SaltyMist Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 So, my liverock really is alive, and today I have seen my first sign of life on it. But what is it? Will it get large, is it good or bad, see photo attached. Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Why? What is bad about it? Will it reproduce and take over my tank? Im hesitant to purposely kill anything alive in the tank unless it's going to takeover and kill all other lifeforms. Thanks, Link to comment
theclearblue Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 That's exactly what it does. Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Okay so I googled for aptasia and are having mixed reviews on how to remove it. Some say squish it, but chances are each even minut particle of the squished aptasia will grow a new aptasia. Some say to remove the rock, but it's the best rock I have and without it the tank would seriously look empty. Can I just try to go at it with a pair of tweezers? Or will it retreat into the rock making it impossible to pull it out? Whats the best way of doing this with the least disturbance to the tank? Thanks, Link to comment
Mugs Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 i heard using a needle and injecting it with a small amount of white viniger will work too. Link to comment
nano man can Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 What ive heard is to inject it with really hot water or with calcium Link to comment
ch0ch Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Get a peppermint shrimp. It will make a cool addition and will take care of any nuissance aiptaisa. Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 If it is the only one you could pull the rock out of the water for a little bit and do what I did the last time I had the beginning of a bad infestation. I injected the little buggers with hydrogen peroxide. When they shriveled up I used a cotton swab to apply more hydrogen peroxide to the area. Then, just cause I'm paranoid and like to play with fire I burned the little bastards with a propane torch and sent them straight to hell. This is not something I would do to a piece of rock with corals on it though, but it was in a FOWLR and it worked for me. Otherwise I have heard of using lemon juice, kalk. Oh, and you could probably skip the fire part. It smells pretty bad. Link to comment
Paulc Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Are you sure it's Aiptasia. It looks like a button polyp to me. If so I'd leave it alone. Link to comment
NanoAmyDee Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 1fish2fish...you are mad! I vote for your method!! I have also heard that making them shrink up and then putting chewing gum over the hole works. We are lucky. We have never had to deal with these.... Link to comment
cerickson Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Kalk supposedly works great, especially when you inject it with some. There is also a product out there that you inject called aipstaiaway.. google it. its cheap. Link to comment
brahm Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 i love this hobbie.. "Hey everybody Check out my first sign of life... " Response - "Kill it!" Link to comment
SoBe Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Looks like a button polyp to me. If it was Aiptasia it would be more like a stalk with tentacles, with no disk. Keep it. Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Well, so far the peppermint shrimp isnt interested in it, so Im going to let it go for a while and see what it looks like when it gets larger and take some better photos. Thanks Link to comment
treszoks Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Looks like aptasia. Squirt it with really hot water or inject it with kalk. Link to comment
yOyOYoo Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 It looks like a button polyp to me too. The aiptasia i've seen have longer tentacles. Link to comment
sdbeazley Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Also looks like a button polyp to me. You should poke it and see if it goes inside of a hole or not. If it does its an anemone and if not its a Polyp. Polyps will only close just not hide. Link to comment
qfour20 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Looks like a button polyp to my noob eyes. If it does turn out to be aiptasia, the best method I've found (won't work for rocks with corals on them) is to take it in a bucket outside with a magnifying glass. It smells *awful* when you burn it, which is half the reason you're outside. The will NOT return. You do end up with some die-off of other organisms and a slight spike in chemistry, but it's worth it for the aiptasia being gone. hth -q Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Originally posted by sdbeazley Also looks like a button polyp to me. You should poke it and see if it goes inside of a hole or not. If it does its an anemone and if not its a Polyp. Polyps will only close just not hide. Well i poked it with a small wooden dowl, and it disappeared so I ASSume it's a aiptasia, but Im still going to let it grow for a while to be certain of what it is. Theres only one of this creature (for the moment) so I'll let it grow and take better photos for people to identify. If it turns out to be aiptasia, then I'll deal with it when the time comes. Wish me the best Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 DAMN! Just as I got done poking it and put the light hood back on the tank, I now notice the pepermint shrimp going at it. So I guess it's an aiptasia, and the shrimp will deal with it. Link to comment
bones_bones Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 It's definately an aptasia. Pack the whole tank up, ship it to me, and I'll take care of it for you.... Link to comment
Wiggler Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 To me it also looks like a polyp... apstasias almost look like a small anenome... and when they are young.. can be confused for a baby feather duster. If you poke it with a turkey baster or something, does it retract into the rock? If it does.. then odds are it's an apstasia... If all it does is "curl up" so that the open part closes... then it's a polyp and then there's no need to worry. But if it turns out that it is an apstasia, check out this link: http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthre...p?threadid=5710 This stuff (I haven't had a need to use it myself) apparently is quite the thing and works instantaneously. With no need for repeated treatments... Kalk is another method.. but must be injected into the apstasia directly via a needle/syringe etc... and this will need to be repeated daily until it's dead. You can also use sugar free previously chewed bubble gum to "gum" up the hole in which it lives.. but keep in mind, that it will find another way out. Pam Link to comment
jasontatro Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I vote for some sort of polyp as well. If it were aiptasia the "tentacles" would be alot longer. Link to comment
SaltyMist Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Woops, my bad. I guess I should have tried poking it before that 3rd bourbon and coke drink last night :x Last night it looked like it retreated into the rock, and immediately afterwards the peppermint shrimp looked like it was scratching at where it was and eating it. But today it's still there, so I poked it again and this time the disc part just retracted into a stem of sorts and didnt actually retract into the rock, so it may just be a polyp of some sort Link to comment
Wiggler Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 if it just retracted into a "bud" type of thing (polyp) then it's a good thing and your FIRST piece of coral in the tank CONGRATS!!!! Polyps are a very hearty coral.. they are usually beginner corals cause they are really hard to kill. (I'm a newbie too, and I have a mushroom/zoo (polyp) 10g nano). They multiplly quite well and are filter feeders, they are also fairly forgiving when you have an ammonia spike or anything.. but you want to do your best to keep the spikes uner control any way Pam Link to comment
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