Anenomes

[bec23]

Hi guys,
I know that anenomes can sting the octopus, but how do you get rid of one once its in the tank. I think I have one that hitched a ride on some of my live rock. It looks like clear fingers about 1cm long and retreats back into the rock if you go near it. Any ideas? Also Bristle worms...any easy removal ideas? I have a huge one in there but it hardly comes out. Thanks guys

 

[Colin]

Sounds like you have the dreaded aiptasia!!!

well, they can be a pest and spread easily along live rock etc but they are more of an eyesore than anything else. There is no real hard and fast rule for getting rid of them but i found injections with boiling water orked reasonably well, others didnt.

try a google search on 'aiptasia' and read at some posts on reef forums

 

[Burstsovenergy24]

Oh man I think have that too. Is it just that they arent the prettyest or will they sting?

 

[Nancy]

They seem to sting, too, given the reaction of my small shore shrimp and my bimac when they touched these evil creatures. I have grown to thoroughly hate them because they are so hard to get rid of entirely.

We use Colin's boiling water technique, which works, but there are always one or two left. You have to be extra careful when it's your octo tank you are working in, not to stick your bimac by accident.

Also, Colin provided a very good link for information about bristleworms over on another forum:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/msubpestbworm/

Nancy

 

[Andy Lister]

If you spray the aptasia with kalkwasser a couple of times per day then it will soon die... but do it now cos they really do spread like wildfire and have eaten a few of my seahorses!

 

[corw314]

Back to the Bristle worms. I just read Colins link and they talk about adding a Bird Wrasse as a natural predator. Has anyone ever tried this with an octopus?? I have a large cleanup crew in Inklets tank. They sworm the remains from his meals. Do I need to cut back on the size of the population?

Doesn't seem to afftect any of the octos that have resided in that tank. And I love bird wrasses!! Wonder if he'd get eaten? And do they pose a hazard to the octo?

Carol

 

[Colin]

well, i can asume the octo would attack the wrasse at some point so i dont think i'd try...

as for the worms, if there wasnt enough food in there for all the worms then you wouldnt have so many, the fact that there are so many worms means that there is plenty of food for them and therefore a lot of waste from the octos so, its balanced out. They can only help...

do you remember ages back i posted pics of some of mine like Big Jim? He was about a foot long but what a great scavanger!

hope that helps