FAQs on Identifying Aiptasia Anemones 2 Related FAQs: Aiptasia ID 1, Aiptasia ID 3, Cnidarian Identification, Anemone Identification, Aiptasia/Glass Anemones in General, Eradication by: Berghia Nudibranchs, Peppermint Shrimp, Butterflyfishes, Filefishes, Chemical Injection, Hypo/Hyper-Salinity. Related Articles: Impressions of Methods to Eliminate Pest Anemones by Steven Pro, Aquarium Culture of the Aeolid nudibranch Berghia, Predator on the nuisance anemone Aiptasia By Anthony Calfo, Anemones, Cnidarians

New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Aiptasia or other My name is Daniel and my aquarium is fairly new. I just bought some Fiji that had unbeknownst to me an anemone. I don't have a camera so I will describe it for you.  It is approximately 1 cm in height.  It has eight arms coming from the mouth with over 10 short (almost looks like grapplers or hands) coming from each arm. It is pink in color and is translucent (essentially I can see through it).  It has grown 1/2 cm in four days.  It doesn't seem to have the longer tentacles characteristic of all of the Aiptasia pictures I have seen on your site. I really appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.  <well I would kill the pest anemone...sounds as if its an Aiptasia or glass anemone of some sort. get rid of it, IanB>

Mystery in Tank <please resend your picture unzipped and as a downsized web-courteous jpeg (a few tens to a couple hundred kb maximum). Thanks kindly, Anthony> Hi!  I was wondering if you could help me identify these mystery things that came with some live rock I bought at my LFS.  At first I thought it was Aiptasia but it doesn't look like any of the pictures I've seen of that.  It appears like a translucent flower, it retreats back into the rock when startled, but I do not see a tube.  Thanks so much in advance! Amy

Hydroids? Nope... (03/13/04) Hi- <Hi! Ananda here today...> Can you tell me if these are hydroids? I think they are.   <They look awfully much like Aiptasia to me. When a friend had hydroids in her tank, they were *tiny*.> I have tried to remove them but they retreat into the holes in the live rock. <Yep, sounds like Aiptasia.> I have even removed the live rock and soaked in fresh water-- <Ack! That may well harm the other live stuff in the rock.> but these "hydroids" still come back. <Wowzah.> Any thoughts? <Inject them with Kalkwasser or hot water, or get peppermint shrimp, or... many possible ways to get rid of them, really; it's tough to say which one will work best for you. Do utilize our Google search tool and check out the WetWebMedia site for more info. Also, there is much discussion on these on the WetWeb discussion forums at http://wetwebfotos.com/talk > Thanks in advance. Larry <You're welcome. --Ananda>

Anemone ID 1/26/04 I am starting up a mini-reef system (my 1st marine system) and am in the cycling phase (got 2 clowns and a damsel for 4 days and still 0 ammonia).   <Hi Ray!  Congrats on entering the Marine Hobby!> I have about 50# of live rock and a small anemone came out of one of the  cured rocks that I got from the local pet shop.  I went back to the shop and they did not have anything that even resembled this creature.  I am wondering if  you could help me ID it and let me know if it is something that is worth  keeping. <Your critter is Aiptasia.  They can be very serious pests.  I would strongly advise killing or removing it.  A thick slurry of Kalkwasser applied with a syringe is very effective (don't get it on your skin!)> It is only about 3/4" tall.  It has a clear base and brown arms.  For several  days it was attached to the surface of a rock but overnight it moved a few inches and now is in a small hole in the rock and comes out during the day but  is quick to withdraw into the hole if disturbed.  After the first week, it  started looking a little sick so I fed it a small piece of fish and it pulled it in and has since grown a little and produced a second row of arms.  Attached is a pic of it.  The resolution is not great but you can see it pretty well.   <Yup.  Aiptasia.> Also, a few of the live rocks that I got were bright red when I got them but are now a deep brown color.  Is this normal or did something happen to them?   The rock that the anemone in question is on is one of the red rocks that  changed. <This is typical algae succession.  Adding a couple of snails should help control this, as will water changes and skimming.> Thanks for putting up a great site and I have learned tons of info from it. I look forward to hearing from you. -Ray <Glad you enjoy WWM!  Happy Reefing!  Adam>

