Aptaisia?

[damselsrck]

Hi. I just bought some cured live rock this afternoon. I only bought 5 lbs...(the stuff was over-priced) but I was just dying to get some in my tank. One piece I bought becuase it had lots of coralling (pink, purple, and then a really dark purple) and the other I bought becuase it had a form of caulerpa growing on it. I noticed after I got it in a clear bag that the smaller piece (caulerpa piece) had a small brown mound on it....I touched it (through the plastic) and it was squishy. I assumed it was a sponge and therefore was hopeless, but as soon as it got a little water on it, it started opening up. At first I thought it was a polyp of some sort, but it looks more like an anemone. I was excited until I realized it was most likely Aiptasia. I had looked over the piece to make sure it didn't have aiptasia while it was in the tank (although a rock near it did). What could this be? It is very short and stubby, has tentacles in neat rows around the outside, it looked nothing like the aiptasia on the rock at the store. It doesn't have long tentacles, they are very short (and fat)! Could this be a species of Aiptasia? I will try to get a pic asap.

 

[fedukeford]

either aptasia or some type of button polyp

 

[damselsrck]

maybe it's a button polyp...I have never seen one that looks like this. I did a google search, but none of the Aiptasia looked like the thing I've got.

 

[damselsrck]

Ok, well now I am pretty sure it is a button polyp, becuase guess what I just found? Aiptasia. It's only one small one, but it's enough for me to compare the two, they look NOTHING alike. Ok, well, I had a question. Do I have to manually remove the Ap. to get rid of it, or will it die becuase all I have now is flourescents? (I'm gonna remove it anyway) Will the button polyp die? I would really like to keep him... :joy: I was considering getting PC's just to get good coralline...this way I could keep a few shrooms and zoos too...only thing is I already decided against getting a sump/refugium anytime soon (I have to finish the whole lr and ls thing). But, even if I didn't get PC's would the button be fine? How would it have survived this long? (shipment to store without water...) they only had it under actnics at the store, would that be enough to keep it alive and flourishing (it looks great)?