Aiptasia - How they spread

[Diggler]

For anyone that ever wanted to know how Aiptasia spread so quickly. These are pics of aiptasia in my purpose aiptasia breeding tank.

The foot attaches to the rock or glass in this instance. The foot then moves and leaves a little bit of itself behind, this then grows into a new aiptasia.

This is important to know as many of the known predators of aiptasia including filefish and peppermint shrimp etc don't always eat all of the aiptasia.

Looking at the pics below you can see the new babies that have been created in the last week.

Just thought I would share and give people a better understanding of how they spread so quickly.

In my experience of breeding aiptasia I can get these babies to the size of their parent in about 6 weeks time.

 

[Zeal]

if only the corals we love reproduced this easily

 

[Katrina71]

I was thinking about this and other nem reproduction. Instead of trying to kill them, maybe a method of birth control could be developed.

 

[jd371]

That's why Aptasia-X never works on the ones in the holes and crevices. In my experience the ones out in the open that I was able to smother with Aptasia-X never came back, but the ones I thought I was killing in the tight spots would come back with friends.

 

[Dsnakes]

Are you propagating them for anything specific, like Berghia?

 

[Diggler]

Are you propagating them for anything specific, like Berghia?

Yeah I breed Berghia

 

[reefwiser]

Thanks for to pictures if we could only get their hardiness into the corals we would have it made. I have been fighting with Aiptasia for over 30 years now. The fun stuff is when you don't see any for months then they show up again.

 

[Sallstrom]

Anyone knows if they reproduce sexually or releases clone larvae in aquariums as well?

I've read some article about it but need to look it up again, short memory..

 

[Coralreefer1]

They reproduce both sexually as well as asexually through a process known as pedal laceration.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

otherwise known as fission. other coral and inverts also reproduce this way.

 

[Steverd]

OMG - that's one incredible photo!!!
I say Photo of the week!

 

[Bdmartin57]

Diggler....do you have a site where you sell your Berghia?

 

[Diggler]

I'm in Ireland mate, I sell to local reefers via Facebook and I also sell on an English forum called Ultimate Reef.

 

[Xylotrupes]

To the question if the reproduce sexually.
They might do in nature but so far it has not been observed or described in tanks (at least not scientifically... and we have been trying for 5 years now)
it is easy to induce them to spawn by giving them 5 nights of blue light. After that they will spawn a few thousand eggs about 2 weeks later (4 hours after sunset) (read
"Induction of Gametogenesis in the Cnidarian Endosymbiosis Model Aiptasia sp."
by Grawunder et al. 2015 for more)
The planuar larvae survive for about 6 weeks. However so far we have no idea what kind of substrate they need to settle and develop into adults so the larvae just die after that time.Would be really cool to know where they settle...

 

[K8justK8]

I'm in Ireland mate, I sell to local reefers via Facebook and I also sell on an English forum called Ultimate Reef.

Hi from Dublin,
Do you know if aiptasia could be transferred on fish? Let's say you buy a fish from lfs that has it in their tank...

 

[Xylotrupes]

Has anyone observed Aiptasia larvae settlement? in the meantime?

 

[Xylotrupes]

Hi from Dublin,
Do you know if aiptasia could be transferred on fish? Let's say you buy a fish from lfs that has it in their tank...

Interesting question, The pedal lacerates probably not. You would need to scratch them from the surfaces they are attached to and they would be visible.
Larvae are a different question They are hard to see and could be transferred with the water however it is unclear if the larvae settle and metamorphose (see my previous post)

There are some Cnidarians that produce parasitic larvae. These larvae are parasites of other Cnidarians or sometimes fish. for Aiptasia as I said in my previous post we have no idea what they need for a full sexual life cycle. Soit it possible that the larvae might be parasitic.
However I would think it is rather unlikely.

In summary; The most likely way this might happen when larvae are transported with the water and your tank by chance has ideal conditions for Aiptasia larvae settlement

 

[reefwiser]

One of my projects this year is to set up and study aiptasia. Will start this spring.

 

[K8justK8]

Interesting question, The pedal lacerates probably not. You would need to scratch them from the surfaces they are attached to and they would be visible.
Larvae are a different question They are hard to see and could be transferred with the water however it is unclear if the larvae settle and metamorphose (see my previous post)

There are some Cnidarians that produce parasitic larvae. These larvae are parasites of other Cnidarians or sometimes fish. for Aiptasia as I said in my previous post we have no idea what they need for a full sexual life cycle. Soit it possible that the larvae might be parasitic.
However I would think it is rather unlikely.

In summary; The most likely way this might happen when larvae are transported with the water and your tank by chance has ideal conditions for Aiptasia larvae settlement

Thank you, that's very helpful!

 

[Maximitsurugi]

For anyone that ever wanted to know how Aiptasia spread so quickly. These are pics of aiptasia in my purpose aiptasia breeding tank.

The foot attaches to the rock or glass in this instance. The foot then moves and leaves a little bit of itself behind, this then grows into a new aiptasia.

This is important to know as many of the known predators of aiptasia including filefish and peppermint shrimp etc don't always eat all of the aiptasia.

Looking at the pics below you can see the new babies that have been created in the last week.

Just thought I would share and give people a better understanding of how they spread so quickly.

In my experience of breeding aiptasia I can get these babies to the size of their parent in about 6 weeks time.

I know they reproduce via Pedal Laceration but what is commonly passed around is the idea that they release spores/gametes when disturbed or feel they are in danger. Is there any truth to that?