Aiptasia?

[AquaFresh]

Hi, over the past week I have noticed this growing out of my live rock. At first I thought it was aiptaisa but when I tired to poke it, it didn't retract, it just closed up like a polyp. It is a light blue with a green dot in the center and it is only growing on one piece of rock. Is this aipasia or something else?
Sorry for the bad quality in advance

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

If it didn't close up all the way, it probably is a hitchiker zoanthid or palythoa.

 

[AquaFresh]

If it didn't close up all the way, it probably is a hitchiker zoanthid or palythoa.

Is there anyway to tell one hundred percent if its aiptasia?

 

[Mako61]

Aiptasia I have seen is kinda clear with a brown tint. It also has slightly longer fringe than zoas and palys.

 

[Mako61]

Is there anyway to tell one hundred percent if its aiptasia?

You need a better picture with white light.

 

[DSC reef]

A better pic from a different angle will help with a better ID. It does look like an aptasia to me but I can't be certain until we get more pics.

 

[AquaFresh]

You need a better picture with white light.

I wish I could get a better picture but my phone's camera can only do so much. The main aspect that throws me off about it being aiptasia is that it doesn't retract like how I seen in other tanks. Its just closes up like polyp.

 

[AquaFresh]

A better pic from a different angle will help with a better ID. It does look like an aptasia to me but I can't be certain until we get more pics.

I am trying to get better pictures but my can't get anything better on this phone, plusthey are growing in a shaded area. I just found one growing in a lighted part of the rock

 

[AquaFresh]

You need a better picture with white light.

Here is a better picture

 

[Mako61]

It looks like Aiptasia to me, but cant tell for sure. They are a pain and need to be killed asap. I have an ongoing battle with them.

I have led lights and have a white setting for pics. Cameras pick up blue way better than our eyes.

 

[DSC reef]

Here is a better picture

That looks like a paly to me

 

[AquaFresh]

That looks like a paly to me

Any thing I can do to know for sure? Or is it better to just take the rock out?(it is in one area not affecting other rocks)

 

[Florida Sunshine]

The first pictures I can't see well enough to tell, but the last one does not look like aiptasia to me. That does not mean anything for the animals pictured in the first pictures, they could all be the same thing or you could have a mix of aiptasia and some polyps of some type. Another even bigger pest to keep your eyes on is colonial hydroids. They are usually grouped tightly together but look like little green polyps as well.

 

[DSC reef]

I'd leave it unless you want it gone. I'm confident that the last pic is not aptasia.

 

[Carterfish]

Yea that isn’t aptasia. Keep I️t! Looks like a palythoa or most likely a zoa. Especially if I️t closed up like a polyp and bc of its vibrant color green of the mouth. Good hitchhiker for sure.

 

[AquaFresh]

The first pictures I can't see well enough to tell, but the last one does not look like aiptasia to me. That does not mean anything for the animals pictured in the first pictures, they could all be the same thing or you could have a mix of aiptasia and some polyps of some type. Another even bigger pest to keep your eyes on is colonial hydroids. They are usually grouped tightly together but look like little green polyps as well.

The first pictures I can't see well enough to tell, but the last one does not look like aiptasia to me. That does not mean anything for the animals pictured in the first pictures, they could all be the same thing or you could have a mix of aiptasia and some polyps of some type. Another even bigger pest to keep your eyes on is colonial hydroids. They are usually grouped tightly together but look like little green polyps as well.

In person I can tell that whats in the first pic is definitely the same as the last pic. They arent as close together as colonial hydroids, but I could be wrong.

 

[Mako61]

The last picture does not look like aiptasia to me. The first one did

 

[dwolson]

Looks like a zoa

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

+1 on paly