LFS told me to kill these things

[Lee]

I've got a couple rocks with these ugly zoa looking things growing off of them. Yesterday, some of them looked like they were eating this pink stuff. Very strange.

Anyway, my LFS guy told me I should kill them (using something... I don't remember what he said to use). I typically don't believe advice of LFS people without hearing someone else say it, but in this case, I would actually like them gone. They are ugly, they grab food intended for fish, and they keep getting bigger.

So my questions:
-What are they?
-Should I kill them?
-How do I kill them?
-Any clue what those pink things were they all suddenly had yesterday?

And the little things are tube worms I'm guessing? Are they ok to keep? I don't mind them. *edit* no pics of tube worms I guess. They're little white tubes with the feathers that come out of the top

[leahski]

you my friend have aptasia. your LFS told you correctly, they are evil. some fish and inverts eat them, or you can inject them with stuff. i've heard of joe's juice, concentrated lemon juice, even boiling water. but you do want them gone, they've got quite a sting.

[goldenmean]

The ugly brown things are aiptasia anemone. They are a fast growing pest that will take over a tank. They will sting and kill other corals. I dont know what the pink stuff is. Maybe some type of sponge???
The kill the aiptasia I have found that Joe's Juice works best especially when you have as many as you appear to have.

[zy112]

Joes Juice works miracles for me!

[DrHank]

Another way to eliminate is with Lysmata wurdemanni (Peppermint shrimp). Make sure that you get only that type of peppermint shrimp. It's the only one that will eat the aiptasia.

[Tru2nr]

i had a tank ridden with app and i got a peppermint shrimp and i don't know if he was starving or what but 2 days later not a single peice and im talkn' like 20stalks of it minimum

[leahski]

as Dr. Hank pointed out, MAKE SURE you get an L.wurdemanni shrimp. there are others that look very similar to it and are sometimes even labeled peppermint shrimp.
i just had a bad experience with one. still not sure if it's a rouge pepp or another species. *shudder* it was not pretty.

but true l.wurdemanni do a wonderful job on aptasia!

[Hypertek99]

you can also use berghia nudi's they only eat aiptasia

[charlesr1958]

You can also use regular white vinegar and get yourself a small hypodermic needle and just inject each polyp with small amounts of vinegar. The amounts of vinegar used has never registered as causing a pH drop when I use it for any type of unwanted polyp/anemone.

Chuck

[prow]

[zy112]

Peppermint shrimp can be good, and not a bad addition to the tank even with no aptasia present. But I have also found them to be hit or miss with aptasia. Sometimes they do a wonderfull jobs but other times they havnt done anything. All these suggestions should be helpfull though.

[Frankie]

Looks like you have your hands full with that rock. I would just boil it and be done with it before they spread. Your other rock will repopulate it after some time with bacteria.

[amc78cj7]

I took a 1/2cc syringe full of lemon juice, pierced the center of my aptasia and squirted the entire syringe into it through the "flower" and into the stalk. It shriveled. I tried lemon juice to the outside previously but that didn't work.

What is Joe's juice? I've seen it referenced here before.

NOTE: last night there was a newer piece of live rock that I could remove from the tank that was covered. I took a propane torch to it and they're gone now.

[leahski]

WOW! yay firepower!
i think you killed two birds with that one - got rid of the aptasia that were there and scared any others from ever setting up shop!

[Lee]

I picked up some Joes Juice... That stuff works well and fast.

But I'm seeing lots of very small apstasias on other rocks. I like the Peppermint Shrimp idea. I think I'll get one of those this week if I can find one.