Live Rock Hitchiker Help

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Hey guys. First post on Reef2Reef so sorry if this is in the wrong place! I have recently purchased my first saltwater setup and will be making it a reef tank over time with the intention to only keep soft coral as far as coral goes. I just noticed a hitchiker on one of my pieces of rock and scared I ended up with something nasty. It appears to look like some kind of coral to me ( im a newbie so who knows) and has green tips. Is it an anemone of some sort? If so, I fear that its a nasty one. Please help! My water is still cloudy from setup so excuse the pic quality

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Google Majano Anemone and see if that matches what you're seeing.

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
Google Majano Anemone and see if that matches what you're seeing.

Yeah, unfortunately its pretty darn close. Do I need to dispose of this rock? I could remove it and break off the part that it is inhabiting with a hammer

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Yeah, unfortunately I believe it is. How do I remove this? Do I need to throw the rock out? Can I take the rock out and use tweezers to remove it? Or can I take it out and burn it with a lighter? These are a few suggestions ive seen online. As my tank is brand new, I only have two live rocks in the tank.

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Dycofree said:
Yeah, unfortunately I believe it is. How do I remove this? Do I need to throw the rock out? Can I take the rock out and use tweezers to remove it? Or can I take it out and burn it with a lighter? These are a few suggestions ive seen online. As my tank is brand new, I only have two live rocks in the tank.

Take the rock out scrape it off and then put epoxy or superglue over where it was so that any fragments left over don't grow back

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
Take the rock out scrape it off and then put epoxy or superglue over where it was so that any fragments left over don't grow back

Will this take care of it for sure? With just starting out, It scares me to not fully take care of this issue, only for it to ruin my tank in the future

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Dycofree said:
Will this take care of it for sure? With just starting out, It scares me to not fully take care of this issue, only for it to ruin my tank in the future

It should take care of that one. Hard to know if there are more hiding somewhere.

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
It should take care of that one. Hard to know if there are more hiding somewhere.

If I were to find one in the future, would I just boil the rock? As im new to salt, Im not sure just how much these could destroy my tank

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Dycofree said:
If I were to find one in the future, would I just boil the rock? As im new to salt, Im not sure just how much these could destroy my tank

I wouldn't boil your rock. Just do it again if you find more. You can also try a syringe and injecting them with hot water or lemon juice. Doesnt always work though.

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
I wouldn't boil your rock. Just do it again if you find more. You can also try a syringe and injecting them with hot water or lemon juice. Doesnt always work though.

So these guys arent going to destroy my tank in a year or anything? Trying to do it all by the book and want to do it right now. Also, does epoxy harm the tank at all? I located some but am hesitant to use it. Sorry for all my question!

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Also, just found this guy. Any ideas? Small coral/anemone possibly

mike werner · Jun 2, 2018

crabs is correct.may I add before you epoxy the spot.hit it with some boiling water using a syringe or turkey baster so you only hit the small amount of rock it occupies.all these things will make sure you get it %100.
depends on what type of epoxy.use super glue sense we know it is reef safe.
yes those things can take over a tank.good news is you caught it early so it will be a lot easier to stay on top of them and rid the tank of them.just visually inspect your rock every few days and repeat the process if ya find one.
I see your new.don't forget to post a hello in the meet and greet forum and start a build thread.members love that stuff!

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Heres a close up pic of the previous picture I posted. Seems hard and doesnt behave like the anemone did before removal. Thoughts?

mike werner · Jun 2, 2018

that looks like another one

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

mike werner said:
that looks like another one

I just touched it and its rock hard, nothing like the first anemone. It feels like its apart of the rock

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Dycofree said:
I just touched it and its rock hard, nothing like the first anemone. It feels like its apart of the rock

Likely the skeleton of a coral that's died off

mike werner · Jun 2, 2018

sorry blew the pic up and now I can see it I think.i'm talking about the nem looking thing in the bottom left hand of the last pic.

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

I appreciate the help guys. As I am new, could you guys help with breaking things down a tad for me? I think im obsessing a little too much on good vs bad hitchikers. Is it necessary for me to identify all of this right now? I only have two piece of live rock, and my 25 pounds of dry rock arrives monday. Basically what Im asking is how concerned I need to be with any hitchikers hiding. Ive been researching a lot and the internet can be a scary place sometimes, lol. Im afraid im messing up already and dooming myself

Crabs McJones · Jun 2, 2018

Dycofree said:
I appreciate the help guys. As I am new, could you guys help with breaking things down a tad for me? I think im obsessing a little too much on good vs bad hitchikers. Is it necessary for me to identify all of this right now? I only have two piece of live rock, and my 25 pounds of dry rock arrives monday. Basically what Im asking is how concerned I need to be with any hitchikers hiding. Ive been researching a lot and the internet can be a scary place sometimes, lol. Im afraid im messing up already and dooming myself

While bad hitch hikers are.....well bad, its nothing to panic over. Really hard to tell what the little guy is, but it's possible it's either a ball anemone or a strawberry anemone. Neither of those are bad hitchhikers. While they may be unwanted, they're not nearly as horrible as the dreaded aptasia or the majano.

Dycofree · Jun 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
While bad hitch hikers are.....well bad, its nothing to panic over. Really hard to tell what the little guy is, but it's possible it's either a ball anemone or a strawberry anemone. Neither of those are bad hitchhikers. While they may be unwanted, they're not nearly as horrible as the dreaded aptasia or the majano.

So would you suggest to just let everything settle in and leave it alone for a few days until the dry rock arrives? My higher powered LED is arriving tomorrow so Im assuming ill be able to see some new things by then. My plan is to kind of just assume I dont have anything awful until proven otherwise, lol.