Hitch Hiker Ids

[Kitsune_Gem]

So I know I have aiptasia on one of the rocks, I'm going to steal my friends aiptasia x today when she gets off at work, assuming it wont hurt my sea urchin. If it will, Ill just take the rock to her place and put it in her tank to treat.

But there's some other things on the rock, now I'm not sure if its another form of aiptasia that I have not seen yet or something that is fine and I can keep in the tank.. Its already spread to the back wall so that worries me a tad..

Also.. Is there any way to get rid of these little pest star fish? Or do I just need to take them out by hand when the get to the glass? They are cute and I wouldn't mind one, but there's about 5 or 6 of them and if I remember correctly they break off a arm and reproduce that way.. >< I don't want them over running my tank!

Pest Star fish

Weird plant thing that I think is aiptasia, next to what I know is aiptasia.

Over all view of the tank. You can see my Urchin in the bottom center hole sticking out.

 

[Gieser]

the starfish look kind of cool. Don't know tat I have seen those before. As for the aphasia X, I have used it in my tank several times and it has never hurt my urchins. It is a pretty pinpointed does if done correctly.

 

[Mike_Noren]

Can't ID the starfish. It looks a bit like an Asterina but there's loads of species and genera which look vaguely like that.

The "weird plant thing" is presumably an anemone, definitely not an Aiptasia but possibly a very small Anemonia majano.

 

[gmate]

Those are Asterina starfish. Generally reef safe, just keep an eye on it. Some have been 'said' to eat coral but those claims aren't generally 100% backed up. I think you'll be fine.

The plant thing is a Majano Anenome. Kill it with fire, get it out of your tank. It will spread like a week and choke out coral and is harmful to small livestock, inverts, etc - and it spreads spreads spreads. Get some Joe's Juice, Boiling Water, or Lemon Juice and inject with a syringe directly into it's mouth. Same procedure to aiptasia, should it ever sprout up in the tank.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

Those are Asterina starfish. Generally reef safe, just keep an eye on it. Some have been 'said' to eat coral but those claims aren't generally 100% backed up. I think you'll be fine.

The plant thing is a Majano Anenome. Kill it with fire, get it out of your tank. It will spread like a week and choke out coral and is harmful to small livestock, inverts, etc - and it spreads spreads spreads. Get some Joe's Juice, Boiling Water, or Lemon Juice and inject with a syringe directly into it's mouth. Same procedure to aiptasia, should it ever sprout up in the tank.

Will Aiptasia x work on the other anemone?

 

[gmate]

Will Aiptasia x work on the other anemone?

General consensus c/o a google search says YES :uzi:

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

General consensus c/o a google search says YES :uzi:

Sweet, Ill get that done tonight, my friend doesn't get off till 6, so I cant get the stuff till then.

I maintain her tank (65 red sea, white) so things like that stay at her place.

 

[gmate]

Best of luck, and welcome to reef central

 

[QuailsHollarFrm]

Majano Anenomes hurt other live stock? I ask cause I'm new. Annddd I saw them for sale at my lfs for $5?

 

[QuailsHollarFrm]

Btw nice tank! I just bought one about that size, keep us posted I'd love to see how your's looks compared to mine after a few weeks. Welcome back as well.

 

[tebstan]

Will Aiptasia x work on the other anemone?

No! It just angers it.

Well, maybe if you have just one or two little majanos in a clean tank it will get them under control. The tank I worked on was so covered in majanos it looked like a mat of star polyps. A whole bottle of aiptasia killer made them melt and spew forth offspring. I ended up injecting them with boiling water. Tedious, but it worked.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

Btw nice tank! I just bought one about that size, keep us posted I'd love to see how your's looks compared to mine after a few weeks. Welcome back as well.

Its all cycled out I just haven't decided what to put in it yet (I'm Very indecisive). Its the new Aqueon edge 8 gallon. I know I'm going to do shrimp, but I'm not sure what else I will do.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

No! It just angers it.

Well, maybe if you have just one or two little majanos in a clean tank it will get them under control. The tank I worked on was so covered in majanos it looked like a mat of star polyps. A whole bottle of aiptasia killer made them melt and spew forth offspring. I ended up injecting them with boiling water. Tedious, but it worked.

I only have like 3 small ones, if worse comes to worse Ill boil water and inject it with it. I have some insulin syringes laying around for when my Bearded Dragon had to get antibiotic injections.

 

[turok]

get rid of them. I don't like anything in my tank that I didn't put in it myself.

 

[Mike_Noren]

I don't like anything in my tank that I didn't put in it myself.

I don't understand that attitude at all. Half the fun of reefkeeping are the weird and wonderful stowaways in the live rock.

 

[tebstan]

Majano Anenomes hurt other live stock? I ask cause I'm new. Annddd I saw them for sale at my lfs for $5?

ACK! At least they have a cheap price on it... a guy in my area sold a "frag" for 19.99. Shameful.

I don't understand that attitude at all. Half the fun of reefkeeping are the weird and wonderful stowaways in the live rock.

I agree! I know a lot of people say "when in doubt throw it out." I prefer to wait a while, see if it does any harm, do some research... give it a chance. I've ended up with some really weird stuff in my tank that is way cooler than anything I've bought. ...to be fair, I don't have any high end pieces or delicate SPS either.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

If anyone cares, Aiptasia x worked on both kinds of the aiptasia.

The urchin is doing great, ate some dried seaweed last night.. I discovered mini brittle stars, Ive seen about 4 of them, one I took out intending to give it to my friend.. But it started losing arms in the little cup with in just a few hours so I don't think it will make it. Ive noticed more of the tinny stars, so cute. Oh and I found two little snail like things.. Ill post photos in a bit after my dinner.. I need help figuring out what they are.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

I don't understand that attitude at all. Half the fun of reefkeeping are the weird and wonderful stowaways in the live rock.

I seconded this. Its so fun sitting there at night watching little critters crawl out of the rock.

 

[SushiGirl]

Google stomatella snails and see if those are your snail-like things.

get rid of them. I don't like anything in my tank that I didn't put in it myself.

Then you're in for a lot of disappointment in this hobby. You cannot keep hitchhikers out. Every frag you add is likely to have something hitchhiking in on it. All of my hitchhikers in my current tank are from frags and chaeto.

 

[mattman]

I've had marvelous success with Aiptasia-X on the aiptasia. I've never had majanos, so I can't help you there. As for the asterinas, well, if you're in this hobby long enough, you're very likely to get these guys. They have been known to eat coral, although I have never witnessed it in my system. A known predator of these guys is a harlequin shrimp. The downside is that once all of the stars are eaten, the shrimp will starve unless you provide it with more echinoderm. That can get costly. I picked as many out of my system as I could, then I said the heck with it.