Live rock hitchhiker- ID
- Thread starter Dmitri
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Agreed. If the body looks fleshy and the head is like an anemone. It's aptasia. Maybe get a few peppermint shrimps.. they will eat those right up.
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Turns out that it's a colonial hydroids.
I've been doing a bit of a research on this and so far seems like it's a bad news.
Luckily it's not in my main display tank.
I will need to figure out how to deal with that. Thinking of taking it out of the tank and physically scraping them off. Any suggestions?
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I've been doing a bit of a research on this and so far seems like it's a bad news.
Luckily it's not in my main display tank.
I will need to figure out how to deal with that. Thinking of taking it out of the tank and physically scraping them off. Any suggestions?
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well if it were me and I have something that is bad news I'd just take the rock out for a few days and let it dry out and die. IMO the bacteria doesn't outweigh the pest. I can get a bottle of bio spira or the batter one and pour that in if I'm worried
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Aptasia
I want to save some of the other life form on that rock, there some some tube warms ,mini brittle stars, strawberry anemones and feather dusters.
Do you think just scraping colonial hydroids would work for removing them?
Is there any risk to manual scraping?
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Manual removal can work but only if you have a few, they spread easy and sometimes scraping doesn't get them all. Maybe hit them with a Kalk paste or a blob of superglue. Also I thought Strawberry anemones were a cold water species?
You beat me to it but yes, that's colonial hydroids. If you can find yourself some keyhole limpets, they will eat them.
Occasionally keyhole limpets hitchhike on live rock, esp. stuff from the Gulf of Mexico. The limpets are otherwise harmless and are good to have in the tank.
Good luck scraping them off... they'll just grow back and any that get loose will re-settle someplace else. Kalk paste or Aiptasia remover like Aiptasia-X or whatnot may kill them. Very occasionally peppermint shrimp may eat them but in my experience, limpets are your best bet.
Jenn
Occasionally keyhole limpets hitchhike on live rock, esp. stuff from the Gulf of Mexico. The limpets are otherwise harmless and are good to have in the tank.
Good luck scraping them off... they'll just grow back and any that get loose will re-settle someplace else. Kalk paste or Aiptasia remover like Aiptasia-X or whatnot may kill them. Very occasionally peppermint shrimp may eat them but in my experience, limpets are your best bet.
Jenn
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Pull the rock out and torch them.
Rinse the rock with ro water when done.
Rinse the rock with ro water when done.
I would pull the rock, soak in bleach or vinegar, clean it and air dry. It's best not to even mess with trying to save the rock. Unfortunately, you probably will never kill all of them.
Agreed, pull the rock and bleach to be safe. This is one of the many reasons I do not like buying "juicy" rock with a ton of hitch hikers... they are cool for the first couple of weeks... then come all the problems and bad critters you have to deal with. And even the majority of the good critters will normally die off anyway because the water is completely different from where they came from.
For the last 4-5 years I pretty much only use dry rock/base rock or the Caribsea Life Rock. I would rather be patient and have to cycle longer then deal with a the trouble of hitch hikers. I can always add the good ones like bristle worms into the tank myself.
For the last 4-5 years I pretty much only use dry rock/base rock or the Caribsea Life Rock. I would rather be patient and have to cycle longer then deal with a the trouble of hitch hikers. I can always add the good ones like bristle worms into the tank myself.
