Green Button Polyp or Aiptasia? Neither

[eitallent]

Edit: see last post

What is your verdict please? I have never seen aiptasia in the flesh.

edit: BTW I notice that when they close they do not suck up their arms all the way, like I have read that aiptasia do. The aarms fold over one another and make a little, cute pouch. Am lucky?

[Islandoftiki]

If it's an aiptasia, can you send it to me? I'll pay shipping.

 

It looks like an aiptasia, but I haven't seen a green one.

[rafastank727]

When its bother, does it completely retract into the rock or just closes up? Never seen a green head aiptasia

[eitallent]

When its bother, does it completely retract into the rock or just closes up? Never seen a green head aiptasia

LOL was editing as you replied. It closes not retracts. Thanks

[Islandoftiki]

Physically, I'd say aiptasia. Color wise, I haven't seen green. But keep in mind that aiptasia can come in different colors besides brown. Do a web search, and you'll see.

 

Regardless, it's cool. But if It's aiptasia and you aren't specifically trying to keep aiptasia, you don't want it!

 

I would love to have one like that in my pest tank though... or breed them in my majano tank.

[eitallent]

Physically, I'd say aiptasia. Color wise, I haven't seen green. But keep in mind that aiptasia can come in different colors besides brown. Do a web search, and you'll see.

 

Regardless, it's cool. But if It's aiptasia and you aren't specifically trying to keep aiptasia, you don't want it!

 

I would love to have one like that in my pest tank though... or breed them in my majano tank.

 

Okay, if it is aiptasia I will send it to you.

 

I Googled before I posted but I was still really unsure; especially since one nano-reefer pointed out on my tank thread that it may not be a GBP but aiptasia.

[puffin]

if it curls up then its most likely not aiptasia, which tends to retract really quickly when disturbed. aiptasia also have very long bases. (I think its called a base).

[Atela]

This one does have an aiptasia look to it. Let IslandofTiki take it off your hands to be on the safe side.

[eitallent]

Here is a 30 second video of possible aiptasia anemone that was sold as a Green button polyp. When I pestered it yesterday it did not suck up into the rock. Today was a different story. IslandofTiki may have another resident in his tank.

 

[Islandoftiki]

It's fast like aiptasia, and it appears to be sitting in a hole, which they tend to do. I'm going to say it's an anemone for sure. Probably in the same family as aiptasia, but maybe a lesser known variant.

 

Now, what ever you do don't mangle it if you decide to remove it. Even if you have to, remove some of the rock underneath it so it comes out in one piece and it's horribly traumatized in the process. That's a surefire way to get more of them.

[Atela]

rock anemone?

[thehobdenmarina]

Definitely not a polyp, but not aiptasia, I have seen anemones like this before but can't remember the name, some are fine but some can't become invasive. It does look like a small rock flower but its not. I'd tough it out for now to get a positive ID then if it is bad, take it back to your lfs, then get a new lfs I went to a big als a while back and one of the staff was telling a newbie that aiptasia is desirable by many as it "filters the water and stings unwanted pests..." That's a true story. I just buy dry goods there but still that's retarded I hope the newbie didn't buy what he was saying

[Tenor]

It's Majano anemone

[Islandoftiki]

It's Majano anemone

 

I collect majanos and have never seen one that looks like this.

[eitallent]

This a Booding anemone (Epiactis prolifera)

I began noticing little spots in between the anemone's tentacles. The spots turned into little small anemones on the oral disc.

 

Here they are circled on the pictures

 

 

 

You can read more about this fascinating anemone here:

 

http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxa...2/sangeetaa.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiactis_prolifera

http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/depart..._prolifera.html

 

As you can see on the site linked below there are many color and form variations of this nem

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Cnidaria/Epia...20prolifera.htm

[Islandoftiki]

Well, that's just plain cool.

[Rollermonkey]

I love the comment that even fried in butter, eating them is not recommended, even for the desperate.

 

Sounds delish.

[metrokat]

My first thought was majano, but since IofTikki collects then, he would know better than me. I'm not convinced it is the brooding anemone either, none of the pictures show the green coloration.

 

It is for sure an anemone, you can PM monochrome5 and yardboy who are anemone collectors also.

[CheeseHead]

My first thought was majano, but since IofTikki collects then, he would know better than me. I'm not convinced it is the brooding anemone either, none of the pictures show the green coloration.

 

It is for sure an anemone, you can PM monochrome5 and yardboy who are anemone collectors also.

 

Looks pretty green in the first picture up top?

[metrokat]

Looks pretty green in the first picture up top?

I meant none of the pictures online of a brooding nem show a green color.

[Rollermonkey]

Yes, but all three articles linked indicate green as a possible color morph...

[eitallent]

My first thought was majano, but since IofTikki collects then, he would know better than me. I'm not convinced it is the brooding anemone either, none of the pictures show the green coloration.

 

It is for sure an anemone, you can PM monochrome5 and yardboy who are anemone collectors also.

 

Thanks for all the interest and replies. The pic bellow shows the 'babies.'

 

The description in the literature describes the common species as brown with green. The E. prolifera and its color variants can be very colorful. Naturally, photographers will not snap pictures of the common brown/green variety that I probably have. It may be a different species altogether. Also, one of them stretched itself out showing its column which had slight white stripes! I will PM the members you mentioned and pick their brains if they have time. So cool.

 

Skip this section if you have already know about these. From reading some of the article linked above I found out that there are two ways that these anemones reproduce. One way is asexual in that they clone themselves by budding from the column. Sexually, these anemones are unusual. Epiactis anemones are hermaphrodites where one animal can produce both sperm and ova. When they spawn they do not release their fertilized eggs out into the ocean. Instead the eggs develop and hatch inside the digestive cavity of the parent. The larvae then move out of the parent's mouth and crawl out onto the edge oral disc. The parent anemone secrets a sticky mucous around the edge of the oral disc where the larvae attach themselves to grow. The juveniles live on the parent for up to three months. When they are able to fend for themselves they move out of the house so to speak and onto adjacent rocks.

 

Here is a picture of the my anemone retracted. You can see how sticky the mucous is because sand particles have adhered to its column. You can plainly see the small white dots all around the outside edge of the tentacles. You cannot see them well but these look to be the ends of the little anemones' tentacles

 

[eitallent]

I love the comment that even fried in butter, eating them is not recommended, even for the desperate.

 

Sounds delish.

 

I found that comment funny too. That scientist is dedicated to thorough study of an organism.

A person has to pretty desperate or extremely curious to scrape slimy stuff up off of rocks during low tide and eat it! Ugh!

[eitallent]

EDIT: I am still unsure of the ID for these. Anyone have these?

These little green nems are still hanging out on the same colony rock they arrived on: except for one little nem. I had leaned a rock close to one of the nems on the colony rock and a snail must have nedged it up against one nem. I noticed it about a week or two later and moved the nudged rock back into place. However, a new nem had attached itself and I pulled it off the mother nem. It sat alone on that rock for less than a day because the next morning it had move back to the colony rock! It moved around the colony for days until it finally found happiness nestled in the sand about half an inch from the mother colony! So enchating...

 

The wandering nem is in the center, top of the colony rock.

 

 

 

Here it is in the sand and it has just caught a tid bit to eat. Yum! Licks its fingers.

 

 

 

 

Finshed the meal, time to relax ...

[Islandoftiki]

Can you send me one of those? I'll be happy to pay for the shipping and maybe a few more bucks to make it worth your while. PM me if you can send me one.