What is on the live rock I just got?

Discussion in 'ID This!' started by Little Shrimp, Jan 14, 2012.

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  1. Little Shrimp

    Little Shrimp Astrea Snail

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    It looks like a redish kind of soft coral. It has tenticles and stands about 1 inch off the rock when it is happy. If I scare it, it retracts into the rock. Here is a picture.

    DSCF4106.jpg
     
    Little Shrimp, Jan 14, 2012
    Little Shrimp, Jan 14, 2012
    #1

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  2. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    That is an aiptasia.
     
    Corailline, Jan 14, 2012
    Corailline, Jan 14, 2012
    #2
  3. Little Shrimp

    Little Shrimp Astrea Snail

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    Is this a pest? If it is, should I kill it?
     
    Little Shrimp, Jan 14, 2012
    Little Shrimp, Jan 14, 2012
    #3
  4. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Big time pest. You'll want to get rid of it fast!!!!
     
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 14, 2012
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 14, 2012
    #4
  5. maintman55

    maintman55 Flamingo Tongue

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    a product called aptasiax works well,get them before you have to many to control.peppermint shrimp will also work at keeping them at bay.
     
    maintman55, Jan 14, 2012
    maintman55, Jan 14, 2012
    #5
  6. Little Shrimp

    Little Shrimp Astrea Snail

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    It is attached to a small piece of live rock. Could I just set the rock out for the day and let it die? The rock doesn't have much life on it so I don't mind 100% die off. Would boiling it work also?
     
    Little Shrimp, Jan 15, 2012
    Little Shrimp, Jan 15, 2012
    #6

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  7. norg.

    norg. Kole Tang

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    I would boil it to be completely sure. Aiptasia is not something you want to mess with.
     
    norg., Jan 15, 2012
    norg., Jan 15, 2012
    #7
  8. jtr38230

    jtr38230 Skunk Shrimp

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    +1 if its on a small rock i would remove it to kill the Aiptasia. I haven't had luck with anything that claims to kill it but boiling the rock with surely get rid of it. It will only take a couple of weeks till the rock starts to show life again.
     
    jtr38230, Jan 15, 2012
    jtr38230, Jan 15, 2012
    #8
  9. Little Shrimp

    Little Shrimp Astrea Snail

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    Just boiled that sucker for 30 mins with a lot of lemmon juice in the water. If it isn't dead by now, it deserves to take over my tank lol.
     
    Little Shrimp, Jan 15, 2012
    Little Shrimp, Jan 15, 2012
    #9
  10. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    haha. watch your tank closely to make sure there aren't any other heads of it on your rock. if theres too much you'll have to either nuke the tank or nuke the tank.
     
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 15, 2012
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 15, 2012
    #10
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