What is this? First time buying corals.

[QuinnLee512]

Bought my very first corals this past weekend. Dipped them in coral fx. I was very surprised to see a bunch of worms and bugs in the water. My corals are now in my coral/invert QT. I do not have any inverts at the moment but plan to. I noticed this guy (top circle) moving today. Anybody know what this is? The bottom circle was also moving but hard to get a good picture of it.

 

[Jekyl]

Aiptasia. Cover it thoroughly with some super glue.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Aiptasia. Cover it thoroughly with some super glue.

Thank you. Time to look up what aiptasia is.

 

[Jekyl]

Thank you. Time to look up what aiptasia is.

They're pests that can sting your coral. Do not attempt to remove them as it can cause a spread. Can either give them a shot of lemon juice mixed with kalkwasser to a paste or cover them with super glue.

 

[Just John]

Definitely do any treatment/removal outside of your tank. Put it in a bowl of tank water before you treat it. When you are ready to put it back in the tank, pour some saltwater over it first to rinse off any "babies" that may have been released. Of course, don't put the bowl water back in the tank.

 

[QuinnLee512]

So there's no dip that will get rid of them? 72 day QT won't get rid of them either?

 

[Jekyl]

So there's no dip that will get rid of them? 72 day QT won't get rid of them either?

They're not a big deal unless you let them get out of control.

 

[QuinnLee512]

They're not a big deal unless you let them get out of control.

Ok thanks. Reading up on them now.

 

[Just John]

No, not a dip or anything. Buy some aiptasia-x from the fish store tomorrow. As I said, do it in a bowl. People on here will have posted about how to / not to do it. If you take care of it now, it will be fine. Just make sure to get them all.

And welcome to reefing! Once the aiptasia is handled, this is going to be a lot of fun!

 

[QuinnLee512]

No, not a dip or anything. Buy some aiptasia-x from the fish store tomorrow. As I said, do it in a bowl. People on here will have posted about how to / not to do it. If you take care of it now, it will be fine. Just make sure to get them all.

And welcome to reefing! Once the aiptasia is handled, this is going to be a lot of fun!

Thank you very much. Will do. Yes very excited about my very first corals. Very interesting observing them so far.

 

[terraincognita]

lol welcome to reefing . time for Aiptasia 101. Good luck!

Aiptasia-X has mixed reviews.

However as said if possible (And seems like it is since it's only on your frags for now) treat it in a bowl outside your tank, and wait awhile before putting it back in.

Squirting H2O2 directly into their mouth with a needle syringe has killed them before, as well as doing that with Vinegar, Aiptasia X, or apparently Lemon Juice. If you can't easily get your hands on a needle syringe, then making them close up, and putting a nice healthy good glob of reef super glue or any super glue really (without harming your coral frag) will also ensure they die.

Most importantly, whatever you do decide to end up doing or treating. really make sure you kill it. that's basically the message.

 

[terraincognita]

Bought my very first corals this past weekend. Dipped them in coral fx. I was very surprised to see a bunch of worms and bugs in the water. My corals are now in my coral/invert QT. I do not have any inverts at the moment but plan to. I noticed this guy (top circle) moving today. Anybody know what this is? The bottom circle was also moving but hard to get a good picture of it.

That bottom one may or may not be aiptasia.

Could be a GSP or Clove hitchhiker, or a majano. Hard to see in the photo.

Could also be a feather duster? or aiptasia. Clearer photo if possible. Otherwise "When in doubt, Take it out."

 

[QuinnLee512]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I bought these corals from a place called Austin Aqua Farms. They were mentioned on a few BRS videos. When I dipped the corals, a bunch of worms and bugs came off. Now it appears that at least one has aiptasia and who knows what else is on it. Should this be a bad mark on Austin Aqua Farms or are bugs to be expected?

 

[Jekyl]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I bought these corals from a place called Austin Aqua Farms. They were mentioned on a few BRS videos. When I dipped the corals, a bunch of worms and bugs came off. Now it appears that at least one has aiptasia and who knows what else is on it. Should this be a bad mark on Austin Aqua Farms or are bugs to be expected?

Expected is a strong word. Bugs may have just been pods. If it wasn't a normal occurrence though we wouldn't have all of the QT threads or products being sold to remedy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You will need to shut down water flow and as much of a pain as it is, mix kalkwasser powder with tank water and lemon juice into a toothpaste like consistency and using a syringe- inject into the CENTER CORE of each one. This will take repetition but you will suddenly see them diminish. I assume theyre also in the plumbing and by return pump area.
Other options are :
For each method you should turn your flow OFF for 5 mins. before and during the treatment and wait 15 mins. before turning it back ON after the the treatment, including the return pump.

• Lemon Juice - Instead of reaching for your bottle of lemon juice to enhance your glass of water or cup of tea, maybe try it as an Aiptasia exterminator. While wearing gloves, fill a syringe with pure lemon juice and inject it directly into the Aiptasia. Make sure to move slowly to prevent scarring the anemone into its hole.
• Hydrogen Peroxide - Just like with the lemon juice, fill a syringe and carefully inject a small amount of the solution directly into the disk of the Aiptasia. Be extra careful to not release any hydrogen peroxide into the tank. Not the safest way.
• Kalkwasser - Also known as Calcium hydroxide - kalkwasser is capable of killing Aiptasia. However, I don’t recommend this extermination tactic. In order to work, you must precisely fill the Aiptasia with a concentrated dose. If you try killing too many in this way, you can inadvertently raise your tank pH level, which is no good.
• Other Methods - Some of the other methods commonly used to eradicate Aiptasia include boiling water, vinegar, electricity and even super glue. If you’re considering these methods, there’s a better way that’s less dangerous to you, your tank and your bank account.

I dont recommend super glue Unless there is no other recourse

 

[QuinnLee512]

In addition to killing the aiptasia, what about removing as much rock as possible? The mushrooms are on the side. There just looks like a lot of gross stuff in the middle section of the rock.

 

[Just John]

If you're not depending on that single rock to provide your biological filtration bacteria, there's no reason why you can't scrape stuff off of it if you want to. People say that everyone gets aiptasia sooner or later ... I found this in my tank 15 minutes ago.

 

[G Santana]

The Dreaded A word