hitchhiker id

[kim11]

I was just wondering what these are, ive seen them in other tanks but never knew. They sometimes retract. Also Im still not sure about cleaning my tank. Do I suction out things like the skin of cleaner shrimp and dead hermits (my hermits have been killing eachother)

or will the bristle worms eat that stuff. Thanks, Kim

 

[dmjordan]

aptasia....as far as the dead hermits and such...i would leave it in there and let the clean up crew eat it.

 

[kim11]

Thanks. I heard aptasia is really bad. Should I kill them or leave them?

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by kim11
Thanks. I heard aptasia is really bad. Should I kill them or leave them?
read the other ID thread next to this one.

 

[dmjordan]

personally i would try to rid my tank of them.

 

[kim11]

I only have a 12 gallon tank with 2 clowns and a cleaner shrimp (&cleaning crew) are they in any danger of the aptasia? If not then should I kill them anyway? They are pretty but I dont want them to cause problems.

 

[dmjordan]

they can get rather large and could spread rapidly in your tank. they can also sting your fish and or corals.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by dmjordan
they can get rather large and could spread rapidly in your tank. they can also sting your fish and or corals.
The majority of this site will tell you to get rid of them via HOT WATER or Joes Juice, but i have 2 small ones that have not spread or stung anything to the best of my knowledge and I think they are quite pretty, but the minute they do spread or stimg something the are a goner.

 

[kim11]

Ok, well this helps. Another thing is I dont have any corals in my tank. Just my live rocks and 2 clowns, arent clowns immune to the sting of anemones?

 

[koi lady]

Peppermint shrimp love to eat them. They will usually clean up aptasia in a tank.

 

[symon]

Originally Posted by kim11
Ok, well this helps. Another thing is I dont have any corals in my tank. Just my live rocks and 2 clowns, arent clowns immune to the sting of anemones?
Clowns are not immune to the stings of all anmones!

 

[farslayer]

They are a pest, there is no need to wait for them to spread. They can get large, have nasty stings, and will take over the tank if you are not careful. Blast them with some joe's juice, kalk paste, or shoot them in the mouth with boiling water. Some peppermints can help control the spread, but are not a sure fire solution for everybody.

 

[kim11]

They do seem to be spreading there are 5 or 6. Should I boil some water and shoot them with a turkey baster?

 

[farslayer]

Ask them if their name is Sara Conner, and then terminate them
Turkey basters are great, and saltwater is a great buffer so the boiling water will have minimal collateral damage.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by kim11
They do seem to be spreading there are 5 or 6. Should I boil some water and shoot them with a turkey baster?
Yes, that's the best way to start. I personally don't like to add chemicals to my tank so I haven't tried Joe's Juice, or any of the others, but when I had an aptasia outbreak I cut them out of the rocks (for the bigger ones) and got a peppermint shrimp for the rest. Boiling water works great from what I've heard but I was doing this in a nano and didn't want to raise the temp too much.

 

[jtcredman]

I have used joes juice and it worked for me. It comes with a injector and you inject just a drop in it's mouth and it dies within a day. I also used my #2 calcium compound, and injected it and it also worked, but just use a drop. And you can also get a Copperband Butterfly fish, they love to eat aptasia.

 

[kim11]

I think I will have to get some joes juice. I did blast them with boiling water but it didnt seems to do anything. I only filled the baster 1/4 of the way cuz I only have a 12 gallon tank. Should I use more?

 

[kim11]

The live rock that has about 7 aiptasia anemones on it was only 3 bucks its only a half pound. Should I just throw it away and get a new one later? I mean versus spending 10 bucks on treating the aiptasia.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by kim11
The live rock that has about 7 aiptasia anemones on it was only 3 bucks its only a half pound. Should I just throw it away and get a new one later? I mean versus spending 10 bucks on treating the aiptasia.
Yes, if thats the course you are going! Because that rock seems like a haven for them.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by kim11
The live rock that has about 7 aiptasia anemones on it was only 3 bucks its only a half pound. Should I just throw it away and get a new one later? I mean versus spending 10 bucks on treating the aiptasia.
Well, you don't need to throw it away, possibly put it in a tub of overly salty water for a week and see if they die off.... you could always buy another piece to put in it's place if you'd want to re-cure this one anyway.