What is it?

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 10, 2017

i seem to have a tiny hitchhiker too small to get a picture with my phone. I'm seeding with a very small .3 lb of live rock to carefully control what goes in so I'd like to take care of it before it's an issue if need be. It at the momment is maybe a 10th of an inch has a black? stalk and 6-8 tentacles with white tips resembling a flower or Xenia? it seems to be sessile but it's so small and hard to see without hurting my eyes.

DSC reef · Aug 10, 2017

Possibly aptaisia, manjano or glass anemone. Hatd to tell without pics though.

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 10, 2017

I'll look them up and see if it resembles any of those.

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 10, 2017

Doesn't seem to look like it, it only has one row of tenticles coming from the small stalk. I may let it get bigger to get a positive ID before I take tweezers to it.

Mikedawg · Aug 10, 2017

Saltybubbles288 said:
i seem to have a tiny hitchhiker too small to get a picture with my phone. I'm seeding with a very small .3 lb of live rock to carefully control what goes in so I'd like to take care of it before it's an issue if need be. It at the momment is maybe a 10th of an inch has a black? stalk and 6-8 tentacles with white tips resembling a flower or Xenia? it seems to be sessile but it's so small and hard to see without hurting my eyes.

Good reference: https://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 10, 2017

Mikedawg said:
Good reference: https://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/

Looking at this maybe is could be a tiny piece of aptaisia

DSC reef · Aug 10, 2017

Saltybubbles288 said:
Looking at this maybe is could be a tiny piece of aptaisia

I'd remove it separately from the tank in a bucket. Make sure you get it all as the littlest piece will grow back.

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 11, 2017

i will remove it to be safe thanks for the advice.

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 11, 2017

So I went to pick up the rock and remove it and it seemed to be gone I couldn't find it, so while I was inspecting it i noticed it withdrew to hide? Not a trait I thought aipstatia had?

Slarti · Aug 11, 2017

Saltybubbles288 said:
So I went to pick up the rock and remove it and it seemed to be gone I couldn't find it, so while I was inspecting it i noticed it withdrew to hide? Not a trait I thought aipstatia had?

Ah think they indeed pull in i.e one of the 'treatments' I saw yesterday was making them withdrew and putting a blob of superglue on them, dead, never to be seen again apparently!

ImGood · Aug 11, 2017

Peppermint shrimp = best treatment for aptasia I have found! Or can recommend as a one time treatment ,I keep one in the invert QT. You put the shrimp in once and it eliminates the aptasia

Saltybubbles288 · Aug 11, 2017

I wouldn't mind a peppermint shrimp are they reef safe? They are pretty cool.

ImGood · Aug 11, 2017

The shrimp cost at my lfs. $9.95. Much less than the large bottle of aptasi x. And you never have to reapply, it's not a Rollaids type fix.some people do say wild shrimp are better than farmed shrimp for the task ( I couldn't tell you the difference)I've have nothing negative to say about peppermint shrimp in a reef tank. But do some research before you get any.jmo. Cheers

DSC reef · Aug 11, 2017

Saltybubbles288 said:
I wouldn't mind a peppermint shrimp are they reef safe? They are pretty cool.

Make sure your LFS knows the difference between camel shrimp and peppermint shrimp. They can steal food from LPS coral at times but I've never experienced rouge peppermint shrimp killing coral while others posted that they have. I'd always prefer a natural predator versus chemicals but as a last resort I'd use kalk paste. Since you have it isolated, it would be best to focus on the rock it's on while out of the tank.