Where did my Aiptasia go?

[NanoNana]

I found my first aiptasia a few weeks ago and plugged it up with super glue. (Tried to rip it out but it was too fast.). Another one showed up so close to the original I wondered if it was the same one coming out a different side of a tunnel. I was out of glue so tried to grab it but it scooted free back in it’s hole. It didn’t appear that I had any part of it in my fingers and it reemerged later so I assumed I missed it.

But I noticed Sunday that it wasn’t there and it has yet to rear its tentacles today. Has it moved in response to my attention? Is it possible I damaged it enough to kill it or has someone in the tank eaten it?
I have nothing that traditionally eats aiptasia. Aside from snails I have a royal gramma, a firefish a yellow clown goby and rainfordi goby. I have some hermits, a pom pom crab a lettuce nudibranch, a fuzzy chiton and a very large fire shrimp and a serpent star.

The frag that the aiptasia was on is also the frag that brought me bryopsis so the rainfordi has been munching on that frag, the nudibranch spent a day eating around the area and the chiton was up there munching when I realized it was gone. Everything in the tank is in that area at some time of the day. Any of my inhabitants known to occasionally eat aiptasia or has it escaped to a new area to plot against me?

 

[Gtinnel]

All I can say is that in my experience there is no way you damaged it to where you killed it. If nothing in your tank ate it, which from your stock list probably didn’t happen, then it will reemerge at some point. Very possibly with off spring.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Peppermint shrimp and kalkwasser paste!

 

[NanoNana]

All I can say is that in my experience there is no way you damaged it to where you killed it. If nothing in your tank ate it, which from your stock list probably didn’t happen, then it will reemerge at some point. Very possibly with off spring.

Nooooooooooo! I was so hoping someone inadvertently sucked it down while eating algae. :*(

 

[GSPClown94]

Aiptasia can and do often move around if they are not happy with their current location, just like other anemones.

 

[NanoNana]

Aiptasia can and do often move around if they are not happy with their current location, just like other anemones.

It is as I feared. #!*¥

 

[Brine]

Sadly this is one of those pests that never actually disappear. You could take measures to keep them at bay, peppermint shrimp and nudibranch do the job well. By stressing the anemone, you're actually gonna end up causing it to reproduce more

 

[Jmp998]

Is your Pom Pom crab carrying it around? That happens.

 

[NanoNana]

With just the single at this time, nudibranch isn’t a good choice. And I have a very territorial fire shrimp that likes to kill shrimp so it may be me, aiptasia x and a needle.

 

[NanoNana]

Is your Pom Pom crab carrying it around? That happens.

You know what, it might be. I don’t see it often but noticed its nems didn’t match when I saw it last night. Never dawned on me it could be the aiptasia. That can’t be good.

 

[exnisstech]

It's probably gathering reinforcements. When I tried killing them it only encouraged them to reproduce faster it seems. We decided to coexist and they stopped multiplying. Peppermint shrimp and CBB now keep them confined to the overflows.

 

[NanoNana]

It's probably gathering reinforcements. When I tried killing them it only encouraged them to reproduce faster it seems. We decided to coexist and they stopped multiplying. Peppermint shrimp and CBB now keep them confined to the overflows.

Yeah. And it has recruited the pom pom crab to wave it around like a flag signaling to aiptasia everywhere that the resistance has begun. I’m sure I’ll be seeing mockingjay symbols graffitied to tank walls, and rock before long.

 

[exnisstech]

Maybe trade the fire shrimp in on a couple of peppermint shrimp. They're actually quite pretty as adults. My peppermints are as large as my blood red.

 

[NanoNana]

Maybe trade the fire shrimp in on a couple of peppermint shrimp. They're actually quite pretty as adults. My peppermints are as large as my blood red.

I may have to do that. I HATE to have to trade the murderous menace in but necessity will make the choice. For now I’m just going to pretend that my single aiptasia has dedicated himself to a life of service for the one pom that has NOT been killed by the fire shrimp and will die in the line of duty before it can replicate. I have long suspected the Pom of something nefarious as the shrimp has killed any other crabs even most of the hermit crabs too large to hide in tiny holes and yet the one now exceedingly large Pom has managed to survive. I will root out all conspirators and feed them to the whelks that are probably masquerading as harmless nassarius snails.

 

[NanoNana]

Confirmed! The pom pom crab is carrying the aiptasia. How did I determine this during daylight hours when this crab is never visible in the daytime you ask?
My fire shrimp flushed it from its hiding place to expose the betrayal.