Pest 'Nem Questions

seanarino · Jul 28, 2023

This is literally just to sate my curiosity because I like asking questions - I don't have aiptasia nor majano in my tank so I don't need help eradicating it. Anyway, I have a few pest 'nem questions! I know I could just google these, but I would rather ask people who are actually passionate about the hobby and not... a search engine. I actually think mature aiptasia is kind of pretty, as weird as that is to say.

1.) Will aiptasia and majano 'fight' each other? I know they can sting stuff, but do they usually fight each other?

2.) Why is majano bad? Is it just because it's like aiptasia and can sting / kill things? Will it attack fish? Or is it just because it's a fast splitter?

3.) Will aiptasia or majano kill macroalgae? This question refers to both soft (caulerpa, etc) and calcified (halimeda, etc) macroalgae.

4.) Do berghia nudibranchs have the ability to reproduce by themselves (asexually)? How fast can a single berghia decimate aiptasia populations?

5.) Will aiptasia and majano injure invertebrates? I know some shrimp can eat them, but does that immunity apply to things like snails, clams, starfish, polychaete worms (bristleworms) and crabs?

6.) What type of light do aiptasia and majano like? I know aiptasia can handle just plain white light, but is majano picky like a 'real' anemone?

7.) Do aiptasia and majano get along with anything else? I know some things aren't bothered by them, but I'm just curious to see if anybody has any experience with that.

8.) Are there fish that are unbothered by aiptasia? I know that filefish that eat them exist, but are there others?

9.) I know aiptasia can be propagated by simply poking at one with a stick or cutting them up into pieces. Does majano just split like a normal anemone? And does that mean there are anemones that can be "hand-split"?

10.) If anybody does purposefully keep either of these - what food do they like? I know they probably eat very small foods like marine snow and stuff.

11.) How big can a single aiptasia / majano get? I know some commonly kept 'nems can get basketball sized!

12.) Do aiptasia and majano like a lot of flow, a little flow, or something in between?

13.) Are there other species of pest anemones that aren't aiptasia or majano?

14.) Can they clog up filters by growing on the intake / output? I've always wondered that.

(EDIT: SPACED THE QUESTIONS OUT SO IT'S EASIER TO READ)

seanarino · Jul 28, 2023

... Okay, I guess not.

bluemon · Jul 28, 2023

seanarino said:
This is literally just to sate my curiosity because I like asking questions - I don't have aiptasia nor majano in my tank so I don't need help eradicating it. Anyway, I have a few pest 'nem questions! I know I could just google these, but I would rather ask people who are actually passionate about the hobby and not... a search engine. I actually think mature aiptasia is kind of pretty, as weird as that is to say.

1.) Will aiptasia and majano 'fight' each other? I know they can sting stuff, but do they usually fight each other?

2.) Why is majano bad? Is it just because it's like aiptasia and can sting / kill things? Will it attack fish? Or is it just because it's a fast splitter?

3.) Will aiptasia or majano kill macroalgae? This question refers to both soft (caulerpa, etc) and calcified (halimeda, etc) macroalgae.

4.) Do berghia nudibranchs have the ability to reproduce by themselves (asexually)? How fast can a single berghia decimate aiptasia populations?

5.) Will aiptasia and majano injure invertebrates? I know some shrimp can eat them, but does that immunity apply to things like snails, clams, starfish, polychaete worms (bristleworms) and crabs?

6.) What type of light do aiptasia and majano like? I know aiptasia can handle just plain white light, but is majano picky like a 'real' anemone?

7.) Do aiptasia and majano get along with anything else? I know some things aren't bothered by them, but I'm just curious to see if anybody has any experience with that.

8.) Are there fish that are unbothered by aiptasia? I know that filefish that eat them exist, but are there others?

9.) I know aiptasia can be propagated by simply poking at one with a stick or cutting them up into pieces. Does majano just split like a normal anemone? And does that mean there are anemones that can be "hand-split"?

10.) If anybody does purposefully keep either of these - what food do they like? I know they probably eat very small foods like marine snow and stuff.

11.) How big can a single aiptasia / majano get? I know some commonly kept 'nems can get basketball sized!

12.) Do aiptasia and majano like a lot of flow, a little flow, or something in between?

13.) Are there other species of pest anemones that aren't aiptasia or majano?

14.) Can they clog up filters by growing on the intake / output? I've always wondered that.

(EDIT: SPACED THE QUESTIONS OUT SO IT'S EASIER TO READ)

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
5. Small ones
6. Any light
7. Some with Stronger stings can outsting them
8. Fish in general aren’t bothered, the problem is with corals. Obvious some fish like seahorses do not like aiptasia
9. Yes, most anemones can asexually reproduce
10. people feed just regular frozen fish food no prob
11. Biggest I’ve seen in diameter is like 1 to 2 inches max
12. They really don’t mind either. Why they’re so prolific
13. Not any common in hobby. others will either be pretty enough to not be a pest or not prolific enough to be a pest
14. They will rarely grow on an intake, but if they do, they will do so in a way that they can survive, which means not clogging the flow

also, saying you arent willing to google to get our expert opinions seems a bit of an excuse. You can just use google and search within reef forums for most of these answers.

seanarino · Jul 28, 2023

bluemon said:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
5. Small ones
6. Any light
7. Some with Stronger stings can outsting them
8. Fish in general aren’t bothered, the problem is with corals. Obvious some fish like seahorses do not like aiptasia
9. Yes, most anemones can asexually reproduce
10. people feed just regular frozen fish food no prob
11. Biggest I’ve seen in diameter is like 1 to 2 inches max
12. They really don’t mind either. Why they’re so prolific
13. Not any common in hobby. others will either be pretty enough to not be a pest or not prolific enough to be a pest
14. They will rarely grow on an intake, but if they do, they will do so in a way that they can survive, which means not clogging the flow

also, saying you arent willing to google to get our expert opinions seems a bit of an excuse. You can just use google and search within reef forums for most of these answers.

I am not "unwilling to google" - I would rather personally talk to people and get my answers, rather than having to fight with google, since google is more likely to recommend me "how to use horse dewormer to treat your pet shark" for some reason or clickbaity youtube channels with "top ten reasons you should pour bleach in your tank!" as their most viewed video. Just because google is there doesn't mean it's good and will give me the answers I'm looking for. I already tried googling most of these and was given threads about dinoflagellates or aiptasia identification versus actual answers to my questions.

paragrouper · Jul 28, 2023

You do realize that most of us don’t put too much thought in Aiptasia and Majano anemones beyond eradication, right?

Thus, most would have to seek answers just to answer your questions, right?

Perhaps one day someone will undertake a comprehensive study on the above topic and let us know the answers. I would, but I’m busy mixing up some F Aiptasia.

seanarino · Jul 28, 2023

paragrouper said:
You do realize that most of us don’t put too much thought in Aiptasia and Majano anemones beyond eradication, right?

Thus, most would have to seek answers just to answer your questions, right?

Perhaps one day someone will undertake a comprehensive study on the above topic and let us know the answers. I would, but I’m busy mixing up some F Aiptasia.

These types of replies are the ones I was hoping to avoid by ORIGINALLY being positive and approaching the subject with intent of talking to people who are actually passionate to share their knowledge and answer questions like these, and not people who are like "i dont know and i don't care, burn it with fire". If you don't know, why did you comment? Just to make an offhand comment about killing them when that has to do with approximately 0 of the questions I asked?