can aiptasia grow on acropora?

[Eric Wadle]

So it appears that at the head of one of my acropora frags there is an aiptasia growing. I am not 100% certain thats what it is, but ill include a picture and maybe someone can tell me. If it is what is the best way to remove it without damaging the coral. I do have a laser for aiptasia removal but am worried this might be extreme since it is on a coral.

 

[Reef2zach]

Touch it with something. If it retract like a nem of some kind then I'd just snip the tip off that the nem is covering. Seems like a strange spot for a nem to hold an to though

 

[Eric Wadle]

Yes very strange.... could it be anything else? It retracts when touched then pops right back out... It is also larger and a different coloration of the other polyps.

 

[Reef2zach]

If you took a picture under some 10k lighting so we could get a better visual. That would be helpfull. Right now I cant tell where the base of "creature" is

 

[McMullen]

Burn it!

 

[Eric Wadle]

hope these are better

 

[Eric Wadle]

 

[McMullen]

Hmmm, I'm not convinced this isn't the coral.

 

[dew9000]

That is just a polyp of the coral!

 

[Reef2zach]

Looks like just a polyp off of the corally to me in this pic. How long have you had this coral?

 

[Eric Wadle]

any suggestions how to treat it without damaging the coral? Go with he laser or a more traditional method?

 

[Eric Wadle]

I have had it for a about a week ... when it arrived I noticed a growth in the area where this "aiptasia/polyp" is I just thought it was starting to branch out but now this thing is there

 

[McMullen]

It's part of the coral. Nothing to treat. Just enjoy your healthy frag.

 

[Reef2zach]

When we say polyp were referring to a mouth of the coral. Since essentially that's all corals are. Just walls of little mouths. It might start branching in a different direction possibly that's why the polyp grew there. I'd wait it out and be patient. SPS corals have crazy growth patterns, you never know exactly how their gonna grow. Good luck

 

[KJAG]

Is tip of the frag/ directly underneath the object in question receding? It's hard to tell from the photos.

 

[Eric Wadle]

yes it is the very top tip of the frag... thank you for all the responses .... again the size and color difference concerned me

 

[anthonywesty]

Just another polyp of the coral

 

[anthonywesty]

If you don't wanna it you can cut it and send it to me!! [emoji23]

 

[KJAG]

yes it is the very top tip of the frag... thank you for all the responses .... again the size and color difference concerned me

If it's receding than I wouldn't be so convinced that it's regular growth/ a part of the coral. Your second photo is a little Majano-ish. Try to turn your lights off and take a photo with flash.

 

[pickupman66]

thats a coral polyp. If it were anytign else, there would be receeding flesh at the top and I dont see that in the 2nd photo.