IS It Aiptasia? Hi again,  this is just a follow up on my original email about the pest anemone/Aiptasia email I wrote to you last night.  Upon further research,  I think I've figured out what the smaller things were that I originally thought were Aiptasia, not that this is any better I think. They look identical to the one picture I found on the web...Pileolaria Sp.  which showed the small white markings that I have in my tank (I attached a picture file #22 which shows the small white specs on the back wall of my tank and also the large tube like bodies growing all over my mushroom rock.  The feathery things are growing out of the end of the curly white tubes)...do you think by looking at my pic that it is Pileolaria sp. I would guess that it is except that it didn't really say that the "white specs"  grow into tube like featherduster, which is what a lot of mine have grown into.  If that is what they are, are they a "pest" type featherduster? <Unfortunately, I was not able to open your attachment. If, however, these animals are what you think they are, I would not be overly alarmed. My biggest concern with things that grow in or on or near corals is "Do they have the potential to sting or otherwise smother my corals?" If these things can be controlled by "pruning" or isolating them, all the better, IMO> They seem to be spreading everywhere...now I am noticing the specs of white on a lot of my rock, back and side walls of tank and also the tubes are in the sand as well as on the rocks.  They seem to be bothering my mushrooms also, the mushrooms that have the "featherdusters" growing near them have not opened up fully.  If they are a pest in my tank, how would u suggest getting rid of them?  Like I said,  I did a complete web search, google search and WWM search and didn't pull anything up on Pileolaria sp (except the one article which shows the picture). <Well, a number of wrasses, such as the Halichoeres species, do include some polychaete worms, so you may want to give one a try. Some people use Arrow Crabs to do the same thing. As with all "biological" controls, the possibility exists that your "helper" may munch on some desirable tubeworms as well, or may ignore them altogether. Sometimes, good old manual extraction is the best way to control problem animals.> Also attached is 2 other pics of the large tentacle thing that I am really not sure what it is except I'm leaning towards a pest anemone.  I saw an identical picture on your web site, but it was just at the top of the pest anemone page, it didn't say exactly what it was, or at least I didn't see its name. Can u identify it by the 2 pictures I sent?  This I'm getting worried about as well.  Its pretty large, tentacles are about 1.5" or longer maybe. Like I said,  it feeds on pieces of mysis(d?) shrimp and brine. It was housed within the polyps fine when I bought it (I thought it was part of it actually) The polyp mass has consistently tumbled off the rock where I originally put it, now the tentacle thing has stayed behind.  You can actually see the coral polyps behind the rock on the sand bed in the pictures.  I'm thinking it is trying to get away from it, maybe its all of a sudden stinging it or something? <If it is an Aiptasia, you can certainly use a variety of techniques to eliminate it, which are discussed throughout the site. It sounds like something that you'd at least want to isolate!> Anyway,  I hope the pictures help with identification.  I'd really like to know what these 2 things are and if they are bad/pests and if I should get rid of them (well,  the large thing I can just take the small piece of rock its made a home in out of the tank... <Good idea> The other "featherdusters" I'm not so sure of. <Again, the aforementioned "biological" controls may be best.> Thanks once again for all the help you so willing offer. Have a great day Jan <Glad to be here, Jan. Sorry that I couldn't be more specific. I think that you are reacting correctly, though. When in doubt- take 'em out! That's my thinking...Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Ackk! Is It Aiptasia? Hi Crew.... Haven't asked any questions in a few months so I thought I could sneak one to ya... <Ask away- Scott F. here today...> A month or so ago I purchased my first live coral,  a Hawaiian cultured polyp coral.  My first one, purchased it by sight.  (I told the store owner the specs of my tank, lights etc. and found out some info. on the coral as well so I knew how to tend it....) <Excellent!> Anyway,  so it's in my tank but it has this tentacle looking thing within the polyps.  Just one,  it's pretty large.  I thought that it belonged to the polyp. OK I thought, it freaks me out a bit, but I thought It was part of the coral polyps. Then I realize that the polyp colony moves a bit, an inch here, an inch there.  It falls off the rock a few times with this tentacle-y thing along with it.  The last time it left the rock the tentacle thing stayed behind and has found a home for its long tube like base within a crack in the rockwork but the tentacles are out and it eats and filter feeds.  It has a round center, with a definite mouth and the long tentacles are around that.  I thought that it was strange that the rest of it floated away but this thing stayed behind, if they were suppose to be one animal.  Anyway,  It generally freaks me out (when I thought it was a good thing) but I would still try to aim some food (frozen Mysid, some frozen brine etc.) at it and it eats, pretty good too. <Sounds intriguing...Try to do some internet research to ascertain what this thing may be- or send us a pic and we can take a crack at it!> Now is where the questions come in....I have a rock with mushrooms on it and a few mushrooms aren't opening as much during the day anymore so I decided to move it slightly today during my weekly cleaning routing.  I notice on the bottom of this rock what I thought/think are Aiptasia.  The are extremely small, less than a 1/4 inch high, very small stick like base attached to the rock and the top of it looks like an opened parachute,  Its virtually clear except that I can see some dark tentacle looking lines from the base of the parachute thing to the top. When my cleaner shrimps walked across them, they retracted into the base and then came back out when it moved off of them. They look really fragile, like if I touched them they would disintegrate (well, actually they did sort of blow all over the tank when I moved the rock, so hopefully when I get up tomorrow, they won't have been scattered everywhere in the tank!) <Well, many anemones can proliferate in this manner...> There is about 15 of them, with a few that are on top of the rock and apparently bothering the mushrooms to the point they seem to be dying off, or at least not opening. So I immediately get my RI book to look up the word Aiptasia (new it was an "A" word but antipasta was the only thing I could think of lol) <Sounds pretty good right about now!> Got the spelling and did a search on WWM for picture identification for the smaller parachute looking things.  This is when I realized that the huge thing that came on my coral polyp may not be something that I want in my tank? It actually looks identical to the thing/creature that you have pictured on your FAQs on Aiptasia Anemones in General 1 page. What is that? I have just one of them and it seems like I could just take it out of the crevice and toss it away, I don't think it's attached itself only because when I place the polyp coral back on top of it (after it puffs itself off the rock, the tentacle thing will move so it its tentacles are out and about the polyps (to feed I guess).  Does this sound like it is something that would normally be with a  coral polyp, or not. <Well, it sounds like something that you wouldn't want with coral...Very likely, Aiptasia> It was in clear view of the store owner I got it off of so I don't know why he wouldn't have told me it was possibly a bad thing.  He knew it was my first "coral" purchase.   But also, I'm more/equally worried about these small looking things that are all over the mushroom rock as well.  Any ideas? <Honestly, without a pic, I'm left to guess here.. Sorry> By the way,  thanks for all the "start up" advice you've all given to me via e-mail (and all the archives for me/us all to browse).  I've learned a lot here and recommend your site to everyone.   <Glad to here that!> Just when I think my tank is doing great, something else crops up and it's good to know I can always turn to you all. <That's what we're here for!> (I refrain from "asking" questions for the most part, but browse the site extensively) Thanks so much for your time,  totally appreciated! Jan <My pleasure, Jan. If it is Aiptasia that you're dealing with here, there are a number of ways to deal with them, well documented on the site and in the "Reef Invertebrates" book, as well as in Anthony's "Book of Coral Propagation", where he even discusses a novel approach to dealing with Aiptasia- the "Aiptasia scrubber", which lets them assist in the filtering of your tank! You can always find a use for things that you find in your tank, if you look carefully enough! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Uh Oh, It's Aiptasia (1/21/04)    Hi there, you nice, helpful people :) <Steve Allen here tonight> I wonder if you could help me to identify a hitchhiker... I haven't the foggiest idea what it could be (and it irritates me - the lack of ideas, not the hitchhiker ;)).    Even the trusty Invertebrates by J. Sprung proved unhelpful...  If you take a peek at the photo, my problem is the whitish-maroon "growth" on the rock (not the sulky Parazoanthus in the foreground :)). The two "tongues" look like they're attached to each other at the base, and there is a third hugging the rock outcropping on the other side. This thing has been there for a month, and it's actually grown, so it's alive. It has not moved from the spot, so it's sessile (first time I saw it, I though it might be a starfish resting - but no). I can't see anything that could be identified (at least by me, and with the naked eye) as tentacles or polyps. One more thing I can tell you about it - the tissue expands and flattens with some regularity, and when it expands, I can see a kind of a translucent bubble inside (visible in the picture as a dark spot on the right and "tongue"), which suggests it swells up with water or other clear fluid.  Well, that's about it. If you can tell me what the heck it is, I will like you even more than I do already ;)   All the best Anka in Poland <Well Anka, I'm having trouble making things out in your picture. The stuff you describe appears to be some sort of sponge. The three brown tentacled lings that I believe you are referring to as Parazoanthids appear to be Aiptasia anemones. Very bad pests that you want to get rid of. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm  hope this helps.>

