Force4000]

It smaller then that and a bit chubby compared to that. Like the tentacles are a bit fatter and closer together

 

[kduen]

So more like this?

Edit: Not sure why you can't clickit and make it bigger I will look for a better pic.

 

[Bridger32]

I have that exact same thing growing on my fire and ice polyps. Get rid of it or is it a good thing? The pic above is spot on!

 

[Force4000]

Finally got a pic, sorry, not actually brown from what i can tell

 

[this is me]

Looks like a very fat and healthy aptasia(but then again, I haven't seen an unhealthy aptasia ) to me. I would kill it ASAP.

 

[Force4000]

well i tried to take the rock out and get it and it retracted into a hole so i need to kill it in the tank. How can i do this?

 

[this is me]

you have to be careful when you kill it in the tank. It might spread if you don't kill it completely. There's a thing called "Joe Juice". You inject it directly into the aptasia and it will melt away.

 

[Force4000]

Thanks for the response. I also thing theres another one now (very small) that looks almost impossible to get with a needle. I have heard that Peppermint shrimp eat it. Anyone tried this? I have also heard that peppermint shrimp can be easily mis-identified as other shrimp from pet stores.

 

[sjwitt]

Yes, I have tried peppermint shrimp and they took care of all my aiptasia.

 

[bradleym]

If you can remove the rock, I have found great success by setting the rock on a towel and pouring a small pile of salt over the area where the aiptasia retracted into. Leave it on the rock for about 5 minutes then rinse the rock with some old saltwater and put it back in the tank. The aiptasia almost never come back. This is an excellent approach if there are only one or two and the rock can be removed.