Is this an anenome? good or bad?

[xeanliao]

Hi,
I found this (see attached picture) in my sump, stick on the glass. I spotted a month ago on some maco alge and It graduately moved to glass from the bottom to water surface. Does it look like an Aipasia anenome, or is it good or bad? Should I remove it or leave it alone?

Thanks in advance.
Sean

 

[jay0705]

I've never seen apatsia look like that

 

[bang guy]

Definitely Aiptasia sp.

 

[cav414]

That looks like a ball anemone. I don't think they cause problems or spread like apatsia.

 

[xeanliao]

This guy always climb above the water on the glass, near the surface. I used credit card to put it back to the rock twice and it just graduately go back to water surface. maybe it likes more light and/or the water is low on oxygen?

To remove this guy, all I need is lower the water a little and use a credit card to get under its feet. I was hesitate to do it because it looks kinda pretty and all the info/pics I read about aiptasia are all on the rock. This one seems only stay on the glass.

I think I am going to remove it just to be safe since some of you are certain it is the bad one.

 

[xeanliao]

I found this link: http://www.melevsreef.com/node/493

It looks very much alike without the orange ball on the tip. My does roll/retract to a little ball if touched.

Ball anemone, or aiptasia? what is your vote?

 

[cav414]

Yours looks more like the second picture in that link. I said ball because of how clear the tenticals are. Most aptasia I've seen have a brown tint to them and don't open as wide. How long has it been in your tank?

 

[xeanliao]

I spotted it about 1 month ago, it was about 1mm very small, must be hitchhiked from some macro alge I put in the sump. I think I saw two or three at that time, but only this one make it and gets bigger, about 0.5 mm size now.

 

[cav414]

Okay I'm still thinking ball anemone but, bang guy has a lot more experience than I do. So I say its better safe than sorry.

 

[flower]

I 100% agree with Bang Guy. Don't go messing with it...at all. Scraping it off the glass is a really bad idea, once you mess with it, it releases spores, and you don't know what a pain in the but those anemones are. They spread like fire. Kill by feeding it Joes juice, or aptasia X, and then get some peppermint shrimp to make sure you don't get anymore. Do not touch it, dig at it, nor scrap it off the glass.

 

[cysco1187]

Can aiptasia be fuzzy looking? I have a couple very light sensitive things that are about the size of the above but tuck back into the LR when I turn on the light. They are not out in the day at all. I've had aiptasia before and it was much smaller and out all the time and never looked fuzzy. No camera so no picture.Help?

 

[bang guy]

Fuzzy doesn't sound like Aiptasia. Some species of Aiptasia can get fairly large (6"+) so size isn't an indicator. Tentacles only on the edge of the disk and tapered tentacles ending in a point are two things that help ID.