The Puffer Forum

Hey guys! So i have had my tank at 1.021 for a while now and a week or so ago i picked up some live rock from a LFS that i trust. The owner let me pick any rock from any of their tanks which have all been well established. I chose about 2 lbs of rock that had purple algae and one of them had a little bundle of feather dusters on it. I got the rock a week ago and put it in my tank and have been checking water parameters and everything is going just fine. George has picked at the rock a lot and is very interested by the stuff growing on it. I took a few pictures to get some help. Im pretty sure i have the "dreaded aiptasia" everyone always talks about. I dont really mind them. I dont plan on getting any corals or anemones of any kinds, just gonna keep my FOWLR so they are ok by me to stay. I also have a few bundles of feather dusters and i THINK i have a little blue and white brittle star. I can see at times 3 long bristle legs coming out and feeling around. I flipped the rock over to get a better look and im pretty sure its a brittle star hiding in a hole. I poked him and he hid quickly.

One thing im not sure about, is today i noticed several of these little tiny round orange "spore" looking things. I tried to get a picture to see if anyone knows what it might be. Are they buds from the aptasia? I know that anemones reproduce asexually by budding and fission so im not sure. Thanks for the help!

The two pieces of LR i picked out


My tank



What i think is aiptasia


Feather duster and orange spore is southeast of bundle, second pic you can see a few more




what i think is a tiny blue and white brittle star, showing one leg and more "orange spores"




thanks for the help guys!

Definitely aptasia. Will take over every inch of your rock if you don't get rid of it. Looks like some sponge there too. Great decorating job!

thanks PP! Yeah i have read about aiptasia and was pretty sure that was it. It started out as 3 and now i count 8 and its only been a week. I read a peppermint shrimp will eat them, but then im pretty sure george would eat the peppermint shrimp haha.

I use Kalk past to get rid of them. Takes a few applications.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/general-ree ... 73188.html

should i be adding any supplements to the water for the sponge? I have some on my other rock as well. Im afraid it may be dying, it was black when i got it and its turning green

Nope, your SW mix is all you need.

I see alot of the aptasia on the rocks but that orange spores you are refering to are some kind of sponge. I used to get them all the time with my LR. Never had any problems with them. Just part of having good LR .

im kind of attached to the aiptasia now . . . i have never had any anemone of any kind. Im sure i will be eating my words later when they take over but i just dont have the heart to kill them

melbell86 wrote:im kind of attached to the aiptasia now . . . i have never had any anemone of any kind. Im sure i will be eating my words later when they take over but i just dont have the heart to kill them

I had afew in my marine tanks that never took over but I have seen them grow out of control in other tanks before though.