Anemone ID and Coral Beauty question 1/21/04 Had a hitchhiker on some live rock (see attached). Just wanted to know if I should rid my system of it. <its a pest Aiptasia anemone. Much has been writ about them at great length. Do consult our archives and FAQs on this subject for various treatment methods and perhaps see my new article this month at reefcentral.com (reefkeeping e-zine) on Berghia Nudibranchs to control them> I have a fish only setup, but would like to add some corals later down the road.  Also a strange looking "bug" had shown up in large number. I could not get a decent pick, I will try to describe. They are translucent, from pinhead size to maybe a centimeter in length. They are shaped kind of like a heart, with 2 tails. Almost look like a tadpole with 2 tails. They are all over my glass, do not look like the usual copepods, I have plenty of them as well. <hmmm... difficult to say without a picture. Some sort of microcrustaceans... most all except isopods (some) are harmless> Also I have a Coral Beauty which has been in quarantine for the last 10 day. She had been not eating all that great, but is starting to graze a bit on Nori and picks a little at the frozen food offerings. I had a piece of live rock in the tank for her to graze on, but had to remove it because my baby Hippo Tang ( also in quarantine) was rubbing his eye on it, causing an infection. I am currently treating this with Epson salt. (I will never quarantine more than 1 fish at a time again). <yes... very wise/good lesson learned> The last couple if days, the Beauty is rubbing her face on the PVC pipe, shaking quite a bit and darting around. She is showing no visible signs of parasites. Would a fw dip be in order here? <yes... because if water quality is not irritating her gills, a pending parasite infection is being expressed> Or should I just watch for a while. I understand that they are sensitive to med (copper) and I do not want to stress her out further. <do consider simply using FW dips, slightly lower salinity and possibly Formalin treatments to avoid using copper on this very metal-sensitive fish> Appreciate any help you can give.  Thanks much!! Kurt <best regards, Anthony>

