Is this Aiptasia!?

[DarkHorseMBA]

I added some live rock rubble from a LFS, I hopes of growing coralline algae. Today it looks like I've got some Aiptasia. See photo.

Should I remove the rock, or is it too late? If it's too late and my tank I'd "contaminated" already how do j get rid of it, peppermint shrimp?

FYI, the tank just cycled and the only live stock are 6 dwarf hermits.


DarkHorseMBA
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[saabtech]

i would take the rock out and break off the piece that has the anemone attached.

[ramsey]

It's Aiptasia. Lots of people have success with peppermint shrimp but I haven't. The only thing they'd do is mess and tear up my zoas. I would take the rock out or try using the Blue Life Aiptasia stuff. If it gets bad and starts growing everywhere, look into getting some berghia nudibraches.

[ramsey]

One more thing, that looks like Caulerpa growing on that rock as well. You may want to find out what kind it is because it can be invasive and next to impossible to get rid of. If it's an invasive kind, take that rock out get get another piece of LR. I'm sure someone from MAAST would donate a small piece of pest-free LR for free. You shouldn't need much if you're just seeding your tank for coralline growth.

[copperband]

aiptasia eating filefish work great as well and are easier to get eating frozen after the aiptasia is gone then copperbands

[DarkHorseMBA]

Well the guy at the LFS told me the Caulerpa was a good thing. :-(. I found more Aiptasia on the the other pieces of rock I bought. The rubble was in there to help seed the tank, so nuking them would defeat the purpose. There were only 3 pieces so I took them out and tossed them. Going to have to find another way to seed my tank with coralline.

Thanks for the advice, you guys rock!

[ramsey]

aiptasia eating filefish work great as well and are easier to get eating frozen after the aiptasia is gone then copperbands

I read that they're more likely to eat corals and clams though. How true is this?

Well the guy at the LFS told me the Caulerpa was a good thing. :-(. I found more Aiptasia on the the other pieces of rock I bought. The rubble was in there to help seed the tank, so nuking them would defeat the purpose. There were only 3 pieces so I took them out and tossed them. Going to have to find another way to seed my tank with coralline.

Thanks for the advice, you guys rock!

Caulerpa is almost never good in your display. In your sump though, it can work very well you just have to be careful. Ask Europhyllia about grape caulerpa in her display. There are many types of caulerpa and not all are as hard to keep trimmed as grape. I have two different types in a 29G and I like it. However, it's basically a FOWLR tank so it's not a big concern. From what I've seen, grape caulerpa is by far the hardest to keep under control.

That sucks about the aiptasia though. I've had a problem with it for some time and it really sucks. I think it's a good move to remove the rocks from the tank because it's very hard to get rid of once it's established itself. Like I said, I would just find a seed rock from someone with an established tank. I would offer some rock but it may have aiptasia on it. :P

[ramsey]

One more thing, kinda hard to tell from the picture but that sure looks like grape caulerpa to me. If you don't mind me asking, what LFS told you it was good?

[jrsatx20]

One more thing, kinda hard to tell from the picture but that sure looks like grape caulerpa to me. If you don't mind me asking, what LFS told you it was good?

+1 on lfs

[Reefer4ever]

If you don't mind, It would be preferred to PM people instead of posting to the public. I've found that you get a bad reputation for calling people out.

Also, I would like to know what LFS told you that the algae was good for a display tank.