Something growing out of my live rock?

[77mfan20]

Alright soooo I just started this tank and something is growing out of my live rock. It is hard to see? It has brown dots as tips and clearish/white things. What is this? How big does it get? Is it harmful? How do I get rid of it?

 

[77mfan20]

Scratch that there is a lot of them. I count about 5 ver small ones on the rock

 

[77mfan20]

I just touched the big one and it curled up and went inside

 

[Petrichor]

Is it anemone-shaped? If so it might be apitasia, a pest anemone that multiplys fast and can sting and damage coral. I can't relly tell by the picture, but they're often transparent-ish when little and suck back into the rockwork when touched.

 

[77mfan20]

That's them. I'm not 100 percent if it's anemone shaped but it went back when I touched it and there are 6 on that one rock. Small though. Today is the first time I noticed them. Ive only had this for a week and I'm cycling it. How do I get rid of it.

 

[77mfan20]

Is it anemone-shaped? If so it might be apitasia, a pest anemone that multiplys fast and can sting and damage coral. I can't relly tell by the picture, but they're often transparent-ish when little and suck back into the rockwork when touched.

I know it's hard to see in the picture, sorry. It's just pretty small. You can barely see the brown tips.

 

[Petrichor]

There are many ways to get rid of them and everyone has their own prefered method.

The "natural" way to kill it is with its natural predator. Most people chose peppermint shrimp as they're the cheapest natural solution, but some shrimp don't seem to eat aiptasia (even if they're advertised to). Personally mine has. You wouldn't want to add a peppermint shrimp until after your tank is cycled, though. The same goes for filefish and certain butterfly fish that eat the aiptasia; you'd want to wait until your cycle is done PLUS make sure they'd be able to live in your tank if you plan to keep them.

There's medicine liked Aiptasia-X that you squirt on the anemone to kill it. Some people also use kalkwasser and make a paste out of it to cover the anemone and kill it. Another popular option is to take hot lemon juice or boiling water and inject it into the anemone with a syringe, but this takes a quick hand and access to a needle tip syringe.

Other methods include having the anemone retract and covering it with super glue to suffocate it (there's a certain superglue you have to use, I'm not sure which), or taking the rock out and burning the aiptasia with a lighter.

Hope that helps!

 

[77mfan20]

There are many ways to get rid of them and everyone has their own prefered method.

The "natural" way to kill it is with its natural predator. Most people chose peppermint shrimp as they're the cheapest natural solution, but some shrimp don't seem to eat aiptasia (even if they're advertised to). Personally mine has. You wouldn't want to add a peppermint shrimp until after your tank is cycled, though. The same goes for filefish and certain butterfly fish that eat the aiptasia; you'd want to wait until your cycle is done PLUS make sure they'd be able to live in your tank if you plan to keep them.

There's medicine liked Aiptasia-X that you squirt on the anemone to kill it. Some people also use kalkwasser and make a paste out of it to cover the anemone and kill it. Another popular option is to take hot lemon juice or boiling water and inject it into the anemone with a syringe, but this takes a quick hand and access to a needle tip syringe.

Other methods include having the anemone retract and covering it with super glue to suffocate it (there's a certain superglue you have to use, I'm not sure which), or taking the rock out and burning the aiptasia with a lighter.

Hope that helps!

Thanks! I looked it up and heard great things about apitasia x I will try that one.

 

[Rosesrblu1]

+1 on the aptaisia x...used for many years...really big ones may need more than 1 dose...

 

[77mfan20]

+1 on the aptaisia x...used for many years...really big ones may need more than 1 dose...

How often will these appear? Once I'm down with my live rock and done cycling the tank, will they come back?

 

[77mfan20]

How often will these appear? Once I'm down with my live rock and done cycling the tank, will they come back?

After I kill them of course.

 

[Rosesrblu1]

They shouldn't come back, but I have had some rock for months and not a trace, and 1 day they sprout up...just keep am eye out...

 

[77mfan20]

They shouldn't come back, but I have had some rock for months and not a trace, and 1 day they sprout up...just keep am eye out...

Alright thanks, will do.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Go Blue!!

 

[kdpuffer]

It actually looks like it could also be a feather duster. Do they retract into the rock or into a tube on the rock?

 

[77mfan20]

It actually looks like it could also be a feather duster. Do they retract into the rock or into a tube on the rock?

They are to small to tell. The biggest one in the picture. I touched and it curled up. There are 10 on my rock so far. Even if they were feather dusters, I don't want 10 on one rock in a 30 gallon haha.

 

[Madreefer420]

+1 on the aptaisia x...used for many years...really big ones may need more than 1 dose...

I'm sorry but I have to pipe up on this aptaisia x really only works decently if you have a few hungry peppermint shrimp I had used half a bottle of it on them in my tank to have them come back and spread I got a couple peppermint shrimp and pretty my starved my tank for like a month with minimal feedings mostly was target feeding the fish and lps and anemones and I would kill all the glass anemones right b4 the lights would go off as the shrimp were coming out for food and I have noticed it works a bit better but still don't fancy the stuff looking for better stuff still but I guess if you can catch them fast enough you may be ok

 

[Madreefer420]

And if there feather dusters chances are they won't get much bigger I have 1000's of little red ones every where looks pretty neat gives it a real look and none have gotten any bigger im pretty sure there are micro feather dusters

 

[77mfan20]

Well whatever they were I killed them with the x stuff. Hopefully they won't come back.