Hitch hiker...maybe?

KatSea · Mar 12, 2016

So I got a little doo-dad growing in between a crevice in one of my rocks. No idea what it is and have no idea how long its been there.

Look at this creepy alien! Im not sure its its a feather duster or what so any help on it would be awesome.

cloak · Mar 12, 2016

It looks like an Aiptasia. (not good)

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/33-reefkeeping-101-

KatSea · Mar 12, 2016

Well good news is I have a Peppermint shrimp that should be here Tuesday-ish.

AdamNC · Mar 13, 2016

Kill it with fire before it spreads.

ReeferBob · Mar 13, 2016

That is aiptasia, take that rock carefully out immediately. I would suggest not putting the rock back in at all until you kill everyone on the rock. Your tank will be covered in Aiptasia if you do not. A peppermint will probably not do any good and even if it eats it the Aiptasia will spit out planulas and your problem will be 100x worse. There is no worst infestation than Aiptasia!

KatSea · Mar 13, 2016

ReeferBob said:
That is aiptasia, take that rock carefully out immediately. I would suggest not putting the rock back in at all until you kill everyone on the rock.

The only issue is I have a coral on the same rock that I cant take off

NanaReefer · Mar 13, 2016

IMO there is no need to remove the rock. I had several and successfully killed em all using AptasiaX.
Turn off all flow and squirt the mix directly into the mouth of the anemone. It'll close up fast. This method keeps the anemone from releasing planula.

ReeferBob · Mar 14, 2016

KatSea said:
The only issue is I have a coral on the same rock that I cant take off

The coral is not worth the Aiptasia infestation that is coming. At least move it to a treatment/quarantine tank. Actually I think it is too late already. I had one small one like you, treated it with AiptasiaX, and ended up getting a whole tank infestation anyway (1000s).

NanaReefer · Mar 15, 2016

ReeferBob said:
The coral is not worth the Aiptasia infestation that is coming. At least move it to a treatment/quarantine tank. Actually I think it is too late already. I had one small one like you, treated it with AiptasiaX, and ended up getting a whole tank infestation anyway (1000s).

And went on to spread your own horrific experience like it's going to happen to everyone.
When in reality your experience is rarest of them all. I can personally attest to that.
Please stop trying to scare the OP into an action that you believe to be the only one to take. It's not.
I'm sorry for what happened to you but it doesn't mean it's going to happen to everyone.

cameronh · Mar 15, 2016

Take the rock out and make the aiptasia shrink up, and cover it in super glue gel........literally cover it, bury it. Make it dissappear with super glue. It works

I did it once and never saw it ever again. No need to freak out over it, although they can be a pain. Good luck! And if you have any questions feel free to ask!

ReeferBob · Mar 15, 2016

NanaReefer said:
And went on to spread your own horrific experience like it's going to happen to everyone.
When in reality your experience is rarest of them all. I can personally attest to that.
Please stop trying to scare the OP into an action that you believe to be the only one to take. It's not.
I'm sorry for what happened to you but it doesn't mean it's going to happen to everyone.

Right... much better to whitewash things....

icemanalex · Mar 15, 2016

You just have to be vigilant with whatever method you do. These things can be a nightmare. But you don't want it to multiply if you can help.

ReeferBob · Mar 15, 2016

NanaReefer · Mar 15, 2016

ReeferBob-I'm in no way trying to minimize your personal experience. It looks horrible. Traumatizing I'm sure! However your case is rare. I'll leave it at that.

Naiad · Mar 15, 2016

Ummm what happened to cause that bob? I've never seen it that bad! I have a few I've let grow here and there over the years and it is never a problem like that. For the OP sometimes peppermints eat them sometimes not. Easiest is the paste. Be sure to cover all the nem as fast as possible but avoid the near by coral. also keep that shrimp well fed if you have lps!

ReeferBob · Mar 15, 2016

lol - yes - well it started from a ball of cheato purchased from a forum member (not this forum). I saw one small one a month or so later and treated it immediately with AiptasiaX. Then I had some behind my rock wall which I had no way to get to. Some in the overflows that were hard to get to. The rest is history. Tank is still up since I have some really nice Mushrooms I am trying to save, but the livestock has been moved. The tank will be nuked very shortly. I took an infested rock out and put it in a quarantine tank and raised the temp as high as the heater would go and the Aiptasia laughed at that. They are seriously hard to kill. Oh and I will NEVER do a rock wall again!

Naiad · Mar 15, 2016

I wonder if when the cheato was separated by the previous owner they tore open other nems in the process lacing the cheato with planulas. Your tank must also be setup just perfect for them too. Like my old system and hair algea... [emoji37]

dnyceli · Mar 15, 2016

I will share my experience when I first started in my nano 20. I saw a couple and stress level went up. But it should not be this way. It is fairly easy to combat, sort of like being proactive in treating hair algae. Kill it when seen as part of your weekly maintenance program. Well that night I saw the aptasia I freaked out and went to the drug store 2am in the morning and got peroxide and squirted it directly at the aptasia. It quickly closed and started bubbling. I was able to take the rock affected out along with a coral in the rock to treat, but can also be done in tank but more risky because they can expel babies when stressed. The rocked seemed clean after about 4 hours monitoring it so I put it back in the tank. The next day it was back. I got the Aptasia X from the LFS and it worked wonders. It never failed me. The aptasia actually will open and feed on it until it starts burning it up from the inside and close up. When it close up it is to late because the aptasia X actually seals its mouth close and you will see it start to bubble and melt. You could also mix up some Kalkquasser into a paste form and do the same thing, but in my successful experience the Aptasia X does wonders. Hipe this helped and keep us posted. Reef2reef is a great community with a wealth of information and we should not be so quick to snap at one another ideals of experiences. We should always keep an open mind and see different concepts to a solution. That is the reason most of us join anyways. There are always more ways than one to a problem and no one tank is ever the same. The tank is like a child. You have to learn through time and trial and error to finally know what your tank needs. Happy reefing my fellow hobbyist.

dnyceli · Mar 15, 2016

I actually came across this more than 3 inch bristle worn in my 20G today and was wondering if I should take him out. I know most likely that he is harmless and will eat detritus, but I don't know if he was the reason for my flame angel's death that I had for 6 months that was health vibrant and eating. Maybe the worm attacked him or stung him in his sleep? Lol. Let me know what you guys and girls think. Thanks.