Is this Aptasia and what kind of filter feeder?

[TehBrainz]

So I just received some new frags of zoas and one has what looks to me like a single polyp of Aptasia and the other frag has not opened at all in a week but has what looks like weird little filter feeders all over it. Any ideas?

Blue lights just kicked on so pic quality is poor. I'll take more when whites come on if it helps

Potential aptasia circled

Weird filter growths on closed zoa polyps

 

[Fish Think Pink]

So I just received some new frags of zoas and one has what looks to me like a single polyp of Aptasia and the other frag has not opened at all in a week but has what looks like weird little filter feeders all over it. Any ideas?

Blue lights just kicked on so pic quality is poor. I'll take more when whites come on if it helps

Potential aptasia circled
View attachment 2339674

Weird filter growths on closed zoa polyps
View attachment 2339675

Did you dip those and then choose to keep them?

I'd get rid of anything suspicious. Easiest when early and newly arrived, best if never gets in main tank

Going forward when you can't remove frag plugs, we learned to do multiple dips with different products and hydrogen perioxide process. BRS has a nice dip 'best of' video that outlines the 3 types of dip but sometimes a toothbrush scrub or pain brush of hydrogen perioxide is also warranted since dips don't kill anything - just stun for removal. QT coral is best to keep things out of main tank

 

[TehBrainz]

Did you dip those and then choose to keep them?

I'd get rid of anything suspicious. Easiest when early and newly arrived, best if never gets in main tank

Going forward when you can't remove frag plugs, we learned to do multiple dips with different products and hydrogen perioxide process. BRS has a nice dip 'best of' video that outlines the 3 types of dip but sometimes a toothbrush scrub or pain brush of hydrogen perioxide is also warranted since dips don't kill anything - just stun for removal. QT coral is best to keep things out of main tank

So I dipped the frags in Revive and Iodine and then toothbrushed with peroxide. Although the peroxide was old so I don't know how effective it was in hindsight...

 

[lynaea75]

First pic could be an aiptasia but white pics will help.
Second one is hydroids, since it’s bothering the zoas probably best to pick/scrub them off. They are common in new tanks and will generally go away on their own eventually.

 

[TehBrainz]

First pic could be an aiptasia but white pics will help.
Second one is hydroids, since it’s bothering the zoas probably best to pick/scrub them off. They are common in new tanks and will generally go away on their own eventually.

Ill get a white picture in about 15ish mins when they are on.

I just transferred my old tank to this newer tank, but the rock is all 3+ years old. Would this potentially imply that the frag tank these came from was newer?

 

[TehBrainz]

@Fish Think Pink , that apstasia is tiny too. How do I get to dip and inspect and catch that? Just practice? I guess I've been lucky because I've inspected all the corals in this tank after dipping and these slipped by me as well. Maybe it was just the typical new frag excitement and I overlooked...

Superglue for the aptasia? It's coming out of the stony portion of the frag plug it looks like and not near any tissue

 

[Fish Think Pink]

@Fish Think Pink , that apstasia is tiny too. How do I get to dip and inspect and catch that? Just practice? I guess I've been lucky because I've inspected all the corals in this tank after dipping and these slipped by me as well. Maybe it was just the typical new frag excitement and I overlooked...

Superglue for the aptasia? It's coming out of the stony portion of the frag plug it looks like and not near any tissue

I'd take the frag out of main tank when you cover the aiptaisia, but superglue is an innovative smothering technique. I've used Frank's Aiptasia to smother those that got by our process

 

[TehBrainz]

I'd take the frag out of main tank when you cover the aiptaisia, but superglue is an innovative smothering technique. I've used Frank's Aiptasia to smother those that got by our process

Awesome! I'll give it a shot and keep my fingers crossed it didn't spread already. It was originally facing the back of the tank so I only caught a glimpse and had to rotate the frag for a better look

 

[TehBrainz]

Work got busy, but I'm off now. Below is a picture I took right before removing the frag to attack the apt

 

[lynaea75]

Yup, for sure aiptasia

 

[av8soulfly]

looks like at least 2 aiptasias there. I burn mine with boiling water and a syringe and try to suck them up with the syringe. Since your frags are on a loose plug, take it out of the tank to do the burn. Then dip again in Revive. Looks like you got the hydroids off.

 

[lynaea75]

@Fish Think Pink , that apstasia is tiny too. How do I get to dip and inspect and catch that? Just practice? I guess I've been lucky because I've inspected all the corals in this tank after dipping and these slipped by me as well. Maybe it was just the typical new frag excitement and I overlooked...

Superglue for the aptasia? It's coming out of the stony portion of the frag plug it looks like and not near any tissue

Aiptasia can retract just like any other coral, and since they are a type of soft coral any dip that kills them would kill other corals too.
As for the hydroids, they may be taking advantage of your newer setup, who knows.

 

[TehBrainz]

Aiptasia can retract just like any other coral, and since they are a type of soft coral any dip that kills them would kill other corals too.
As for the hydroids, they may be taking advantage of your newer setup, who knows.

Even with using my older rock they could be taking advantage? Darn, I was hoping I wouldn't have had this issue by using my old rock.

I've got the aptasia smothered in superglue and scrubbed the other frag with the hydroids with (brand new) peroxide and was able to get most off that way. Frag is now in an iodine dip coming out in ~10 mins

 

[TehBrainz]

Smothered. Coral is still peeved, but it should be happier now. Just hoping none will pop up in the tank. Frag was only in for a few days.

We will see about the other frag with hydroids. I was able to tweeze most of them off and after lots of abuse I'm hoping to have killed the remainders without killing the frag. I'll update in a day or so if it opens up and doesn't melt away