BCastle

Forgive the noob question, but I put 3 pieces of live rock in my new 75 gal tank today. This tank is just starting the cycling period (day 3). It's so new I haven't even tested my water parameters yet, just added a couple chunks of fish to decay and added the LR. I had planned on buying the water test supplies this weekend to begin monitoring the cycle.

I have already discovered a couple of feather dusters, one brittle starfish (ID'd by the LFS employee)... and what looks like a small, maybe 10mm diameter anemone.

I know from reading here that anemones require an older tank environment, and can be hard to care for.

My questions are, first, is there anything else it could be that resembles an anemone, and second, what the heck should I do with it? I get the impression that it probably won't make it through my cycle. I don't even know what they feed on, because I had no plans for getting one.

What say the experts?

Peterpiper

Need a pic to see if its good or bad..
And welcome

BCastle

I'm working on it... I can't seem to get a decent one through the glass. I'll try to post one this evening.

Hypnox

There are many anemones that can live in many different environments. The big pest ones are majano and aiptasia (also called glass anemone). These tend to be the prolific splitters that you do not want in your tank. Some LR has been known to come with small LTA anemones which are non-photosynthetic, meaning they do not require a high output light source. As Peterpiper said, as soon as there is a photo we can help you ID it and if it's bad, suggest solutions to getting rid of it.

Congrats on the featherdusters and the starfish, most people have to pay extra for those. :P

Also, welcome to fishlore.

cerianthus

LTA meaning Long tentacle Anemone? if so, i think it also is photosynthetic. In any case, pic would definitely help w/ ID! I hope it is ricordia or small Bubble tip Anemone (bta) as I have gotten few on LR. I dont know about now, ricordea came as freebie on Florida LR/Base ROck (around 20 yrs ago) and BTA on FIJI.

BCastle

Ok, here's the best I could do with my camera phone. With my regular digital I couldn't get a pic without the flash and then the glare was horrible.

It's about the size of a dime (maybe a little smaller), and the rock it came from is to the right (the rock on the left is fake). I saw no activity (other than the brittle starfish waving his arms around out of the hole) until lights out, then I came by later with a flashlight to peek at what was going on. It had moved about 2 inches and taken up residence on the coral floor. It's in the same spot today.

Forgive me if I'm stupid; I'm not even sure it's an anemone. That's just the only thing I know that looks like that. I'll be embarassed if it turns out to be something else entirely!

And also, thanks for the welcome everybody!!!

Attached Images

hitchhiker.jpg (295.0 KB, 137 views)

cerianthus

Plz no one know everything and besides we were there one time or another.
This looks like a good old Aiptasia, nuisance expecially for reef. Physical removal is best rather than chemical additives, IMO.

I used to use syringe to suck them out fron the base since will contract as soon as you go near it.

BCastle

Hmmm.... you sound pretty convinced. I guess he's out on the street. Luckily I can just net him up with a little coral where he is.

BCastle

After doing a little reading on Aiptasia on xtalreef, I now wonder: I added a hermit crab today (before I knew this tidbit), and it seems they eat Aipstasia. Should I physically remove it anyway or let the hermit find it?

cerianthus

Really? What kind of hermits? If red legged Hermit which is reef safe, have not seen them providing services. Do agree on peppermint shrimps munching on Apitasia, well, not all the time (some batch did good job when other did not). For one aiptasia, would remove unless want to give a Hermit a try.

BCastle

The xtalreef site http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm has a link for "more info on Apistasia" in the section on this anemone. I read it there. I guess I'll go remove it now. I was kinda hoping it was a good thing, but oh well!

Matt

Yeah it is a Aptasia.

Sorry Mate

-Matt

BCastle

Well, it WAS one.

Peterpiper

No mistaking that one!

charzar-g

apart from that bad anenomie, you sound as if you had a lot of hitchikers...lucky!
Where did you get it from and what kind was it??
Ta

Also, how did you get rid of the anenomie?

BCastle

I picked it up at the LFS. I was lucky in that the aiptaisa didn't attach to a rock... rather, it LEFT the rock and took up residence on the substrate. I was able to just net him and about 2 tablespoons of the bottom at the same time.

slamddakota99

u r lucky! having hitch hickers! i found 1 tiny star fish...duno where he went LOL i can't find him, couple tiny baby snails and thas about it! some of my live rock is purple so i duno if tha is a good thing for a coral to pop out of the blue or not LOL but also got my live sand from a guy who harvest it in the atlantic ocean right off the coast of florida..so maybe i'll have something in there....been bout 4days now...

cerianthus

Dont be so sure about hitchhikers. They can be NIGHTMARE!!
If any corals pop out, that will be welcomed surprises as eggs/larvae somehow survived the trip. Always possible.
I am waiting for weather to warm up so i can go hunt for S/W tropicals including Lionfish. I just read an article in Fsh Mag that Lionfish have been reported in LI, NY. I gotts start wearing sneakers before I jump into water, lol!

slamddakota99

they do have water shoes....when i go to Myrtle Beach SC for vacation i usually wear them just incase i step on a jelly fish. i think their are some eggs on some but i duno. i think it might be from my snails....so maybe i'll have some baby snails on top of the 400snails i got already LOL! holy cow!

cerianthus

Believe it or not, Lions have settled permanently as far North as in either SC or NC. I really dont know wether this is good for natural ecosystem but My heart is out in the ocean already. LOL!
I dont know if water shoes will be good enough on adult Lions. But thanx.

slamddakota99

i honestly would have no clue bro.....

charzar-g

ah thats cool!
I'm gonna get mine at a lfs, but i'm gonna check which one has the best first
Its not all gonna be live rock though, i'm gona get some normal rock and let it spread its life about

Thats good about the anenomie..again
You should put it in its own little tank! haha

samged

hi

I just changed my old tank, got a 2Mt tank about 260gl, Got live rocks about 155kg..... i let the tank run for 3 months by just adding salt and added API stress zyme to cultivate bacteria and even added cubes of frozen brine shrimp to start the decay. after the 3 months, i added the live rocks. its been 3 weeks so far.
Gotta have a 1.8m 150w 20,000k x 3 metal halide T8/20w blue x 2, T8/30w x 2. have an automated timer attached to it.
Got an R/O with resin, it is attached with a dosage pump that keeps refillin the evaporate water.
i gotta sump, canister filter and a chiller too.
4 wave maker by boyu and a skimmer Turboflotor 3000 by aquamedic.

as someone was talkin about the flea like things in the tank.... i noticed them and thought it was harmfull and now realized its fine. but i gotta problem, few crabs have been dyin off. do i have to keep addin iodine into the tank.... do u think that could be the reason.
what do u think could be the reason?

and i did get alotta hitchhikers in my tank. so would like to save em as much as possible. i have alotta quarries.

thanks guys

cerianthus

Are you sure the crabs are dying? It may be empty shells from molting. I would not add extra/unnecessary iodine. Make sure to keep Cal level up though. I dont know what kind of crabs but I have locally collected crabs which have been doing fine, even some occassional breeding, w/o much attending.
You may even possibly have hitchhiker which may be predator? What are your water parameters now? How bad was the condition during cycling? I doubt if any spiked since you have decent amt of LR.

samged

" Make sure to keep Cal level up though"

do i need to buy a cal reactor?..... i do have two small reactors.... i thought if its big i need to keep account of the pH going low.... but if its a small reactor it could give an ideal amount.... i have bought already bought and even caclium hydrocarbonate, sulphur and silica gel balls.

samged