Brown Tube Anemoned / polyp *bad pics warning*

[andrewpk]

Hi,
When I first saw these in my tank, i was pretty excited as something new and interesting to watch.
Although, now I've seen them spreading from the rock they started on, to various other areas of the tank.
I'm worried they're just going to be taking over, and eating everything. The reason I mention eating everything is, they're carnivorous. I've seen them eating my crabs, and initially fed them silversides like my anemonies.
Here's a series of 6 terrible terrible terrible pictures:
http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown00xb5.jpg
http://img392.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown01kh3.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown02yq0.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown03nx3.jpg
http://img380.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown05im5.jpg
http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown06ee5.jpg
embedded pics:
<img src="http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown00xb5.jpg" />
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<img src="http://img392.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown01kh3.jpg" />
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<img src="http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown02yq0.jpg" />
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<img src="http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown03nx3.jpg" />
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<img src="http://img380.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown05im5.jpg" />
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<img src="http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brown06ee5.jpg" />

 

[bigarn]

they're aiptasias .... nuisance anemones and will spread quickly. they wouldn't eat crabs though.
the bad thing is they can sting corals.

 

[andrewpk]

Bigarn,
You sir, are correct!
Thanks!!
I just googled Aptasia's, and those seem to be it exactly.
Now onto a, "careful removal" process.
I suppose napalm is out of the question?
Thanks again!
I'll see about posting in another part of the forums about removing these.
p.s. I thought I saw one eating a crab, since I saw one hanging about 1/2 out of one of these.
I was assuming he's getting eaten.

 

[bigarn]

glad i could help ... you might want to look into a product called joe's juice for getting rid of them.
safer then napalm also.

 

[natclanwy]

You can make a Kalkwasser paste from items at the grocery store that is equivalent to "Joes Juice". All you need is some Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime (Kalk) which is found in the canning section and some saltwater from your tank. Boil the saltwater on the stove and mix 1 part lime to two parts saltwater pour it into a container and let it cool. Now all you need to do is turn off all of your pumps and power heads shake the kalkwasser paste well and use a syringe with no needle to draw out the paste and then squirt it onto the oral disk of the pest anemone. Try not to disturb them too much or they will retract into the rock. After you finish treating the anemones leave your pumps off for about 20 more minutes before you turn them back on. The paste will cause your PH to rise a little over the next hour or so but your tank should equalize it and return to normal within a couple of hours. 10ml of kalk paste in my system (aprx 70g of water) will cause the PH to rise 0.2 and 10ml is enough to treat 50-100 aiptasia.

 

[andrewpk]

Thanks to both of you.
I'll check out my options, and probably deal with them sooner rather than later.
Upon closer inspection, they're all over the tank, in various places now.
Maybe 15 or so, that I can see, varying in sizes.

 

[natclanwy]

There are probably far more than that it is amazing how fast they spread and every time you think you have them all gone you find a few more. I had 1000's in my tank and now I'm down to 20-30 that are in difficult to reach areas so I treat them as best as I can, it would be nice if I could get a peppermint to eat the aiptasia faster than my Sally light foot eats the peppermints

so maybe they could get the ones I can't reach.