# Help to ID polyp please, good or bad?



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

Does anybody know what this is? Do I keep this or do I need to remove these (and how)? I got the tank a week ago, it was established including 4 inch sand, life rock, 4 fish, maybe some corrals at some point (some dead coral-like structures are in there but I don't know enough about it to really tell). Do I need to worry about these? There is 3 or 4 in the tank by now.

Adding attachments


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Aiptasia Anemone. Pest Anemone. Those have got to go.
Peppermint Shrimp
Lemon Juice Injections
Joes Juice Injections
Copperbanded Butterfly
File Fish
Berghia Nudibranchs
These guys will take care of that for you. Pepperminet Shrimp being one of the best, the Berghia Nudibranch being second, as they eat them for you.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/4/tips


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

Can I just add a peppermint shrimp to my tank? I received it a week ago and although it was an established tank I did do some changes - I added 2/3 tap water (with salt) and only 2 days later the Prime (since I didn't know). 2 out of the 4 fish are gone (1 ate the other and was therefore given away), new filter bag, new cleanup crew due to algae growth etc. I don't know what the current water quality is, how sensitive are those shrimp?

How do you do lemon juice injections? I do have a syrringe.


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

You can add them, yes, but if you don't know the water parameters, I wouldn't. Especially if your using Tap Water, and just adding salt to it. Do you know what your Calcium or Specific Gravity of the water is?


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

To inject the Aiptasia, you use a syringe and stick it straight into their stalk, inject as much as you can until you see it start to come out of the thing.


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> You can add them, yes, but if you don't know the water parameters, I wouldn't. Especially if your using Tap Water, and just adding salt to it. Do you know what your Calcium or Specific Gravity of the water is?


I do now add Prime (dechlor.) and my SpGrav. is 1.023 most of the time. I can't measure Calcium at home. 

Can the lemon juice do harm to my Clarky clowns, or the cleanup crew? Do I repeat the injections and when do I see success (if any)? Does lemon concentrate work or do I have to squeeze a lemon?

By the way, thanks!


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Lemon in the lil bottle works. It will mess up your PH if you get to much into the water. It will not harm the fish or the Clean Up Crew.
Why can't you measure Calcium at home?


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

I don't know how to measure Calcium, didn't know I have to get anything for that. My aquarium store guys told me to bring a water sample after 4 weeks and they will test the water for me. 

I just pulled up a small rock with one of these polyps on it and it retrackted into the hole. I then touched the others and they do the same. Is that typical for Aiptasia?


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Yup, thats what they do. You have to boil that rock they are on, or shoot them with juice while they are open in the tank.
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals KH/carbonate and Calcium Test Kits
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals pH Test Kits
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate Test Kits
Saltwater Aquarium Salinity & Specific Gravity Testing: Portable Refractometer


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

OK, I didn't know if the lemon juice would be such great idea with my Clarkies being in the same tank so I pulled out the 2 rocks with the 3 Aiptasia and I just pulled them off the rocks with my hand and tweezers as good as I could. I know some tissue stayed behind, they are very slippery but tough where they attach to the rock. I placed the rocks back into the tank to see if the Aiptasia was damaged enough to not grow back. Today there is probably 4 times as many of them on those 2 rocks. So I just took the rocks back out. *Does microwaving work to permanently kill* *the Aiptasia?* I would love to keep my cooking pods clean and not boil the rocks in there. *Is there anything else in the rocks that shouldn't be killed? Why are they called life rocks anyway?*


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Thats why we don't tell you to remove them by hand, they will grow back with a vengenance if you don't get the whole thing out.
You can throw the rock in boiling water, hit it with peroxide and bleach. You will kill off all the bilogicals.


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

OK, I will go and find an old pot at the Salvation Army. Thanks for all your advice!


----------



## Clarky35gal (Dec 27, 2012)

*What cleanup species that also look pretty?*

I recently got a cleanup crew for my new (used) tank, there are some white cone-like snails, blue-legged hermitcrabs and some (pretty) red hermits, 2 types of crabs, one brouwn spider-like with brown/white striped legs and 2 greenish crabs with one bigger claw each. I also got 2 snails with a long eye?-stalk up front (apparently sifting through sand). Is there any other cleaner uppers that look prettier than these guys? Some sand sifting stars or more colorful hermits? I also received some green grass- or weed like stuff, what does that do (the green crabs like to eat that, so I took it out).


----------



## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Green Hair Algae. The Emerald Crabs will eat that. There are a few Snails out there that will eat that also.
Aquarium Snails: Sea Snail Species and Aquatic Saltwater Snails
Sea Urchins: Live Red, Black and Pencil Sea Urchin Species


----------

