Pest anemone ID

[-Oz]

Posted on another forum but no one could ID.

Finally able to press the reset button on my system after a couple kids, 2 major house projects, and work calming down a bit. (1500g system with 1000g display)

Very familiar with majano's and Aptasia as you can see from these 2 images but the smaller pests are new to me and they've taken over the rocks and sandbed. They seem to max out at 5mm in diameter, have little bumps on the surface, and have short stocky as well as thin tentacles.

Has anyone seen them before? They are different than majanos which are also in the picture.

I pulled the rock and nuked it. Pulled the sand and rinsed it. Pulled 10 MP60's and all the locline for vinegar then bleach bath. Scrubbed the tank.

What are these and what gets rid of them outside of maybe a filefish or racoon butterfly? There were hundreds so the normal kalkwasser, lemon juice, boiling water, injections weren't realistic.

Thanks in advance.

 

[redfishbluefish]

A good number of years ago the LFS's sold little green anemones as GBTA's. They were fairly common. However, if you bought one you found out fairly quickly that they never got big (maybe slightly larger than a quarter), and split like crazy. I think I was around 50 or so when I finally decided they had to go. I manually removed all of them. Anyway, it was found that they were Cribrinopsis crassa.....a small anemone from the Mediterranean.

My suggestion is to pour yourself a glass of wine and start pulling them out. With the number you have, it might take a case or two of wine!

 

[-Oz]

Hey Paul, thanks for the reply. From the google results, these look a bit different. The closest thing I can find is this but still not 100%.

Starting think I've found some new species.

Unfortunately I have a 1000g display (11'x5'x30") but fortunately I'm doing a reset on the system so I took everything out. Just waiting a couple weeks or so to make sure none of them re-surface before adding sand/rock/etc back in.....

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about the bubbly tipped anemones. The smaller ones look like regular old aptasia to me. If you're trying to get rid of those, try Berghia Nudibranch.

 

[-Oz]

Bubbly tip ones are Majano's. Regular old Aptasia are more red, longer, and grow larger than these pests. You can see aptasia on the right side of the first picture.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Wow, wow and wow again. I'd say you had a slight pest anemone problem!!!! Three different pest anemones all over the rocks/tank. I think you did the right thing. Just make sure you cure that rock before going back into the tank.