CurleyQ or harmful aptasia

[Brandon8521]

I found a anemonie in my sandbed yesterday and im not sure if its a aptasia or a curleyQ. I cant find pictures of small curleyQs and its to small to take a picture of. Does anyone have any experiance with these types of anemonies and if it is a small curleyQ does it need bright lights because i dont have but the regular 18W flourescent at the moment.

The stalk is about 1/4 of an inch at the most with tenticals a little bit longer then the stalk. I found it in the sandbed with just the tenticles sticking out of the sand and then placed in on a peice of rock with a spoon. It moved about a inch over from where i placed it and is not sitting in a tiney crevis with the tenticles waveing around in the current.

[Pufferpunk]

A pic would be very helpful. I've never seen aptasia attached to a sand bed though.

[jdak]

I hate to ask but it isn't a feather duster is it?

[Mek0ng]

Ive seen aptasia attached to sand, come to think of it I was at the steinheart aquarium in San Francisco not long ago, and even saw some aptasia in the sand there.

[Brandon8521]

Yah the anemone was in the sand bed and just the tips of then it sticking out above the sand. I cant take a pic cause i dont have a camera that would focus on somtheing that small. Its only about 3/8ths of an inch long total. (although i did pick up a very nice tri-pod on an islabd this weekend) i still cant get any pictures of it. I will try when i get back (im at home just for a min cause were all camping out at the lake.) Its either a curleyQ or a pest aptasia and im hopeing for the curleyQ. Ok im a little drunk and dont want to be typeing up a storm on here (sorry if that offends anyone) but i just had to check in on my tank and see if anyone had any suggestions on what this could be in my tank. Ok everybody im heading back out to the lake and ill be back on here tomorow maybe with some pics if i can get any.

One thing i do want to point out though is the person i got the sand from said they have never had any mojano or aptasia problems and have had the sand over 6 months. I have asked them if they had any curley Q anemones and they have yet to answer me so im hopeing its that.

[Brandon8521]

ok this is her reply when i asked her if she had any curley Q in her system.

I have a long tentacle, Carpet, 2 rose bubble tips , a purple tip sebae, and 2 flower anemones.

She has already said she hasnt had any aptasia or majano. And im not familiar with these other types to tell if they are juviniale forms of them or not. (it looks like a aptasia but with really long tenticles like a curely Q so im not sure.

[jdak]

Do you not consider the curlyQ anemones pests? Their are a few aiptasias in my tank i haven't nuked yet that i have now identified as curlyQs...

[Brandon8521]

I dont have the experiance to say that they are or not really. Im not even sure if i would call the normal aptasia pest or not. I dont have corals and at the most i would have some softies and shrooms in the future so i would really have to much for them to sting and anoye. I have just read that curleyQs arnt normally concidered pest because they dont sting everything and there not as fast at reproduceing as the pacific types of aptasia.

[Brandon8521]

Its impossible to take a picture right now but i fed it a tiney peice of shrimp. I dont know if it will eat it or not but its worth a shot and im not sure if my lights will be sufficient enough to keep it alive for the time being.

[Brandon8521]

Ok so i have recently found another anemone with its tenticles sticking out of the sand so i moved it too to the rock. I have taken some pics but bare with me my camera sucks. Keep in mind these things came with live sand from frag tank and not any rock that i introduced (since i havnt introduced any yet.)

Sofar with the sand i reveived i have found countless bristlemorms and these redworms that seem to have a mass of small red stringy things all around them ( beleive i looked them up as spegetti worms or hairworms or something like that ((but they were good to have aswell)) and then these 2 anemones that despite my lack of good lighting seem to be doing very good (i give them a tiney peice of shrimp or what whatever im feeding spud at the time.

[Pufferpunk]

Looks like possibly aptasia but that's a really bad pic.

[Brandon8521]

Anybody know of any ways to make a digi-cam with a 5.8-23.2mm 4xzoom lens work good for small close up shots lol.

[Mek0ng]

A tripod is your best friend! Turn off all pumps and set the camera on a tripod and lock it into place. Set the ISO to 100 or lower, dont use a flash. If you can, use manual focus.

[Brandon8521]

Yah mine doesnt have manuel focus i can set the iso to 100 though and i have never turned off the filters so i will give that a shot. One thing that sucks though is i cant close enough and get it to come out clear. If i get far enough away from the tank (about 8 inches) then you cant really see the nem cause its so small.

[Brandon8521]

Ok so here goes my other shots at this photogrophy stuff lol... the darker one is actually with the flash.