unknown anemone

jjspati

jjspati

Member
i have currently a FO tank with lots of dead corals and rocks (not live). i have 2 pygmy angels, a blue angel, and a hippo tang. The tank has been up for 7 months now. i just introduced some live rock to the tank. One of the new rocks have some anemones on it. Now i really dont know much about anemones yet. they are pink with about 8-10 little arms. They are definetly alive. i turned off the current, and watched them pull back when i poked it. There are about 4 patches of these very little guys. im have one 24inch 50/50 light and its a 45gal 36inch long tank. i know the lighting is not good for it to thrive. i also know the blue angel may eat it. my question is, is my blue angel definetly going to eat, (because i like it there). and 2, will the lighting be so inefficient that it will die. in that case that it does die, will it poison and kill my tank. also will it poison the tank if the blue angel eats it.
all info appreciated. Thanks
P.S.-yes i have a protein skimmer
 
sbustobante

sbustobante

Member
I need a little more definition, but it sounds a lot like "anemonia majano", which is a common hitchhiker. Are the tips kind of swollen? Is your live rock from Fiji or Indonesia? Is it dull pinkish brown - maybe with green tips on the tentacles? If yes, it's most probably anemonia. I think they are really pretty, but they reproduce really quickly and can overtake everything your tank fast. Since you don't have corals, this may not be a problem for you, especially if you like the look.
Another option is aptasia, but it's really clearish or brownish, never seen them come in pink. They have tapered tentacles. They are a pest for the same reason as anemonia.
I'm not sure if your fish will eat them, maybe, maybe not. They will not nuke your tank if the fish does snack.
 
jjspati

jjspati

Member
I forget the name for the rock, but i forgot to mention its cured rock. Im thinking thats important to know right? They are really too small to tell, but i think they have green tips.
Since eating wont kill them. If the lighting kills them, will they then kill the tank since they are so small?
Thanks
[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: JJSPATI ]
 
jjspati

jjspati

Member
also, yes pinkish brown. Im sure your right on what they are. when you say over take everything, does that mean that they will kill any new corals introduced? and are they poisonous when they die off. I think thats the most important thing. I love this tank and id hate to see it die on me.
[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: JJSPATI ]
 
@knight

@knight

Member
if you like the look and its a FO tank, you should have no real problem. but things like that can get out of hand. let them go for a while and see what develops. if they get too big you can mow them over, and they'll grow back or you can inject them with kalkwasser and kill them dead. peppermint shrimp also like to snack on them.
 
jjspati

jjspati

Member
i think they look alright, but i do want to eventually slowly add in corals and maybe anemones. what do they do for them?
 
sbustobante

sbustobante

Member
yep, that's anemonia. Just so you know, they never get much bigger than the diameter of a quarter, and they will reproduce by lateral fission - ie splitting in half.
It's no problem in a fish only, if you like the look.
If you plan on having corals, you will want to get rid of them or at least control them. They sting corals, preventing them from expanding and causing tissue damage that can get infected. They reproduce so rapidly that they can blanket your lr. I've had an ongoing problem in one of my tanks.
If you do want to get rid of them, do a search on the board for aptaisia - a similar pest. I have had NO luck getting rid anemonia with peppermint shrimp however, although they have worked for my aptaisia.
 
sbustobante

sbustobante

Member
oops, didn't answer one of your questions:
Don't worry about them nuking your tank. They are not poisonous when they die off. If you were to get rid of them using the kalkwasser method that @knight suggests (a good suggestion), you might not want to do them all at the same time. Do a handful in one shot, then wait a couple of days, do another handful, to prevent a nitrate spike caused by the mass death and rotting of the dead anemones.
 
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