What is this

[Carp890]

What is this do I need to remove it, if so how

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Would you be able to use your day light for taking photos please? Can't see what you're referring to unfortunately

 

[Carp890]

is that any good

 

[Colin_T]

either a colonial anemone or an aiptasia.

 

[Carp890]

either a colonial anemone or an aiptasia.

Do I need to remove it, if so how

 

[Donya]

Aiptasia pest anemone. If it can be scraped from the rock intact that is best but if the body is protected then the next best/safest thing are syringe type control methods like aiptasia x. Those almost never work in one round but do work long term; you have to be persistent and re-apply. Peppermint shrimp are also a useful biological control but aren't compatible with all tanks.

 

[Carp890]

Aiptasia pest anemone. If it can be scraped from the rock intact that is best but if the body is protected then the next best/safest thing are syringe type control methods like aiptasia x. Those almost never work in one round but do work long term; you have to be persistent and re-apply. Peppermint shrimp are also a useful biological control but aren't compatible with all tanks.

Do they have to be removed? What is syringe control

 

[Colin_T]

Get rid of it because they spread rapidly and can sting corals.

Syringing is where you get a small needle (syringe) and fill it with peroxide or something to kill aiptasia, then you inject the aiptasia with the chemical.

Peppermint shrimp are nice and might be ok in your tank. They eat the aiptasia and the shrimp breed readily in aquariums. The larvae provide food for the corals and fish, or you can collect the larvae and try to rear them up. There is a book called raising and training peppermint shrimp, or something like that. It's worth a read if you get the shrimp..

 

[PheonixKingZ]

That’s definitely an aiptasia. Some suggest to take the rock out that it’s on, and our super glue all over it. It will shrink into the rock, and will never be able to come out. Others suggest using a syringe and lemon juice.

Only method I’ve used is the super glue method.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Peppermint shrimp are nice and might be ok in your tank.

Problem with this is that “peppermint shrimp” usually get sold as something else, so you may not be getting true peppermint shrimp. Plus there no guarantee that the shrimp will eat the aiptasia.

 

[connorlindeman]

Plus there no guarantee that the shrimp will eat the aiptasia.

Did you just disagree with @Colin_T!

 

[Colin_T]

Did you just disagree with @Colin_T!

no, he is just clarifying a point.

 

[Donya]

Do they have to be removed? What is syringe control

A video is a better explanation here. I'd recommend searching for some videos of people applying Aiptasia-X or Joes Juice. Just search on the product names on youtube and you will find some demos. Importantly, those two products are pretty safe (you can blow them off of corals with a turkey baster if you mess up and no harm done) and they can be applied without a needle. They come with a syringe and applicator tips. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with hypodermic needles and can get your own (they are stupidly hard to get in some areas) then you can a very small amount of inject lemon juice directly into the anemone's body as others have mentioned, but...hitting the body is not easy if it's protected and you are also waving a sharp shiny thing around by doing that and some fish may be inclined to bite it an injure themselves. For those two reasons, I don't use lemon juice. I use Aiptasia-X for initial control if I get a bad outbeak of pest anemones and peppermint shrimp for maintenance. It is very difficult to completely eradicate Aiptasia from some tanks, particularly if you bring in new coral frags periodically.

EDIT: and yes, if you keep corals you want that aiptasia gone. They overpopulate easily and can really stress corals that they grow near.

 

[Donya]

Problem with this is that “peppermint shrimp” usually get sold as something else, so you may not be getting true peppermint shrimp. Plus there no guarantee that the shrimp will eat the aiptasia.

While that was a major problem 5+ years back I've not found this to be an issue lately with the hard shift towards aquacultured shrimp stock in a lot of stores. I've had the impression that these days if you see aquacultured peppermints, you're getting the ok species and they are pretty good at anemone removal particularly if you partially nuke the nems with a round of Aiptasia-X or something first (they seem to really like stressed/injured pest anemones). Wild caught of course is a grab bag.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

While that was a major problem 5+ years back I've not found this to be an issue lately with the hard shift towards aquacultured shrimp stock in a lot of stores. I've had the impression that these days if you see aquacultured peppermints, you're getting the ok species and they are pretty good at anemone removal particularly if you partially nuke the nems with a round of Aiptasia-X or something first (they seem to really like stressed/injured pest anemones). Wild caught of course is a grab bag.

Ok, fair point. I would try to go to a reputable shop though, because a lot of smaller stores have things mislabeled.