What's that in my tank? Aiptasia! Hello and Merry Christmas! <Thanks, Same to you> Could you possibly tell me what these are? It would be much appreciated. <The first, second, and third pictures are of Aiptasia or glass anemones. Search on WWM and learn why & how to rid your tank of these pests. The third picture is a tiny brittle star. Wonderful creatures to have in your tank. Hope this helps, Steve Allen.>

Aiptasia (12-11-03) Hello Crew:<Howdy, Cody here today.> I probably sound like a moron, but is the attached picture Aiptasia? <Looks like it to me.> I have a very large, similar creature toward the back of my tank that does not photograph very well.  With the exception of these two, however, I do not notice any other similar animals.  If it is Aiptasia, will my yellow tang allow a copper banded butterfly to exist in the tank? <What size of tank do you have an how long has it been established?> I would consider peppermint shrimp, but I have a long-nosed hawkfish that I understand would make short order of them for lunch. <It is a possibility.> Any help would be appreciated.<Also these guys thrive on nutrients.  If you have a good skimmer you should be able to keep these guys in check by skimming out the nutrients therefore you take away a major food source and they shouldn't reproduce out of control. You should be ok if there are only a few in there, just make sure not to place any corals next to them. Cody> Scott

Naughty or Nice? (Aiptasia) Hello crew! First off, I would like to thank you guys for all the knowledge and help that I have received from your site.  You have saved me a pile of money and numerous headaches.  Attached are two pics of what I think may be an Aiptasia.  It is transparent brown with aqua colored bands.  I would like to know if I should "attempt" to exterminate it. <Yes, that is Aiptasia and at some point you will want to 'deal' with it.> Thanks in advance for your help.  Sorry, but I can't share any of that money.  Honey said no.  Luke H. <Cheers, J -- >

Aiptasia Hello, Here are a couple of pictures of some growths on live rock.  They started as one and stayed that way for over a year.  In the last couple of months they have developed into  many.  I am including pictures of two different things.  They are not the best but hopefully will help.  Are they something to be concerned about? <Hi Tracy, looks like you've got some Aiptasia, not a good thing, but very common, in fact, I found one in my tank the other day, time to bring in the peppermint shrimps.  Read this article for more info and tips on getting rid of them.  Best Regards, Gage http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm > thanks Tracy

