Moral question for ya.

I have aiptastia in my tank. I currently have two peppermint shrimp that are doing a very good job on them. So I guess I got lucky on the shrimp. My question for you all is this: I found at least one aiptastia in my sump/fuge, I would assume there are more smaller ones I cant see, Would you still sell my chaeato to my LFS for credit given there might be more of these little pests in it? I dont want to piss anyone off or spread these little buggers to anyone else. What are your thoughts and opinions? I am thinking I should let the shrimp do there job and watch my cheato for signs of them and remove them. then once time has past with none in my DT, assume I should be good to sell. if thats everyones thoughts, then I will just cut my cheato in half and throw the rest away.......

 

cut off the cheato with the aptasia on it...let it grow back or just sell the rest to the LFS....it should aonly take like 1 or 2 weeks to grow back depending on the size

 

that I understand but I was afraid to sell them some that might have some small ones I cant see or something.

 

I would throw the trimmings away,just my opinion,as i wouldn't want someone to infect my tank no more than you would want yours infected.I have a few small aips that i keep hitting with boiling tank water in a syringe,but little ones keep poking up,so next time i'm at the lfs,a couple pepps are on my list;D

 

If you knowingly sell something that has aiptasia, then you're going against your own code of ethics. However, this is not the case here. You don't see any aiptasia and you checked for it. Sell the Chaeto with your conscience clear.

 

Good question.. I would put your shrimp down in the fuge for some time and then once things seem in the clear go ahead and sell it.. The thing is that you have to remember that 90% of the time if they sell you livestock they wont know if there "bad bugs" on it or not..

 

This is a good answer. Remember, it is part and parcel for the trade. I can't tell how many times we get unwanted algae, critters (hitchhikers) from our LFS. One question, I think I missed something, is the macro reproducing so rapidly you want to sell some back?

 

I agree.

 

there may be somethat you don't see. It's a definite possibility so I would side on not selling any of it. My tank has been up for just over a year now and I caught my very first aiptasia on one of my snails.

 

I have had three aiptasia since I started my tank... these three keep coming back, even after I try to nuke them with kalk paste, they just lose all their body except the foot, then grow back pretty rapidly to full size from the foot. I guess I need to get some peps before the get outta hand.

I'd be sort of surprised to see aiptasia growing in cheato. But I guess, if it can attach to it, it can grow. Two different really nice LFS in my area have aiptasia growing in their prop tanks, and they are both really nice prop tanks... I am not saying it's ok to knowingly give them aiptasia, but that if you were to pull the cheato and inspect it, then that's good enough, IMO.