Help identifying potential pest!!

[H.garza10]

Hello, I am fairly new to reefing. I have a small colony of Zoas that I’ve been keeping for about a week, but just the other day I noticed a potential pest or something on one of their “roots”. Should I be concerned? Or do I need to take action?

 

[Spaceshrimp]

Hello, I am fairly new to reefing. I have a small colony of Zoas that I’ve been keeping for about a week, but just the other day I noticed a potential pest or something on one of their “roots”. Should I be concerned? Or do I need to take action?

Aiptasia I think

 

[H.garza10]

Aiptasia I think

That is what I was thinking at first but I’m not 100% sure

 

[DSC reef]

I agree with aptasia

 

[H.garza10]

I agree with aptasia

Ok. What should I do?? Let it grow a little then remove plug and aiptasia? Dip plug?

Tanknis fairly new so aiptasia eating fish or shrimp wouldn’t have much or anything to eat

 

[Bryce M.]

manual removal I would think, TBH I had aiptasia and they just died and never came back

 

[H.garza10]

manual removal I would think, TBH I had aiptasia and they just died and never came back

Manual removal? Suggestions? Without affecting Zoas

 

[Bryce M.]

Manual removal? Suggestions? Without affecting Zoas

just use tweezers to pluck it out

 

[Tahoe61]

just use tweezers to pluck it out

Unless you remove all tissues it will regenerate.

 

[Cment]

manual removal I would think, TBH I had aiptasia and they just died and never came back

Ive never seen this take place with aptasia before where it just went away on its own. Manual removal is also very difficult b/c when stressed theyll release spores and spread further. The options I would suggest bc of the location of the aptasia, is cut the frag plug around the aptasia and keep the zoas you can. You'll lose one but its better than a tank full of aptasia.

 

[H.garza10]

Ive never seen this take place with aptasia before where it just went away on its own. Manual removal is also very difficult b/c when stressed theyll release spores and spread further. The options I would suggest bc of the location of the aptasia, is cut the frag plug around the aptasia and keep the zoas you can. You'll lose one but its better than a tank full of aptasia.

Can I just dip the plug??

 

[DSC reef]

Can I just dip the plug??

No, dip will not kill them. Remove the plug from the tank and use a hobby knife and cut the tissue away. Make sure you get it all, rinse in a seperate container of tank water and put back. You can try kalk paste but you can burn the polyp.

 

[Tahoe61]

Ive never seen this take place with aptasia before where it just went away on its own. Manual removal is also very difficult b/c when stressed theyll release spores and spread further. The options I would suggest bc of the location of the aptasia, is cut the frag plug around the aptasia and keep the zoas you can. You'll lose one but its better than a tank full of aptasia.

Yup 30 years of reefing and I have never ever seen an Apitasia issue resolve on its own.

 

[Cment]

unfortunately, dipping the plug will have little to no effect on the aptasia. best to just take a loss on that one zoa its near in order to not have a tank overran with them IMO.

 

[H.garza10]

No, dip will not kill them. Remove the plug from the tank and use a hobby knife and cut the tissue away. Make sure you get it all, rinse in a seperate container of tank water and put back. You can try kalk paste but you can burn the polyp.

So cut down from 4 polyps to 3 correct? And make sure and scrape the plug of all tissue. Is there a certain area I should cut to not affect the whole “colony”? Or just as close to the affected head as possible?

 

[DSC reef]

I meant cut away the aptasia if you can. If not, sacrifice 1 polyp from the frag. Rastas are fast growers