Anemone ID 7/3/03 I have some small anemones that seem to have come in on some live rock from Harbor Aquatics.  I don't think it is Aiptasia or majano, but I can't identify it. It doesn't seem to have the long foot of an Aiptasia, <Good/good enough images... but the cnidarian is still so small/young as to be not reliably identified. Agreed that it does not look like Anemonia majano...> .. in fact it doesn't seem to have any trunk at all.   <perhaps only because of its size/youth so to speak> It is almost transparent with white rings around the tentacles. <indeed... almost reminds me of a young corkscrew anemone (bartholomae)> I am concerned because it seems to be able to swim, or at least to drift like a baby spider until it finds somewhere it likes.   <yes... the latter> I found this one in my refugium, which means that it can survive a trip through a powerhead. <Most amazingly can. I honestly suspect it is/could be a pest species... but only a problem if the tank is overstocked or overfed... no worries with good nutrient export. Can be enjoyed like any other. Best regards, Anthony>

Deep Sand Bed and Aiptasia control Hello, <Hi Rodrigo, Don here today> I have no words to appreciate all the benefits everyone can get here in your web site. Thanks a lot. <Thank you, it is an honor for me to be a small part of this> I have very high nitrates (huge)  in my reef tank. Everything looks fine with the fish and corals but reading here I just notice that my sand bed is in the range where you say is not good (1" to 2"). My tank is 29gal (the base 30" x 12"). I am planning to increase the deep to 3" or 4" using the Southdown Sand. Is this sounds good? <I would go 4+ while you are at it.> I am planning to do a 50% water change this weekend that I haven't done since 6 months ago. <Yes, likely a major part of the problem. If you can, changing 3-4 gallons weekly will do wonders with the water quality> May I ask you how to mix the new sand with the existing one? I thinks some of the actual sand is fine but also some it is not that fine (not coarse either). Or should I put the new sand over the old sand? Maybe I should do the opposite? Right now I have a couple of Maroon Clown fishes and a bicolor Pseudochromis so I think these guys are hardy enough to resist some chemistry changes. I also have skimmer, AquaClear with Polyfilter and Chemipure. <If the existing sand is < 2mm then I think I would go right over the top, a little at a time.> I have a second question: I have some Aiptasia, like 10 of them. One month ago I tried to introduce a peppermint shrimp but the Pseudochromis bicolor bothered him until he died. Should I remove the bicolor from the tank? The Aiptasia looks very ugly. <Check here for more info on controlling Aiptasia: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm Hope this helps, Don> Thank you very much, Rodrigo.

- Invading Anemones - Dear Crew, <Good morning, JasonC here...> We have an 80 gallon salt water tank and have an abundance of these pink, thin armed anemones.   They grow like weeds!!!!  They are taking over our tank.  We find small ones floating in the tank to attach someplace.   Is there anyway of controlling these things???  Please help.    Thanks. <Sounds like Aiptasia to me - please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm Cheers, J -- >

Glass anemone Dear and helpful crew at WWM; I don't usually write to people I don't know but I have looked all over your site and can't find any info. on what I consider a pest. I don't know if they are called glass anemones or not but my local fish dude calls them that.  They are semi-translucent and seem to reproduce like crazy.  They don't seem to cause harm but they are slowly taking over our 2 salt tanks.  I couldn't find anything on your site about them.  Should I allow them to stay or try to eradicate them. <Likely give them the heave ho... for reasons of crowding, stinging your other livestock.> One other thing, I can't us copper because I have other invertebrates in both tanks.  I appreciate you help.  I use your site for finding info. on husbandry of species and feeding and anything tank. Thank-you ahead of time. Dona <These are quite common nuisances and we have several pages about them. Please start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm and continue reading the linked (blue, at top) files. Bob Fenner>

Re: Aiptasia? Hi again guys, I want to be sure on this because I kind of like the critters and don't really want to kill them. I found some pics and they look a whole lot like Banded Tube Dwelling Anemones except that it seems that the tube dwellers live with their bodies IN the substrate showing only tentacles, while my critters live on the rock with bodies exposed. Probably Aiptasia, eh? <tough to say without a picture... but even Aiptasia can be managed by careful feeding (no overfeeding of tank to let them flourish> I'd like to keep them for their nutrient export capabilities as per Anthony, but I'll need to move them to my refugium.  <good idea> Best way to tackle this challenge without leaving behind any potential regrowth in the main tank? <yep... use poultry shears... take these sturdy "scissors" and bite at the rock at the base of each anemone in an attempt to skim them off the rock with a sliver of the substrate. Else, any tissue left behind will encourage propagation> Thanks again...you guys are an incredible help to everyone who ask for it, Mike <thanks kindly... best regards, Anthony>