polyps- poison

[corky]

At my lfs the other day I was told to watch out for something that resembles a polyp on live rock but is poisonous to fish and coral and reproduce at a rapid rate. They are somewhat brown in color and have flowing arms just like a polyp. Is anyone familiar with this and know of pictures I can use to compare with what I have in my tank? Thanks!

 

[jtoliver]

What you are talking about is aptisia. I've never heard of them being poison, but they do reproduce like rabbits and will take over your tank. Not a big worry, if you see some just get a couple of peppermint shrimp and they will enjoy an nice aptisia snack.

John

 

[corky]

Thanks John! That's a relief!! He made it sound like it was going to kill all my fish and any coral I might have added in the future.

 

[corky]

Burnnspy, I'm really not sure what you disagree to. Once I knew what it was called I was able to do some research. It turns out that they are poisonous to coral. They also reproduce very rapidly. Peppermint shrimp have been know to help get rid of this problem. For a picture of these critters go to www.reefs.org/hhfaq/ . Look under the heading "Anemones"(I think they are the first listing under that topic).