Aptasia?

NETSECPRO · 05/31/2006, 09:02 AM

So I'm looking at some of my Live Rock the other day and I noticed this little thing on a piece of it. Is this Aptasia?

blufish · 05/31/2006, 09:25 AM

Yep, that's one of the little buggers.

NETSECPRO · 05/31/2006, 09:27 AM

Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

Toddrtrex · 05/31/2006, 09:29 AM

Many have had success with "Joe's Juice" or a Kalk paste.
I've never used either, always had success with Pep. shrimp.

cristhiam · 05/31/2006, 09:31 AM

I have a couple of those in my tank too for a long time, mine look like curlies, will the pepermint shrimp harm any other corals? sps, lps, softies?

Toddrtrex · 05/31/2006, 09:35 AM

I will only speak for myself, but I've had peps with my SPS, BTAs and Haddoni carpet for over 2 years now, never an issue.

Beastmaster · 05/31/2006, 10:01 AM

Yep, peppermints are much better than fiddling around with Joe's Juice. The little beauties cleared all my aptasia within a few days and perfectly reef safe.

jimbo045 · 05/31/2006, 10:47 AM

Yup it is, you can get rid of it easy. Eithor blast it off with a garden hose, or inject it with lemon juice(harder). JD

Afishianado · 05/31/2006, 11:41 AM

Peppermint shrimp worked well for me when it came to smaler aiptasia. They wouldn't touch the big ones though. Joe's juice does take of the big ones but I don't like using stuff like that. kepp a peppermint around and once you get the big ones out, the small ones will never have a chance. the peppermints never bothered anything else that observed.

flashlink · 05/31/2006, 11:50 AM

i dunno about the peppermints and being safe for all corals... I have had 4 in my tank for 2-3 weeks and they haven't touched the aptasia, which is really small. They seem to just want brine shrimp and come out to grab that, although i had to move my torch coral about 5 times because they would keep going over and tearing the tops of the tentacles off. Guy at LFS, was like ya they can do that.....(which i then responded, why would you sell me one of those guys with the torch coral at the same time and not say anything......grrrr)

Afishianado · 05/31/2006, 12:41 PM

Do some image searching, you may not have peppermint shrimp. There is another species that is very similar in appearance called a camel shrimp. They are distinguishable though through observation. But if you didn't know of the difference and hadn't seen many of these shrimp, you could easily mistake the two. Camel shrimp are definitely not reef safe, I had a pair of them demolish a six headed frogspawn. My experience has been that most people on this board know more than most people that work at an LFS. He may not know what he has or what was shipped to him.

Here is a Camel Shrimp(Rhynchocinetes durbanensis)
http://www.mantisprayer.com/camel_shrimp.jpg

Here is a Peppermint Shrimp(Lysmata wurdemanni)
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/OPG...Wisniewski.jpg

Here is a page describing both of them
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i2...ps/james_w.htm

ANNIESREEF · 05/31/2006, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cristhiam
I have a couple of those in my tank too for a long time, mine look like curlies, will the pepermint shrimp harm any other corals? sps, lps, softies?

Never bothers mine. 4 of them have made home tucked behind or around my GBTA. the other 4 are scatterd.

NETSECPRO · 05/31/2006, 01:26 PM

What else does a peppermint shrimp eat? Could it be classifed as a "cleaner shrimp"?

05/31/2006, 09:02 AM	#1
NETSECPRO Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chesapeake, VA Posts: 153	Aptasia? So I'm looking at some of my Live Rock the other day and I noticed this little thing on a piece of it. Is this Aptasia?

05/31/2006, 09:29 AM	#4
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	Many have had success with "Joe's Juice" or a Kalk paste. I've never used either, always had success with Pep. shrimp. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

05/31/2006, 09:31 AM	#5
cristhiam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Groveland, FL Posts: 3,099	I have a couple of those in my tank too for a long time, mine look like curlies, will the pepermint shrimp harm any other corals? sps, lps, softies? __________________ 2 yellows tail damsels, yellow watchman goby, tail spot blennie, purple pseudocromis, starry blennie, 2 clowns, 1 black clown, mandarine & Yellow tang Current Tank Info: 125 AGA, 3 40W 6500K, 3 110W URI Actinics, running on 2 IceCaps 660, CSS125

05/31/2006, 09:35 AM	#6
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	I will only speak for myself, but I've had peps with my SPS, BTAs and Haddoni carpet for over 2 years now, never an issue. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

05/31/2006, 12:41 PM	#11
Afishianado Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Florida Posts: 1,021	Do some image searching, you may not have peppermint shrimp. There is another species that is very similar in appearance called a camel shrimp. They are distinguishable though through observation. But if you didn't know of the difference and hadn't seen many of these shrimp, you could easily mistake the two. Camel shrimp are definitely not reef safe, I had a pair of them demolish a six headed frogspawn. My experience has been that most people on this board know more than most people that work at an LFS. He may not know what he has or what was shipped to him. Here is a Camel Shrimp(Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) http://www.mantisprayer.com/camel_shrimp.jpg Here is a Peppermint Shrimp(Lysmata wurdemanni) http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/OPG...Wisniewski.jpg Here is a page describing both of them http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i2...ps/james_w.htm Last edited by Afishianado; 05/31/2006 at 12:52 PM.

05/31/2006, 09:25 AM	#2
blufish 10 & Over Club Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: SoCal Posts: 212	Yep, that's one of the little buggers.

05/31/2006, 09:27 AM	#3
NETSECPRO Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chesapeake, VA Posts: 153	Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

05/31/2006, 10:01 AM	#7
Beastmaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 38	Yep, peppermints are much better than fiddling around with Joe's Juice. The little beauties cleared all my aptasia within a few days and perfectly reef safe.

05/31/2006, 10:47 AM	#8
jimbo045 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Aiea, HI. Posts: 1,788	Yup it is, you can get rid of it easy. Eithor blast it off with a garden hose, or inject it with lemon juice(harder). JD

05/31/2006, 11:41 AM	#9
Afishianado Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Florida Posts: 1,021	Peppermint shrimp worked well for me when it came to smaler aiptasia. They wouldn't touch the big ones though. Joe's juice does take of the big ones but I don't like using stuff like that. kepp a peppermint around and once you get the big ones out, the small ones will never have a chance. the peppermints never bothered anything else that observed.

05/31/2006, 11:50 AM	#10
flashlink Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 56	i dunno about the peppermints and being safe for all corals... I have had 4 in my tank for 2-3 weeks and they haven't touched the aptasia, which is really small. They seem to just want brine shrimp and come out to grab that, although i had to move my torch coral about 5 times because they would keep going over and tearing the tops of the tentacles off. Guy at LFS, was like ya they can do that.....(which i then responded, why would you sell me one of those guys with the torch coral at the same time and not say anything......grrrr)

05/31/2006, 01:26 PM	#13
NETSECPRO Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chesapeake, VA Posts: 153	What else does a peppermint shrimp eat? Could it be classifed as a "cleaner shrimp"?