Question
Coral ID
Jennifer,
Sorry to bother you again but a friend told me that the little anemone looking thing in the attached picture might
be something called aptasia and it should be eradicated ASAP. can you tell for sure by the picture? Please advise.
And I promise not to bother you again in the next 48 hrs :)
Thanks Again,
Brian (your trusting student) :)
AnswerHey there Brian. Don't worry your not bothering me at all! Yes, it is an aptasia anemone. As far as eradicating it ASAP that is a little harsh. You should get rid of it when you can because it will reproduce rapidly and can become a problem but you will want to do it right or you run the risk of breaking it into a bunch of pieces each one having the ability to regenerate and form a whole new anemone. The reason they are so dangerous in a reef tank is because not only do they reproduce rapidly but their sting is very potent to almost every coral out there. They use chemical warfare to compete for space on the rocks and they will win every time. The one you have looks rather small and is not too much of a threat as of yet but it would be a good idea to get rid of it soon. There are a few different methods for getting rid of these pesky little creatures. One way is by utilizing peppermint shrimp in your tank. This may not always work in a well fed tank and some peppermint shrimp are just plain ineffective but I have always had much luck with them and if you don't have any in your tank already they make a good addition to the reef tank. I have read that they will sometimes eat small polyps as well as the aptasia anemones but I have lots of small polyps in my tank with three of these shrimp and have had no problems with them. I also have had a problem with the aptasia anemones and since adding the peppermint shrimp have not seen one since. Although I do have them living in my filter! Another way to get rid of them is to use Joe's Juice on them. This product is perfectly safe and very effective though I have never used it myself I do know others that have and I have never heard a complaint about it. One other method is to inject the anemone with a syringe filed with about .5 cc lemon juice. This is tricky though because you have to catch the anemone while it is out and you have to make a direct hit or run the risk of breaking pieces off of it and forming new specimens. I have used this method at work many times, and it always works but may not be the ideal way for some one who has never done it before.(although the first time I did it I wasn't very successful but ended up getting it the second time without any new ones forming.) Don't worry, lemon juice is not harmful to your tank in that small of an amount. I see from your picture that there are some mushrooms on the same rock. Another method is to take out the rock and run boiling water over the anemone but with another coral so close to it on the same rock this would not be a good idea. Whatever way you decide to get rid of it just remember that another one may crop up in its place some where else in the tank. They are harmless as one small one alone. It is when they get big and their numbers get large that they are a real problem. Just keep getting rid of them as you find them and don't worry too much about them.(I see that one of your bristle worm friends poked out to say cheese for the picture. Either that or he was thanking me for not telling you to get rid of him:) )
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