green pink tipped aneomone question...

[new2saltyfish]

i just bought some live rock and it has a decent amount of green with pink tip aneomone's on it. there fairly small in size. ive heard that they are not aptasia and are ok but i think i mighthave also heard that they could be a nusiance. so im just asking if i should take them out or leave them? any help is appreciated.

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Tulip anemones. They are basicly pretty mojanos, I would kill them if you cannot control them

 

[new2saltyfish]

ok ill pull them off, thanks

 

[MisFit]

It all depends on what you have in the tank. In my clownfish tanks I have several bubble tips and the rest of the rock work is completely covered in tulip anemones and mushrooms. The tanks look amazing. They also dont seem to bother zoanthids, Ive seen them move through zoanthid colonies without harming the polyps. They will cover everything.

Easiest way to remove them is to turn the lights off for a few days. They will let go of the rock and you can pick them off with ease. It will also cause some of the ones deep in the rock to come out looking for light.

 

[Greg Hiller]

Well, they can be pretty...but

IME, they are a lot easier to kill than Aiptasia. They also do not retract as effectively and are less likely to hide their base in a rock crevice as Aiptasia which makes them easier to kill. They also do not have a really small phase like Aiptasia, which makes it easier to find them if you want to kill them.

All that said, they can proliferate quickly, particularly if you feed a lot. They can sting other corals, and they tend to be much more motile than Aiptasia. They will sometimes 'jump' off a rock. I also do not know of a natural control organism that is otherwise reef safe. I'd be willing to bet that many forms of butterfly fish would eat them, but those same butterflies would likely snack on other corals.