Looking for a new answer to an old problem

[xcastn0shad0wx]

I just bought ten pounds of live rock to seed dry rock with. Being the responsible “new to the salt water aquarium world” person that I am, I decided to quarantine my rock. I have had it in a ten gallon tank for over a week now, but I have found what I believe to be a ton of small aiptasia. Actually I’m pretty certain that is what it is but it is all newly growing aiptasia. It is all only grown about a quarter inch out of the rock. And I can’t find any pictures of aiptasia online of it that small to compare it with. They all have a small tube that comes out of the rock and they all at first had two filaments that came out of the tube. Now many of them have multiple filaments that come out of the tubes. These filaments retract when you touch them. I tried to take pictures but they are too small to make out.

My question is how can I kill all of the aiptasia (and by all I mean 100’s of these little guys on just one rock) and not have to worry about it coming back. I know I could use Joes juice or aiptasia x but with so many there’s no way I could get all of them. I know I could get a peppermint shrimp but I here they only control the aiptasia and never actually get rid of it. Is there anything I can treat the rock with as a whole and not have to worry about it killing all of the coralline? Also with the rock came a bristle star, many stoma snails, and a bristle worm which I believe to be one of the good kind that I would like to not kill. I don’t mind sacrificing them as long as I can get the rock aiptasia free and still have the coralline be alive, but I’d prefer to keep them alive.

[mcginnisandrew]

i don't think those are aiptasia. Personally i have never had aiptasia in my tank, but to me that does not sound like aiptasia. Those are probably some kind of feather duster, barnacle, or these little spiral worm things that i forgot the name of.
I would guess they are harmless, unless they are actually aiptasia.

Can you post a picture?

[ChargerOnDavins]

I had this problem and I quickly injected them with boiling RO Water with a small syringe. Worked magic.

[thegrun]

They sound more like Hydroids. Check this wedsite for a picture:
http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm

[liz62]

They sound more like Hydroids. Check this wedsite for a picture:
http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm
:thumbsup:

[xcastn0shad0wx]

Yeah the ones with just two filaments do look like the spinoids and probably the ones with multiple filaments are too or maybe they are feather dusters.

Once I uploaded the pictures I found out that you could make them out. so here is a picture. I can't get any of the ones with multiple filaments to show up only ones that are on the edge of the rock to where you don't see rock behind them show up. the ones with multiple look exactly like the ones with two except for the number of filaments coming out. its the ones with the multiple filaments that made me think it was aiptasia and the ones with two would eventually grow the rest but now I'm pretty certain they are nothing to worry about?

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/Xxastn0shad0wx/spionid/CIMG4448.jpg

[lcs]

Looks like one I have . . .

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz251/lisaside/IMG_1243.jpg

Pretty sure it's a harmless tube worm of some sort. Mine hasn't done anything in the six months the tank has been set up. I think it's cool. Def. not aiptasia or feather duster IMHO.

HTH!

[xcastn0shad0wx]

Also the way that edge looks is how the entire rock for the most part looks like with them on it...The rock is covered in these things.

Also that website is very informative. Thegrun, thanks for the link!

here's a picture of all the rock that I got to seed my dry rock with. Its around 7 to 8 pounds. and I'm going to have 50 pounds of dry.

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/Xxastn0shad0wx/spionid/CIMG4407.jpg

[danbmx]

dont look like anems to me maybe feather dusters?

[Tuscaquatics]

I'd say some kind of worm/feather duster. I wouldn't worry. But you're doing the right thing QT'ing the rock. Especially when you're dealing with a small amount like that.