Glutton for punishment
 

I know I shouldn't of done it but I had to .... I got a Rock flower anemone from our LFS tonight and it came attached to a rock which I know is loaded with aptasia and maybe a few other critters how can I kill or contain them before introducing into my tank

Warm/hot fresh water dunk the rock minus coral attachment?

Chemical warfare?

Sorry I don't have the funds for a quarantine tank so I have to do it the hard way I have a peppermint shrimp who loves aptasia but as to the possibly unknown critters I am playing by ear

take the anemone off the rock if you dont want the rock

I never thought of that ....I learned something again

Ok another stupid question how do I detach this guy from the rock I have read that cutting anenome is not a good idea?

Some anemones will die before they let go. Others let go quite easily. My sebae will let go almost immediately if I remove it from the water while a bubble tip I once had required me to break the rock around it. Some things I've tried that didn't work for me but might work for you was rubbing the foot with an ice cube or point a powerhead directly at the anemone. Another idea would be to set up a tank or container that is dark on one side and lit on the other. Place the anemone on the dark side and it might move over to the light side.

The ice did the trick took about 4 minutes but it let go I cleaned it up gave it a quick vinegar and salt water dip and then put in my tank it attached right away to rock but now has since moved and haven't found it yet I am hoping its just looking for a new spot to call home

Why a vinegar dip?

About half the forums and books I've read have said to do either a full vinegar or a salt water/vinegar dip so I didn't argue I am more than willing to learn if there is a different method that many of you use


And I put the rock I the anemone off of in fresh water and got lots of critters out of it most were harmless but got some red feathery worms out of it too at last count got 9 worms all about an inch long

I'd maybe stick to this site for help or info. And maybe get some new books. I've never heard of a vinegar dip nor a saltwater dip. If you get wrong info from somebody on this site there's usually a bunch that will quickly steer you in the right direction. Good luck with your anemone

Did these forums or books that you've read say why you should treat the anemone in an acidic saltwater solution? Is there some sort of microscopic parasite that it treats for?

If you're planning on re using the rock I'd recommend drying it out completely before placing it in your tank. Aptasia is very hardy and will probably survive a short freshwater dip.

The prevailing theme for what I had read on other forums was to make any parasites drop off as the acidic dip would shock them into releasing

As to the rock it is sitting in fresh water for a few days then will get a thorough drying before being introduced into the tank

I've never heard of dipping anemones in a vinegar bath.. Doesn't sound right to me. People use vinegar to kill Aptasia, which is a kind of anemone.

But what parasites? Porcelain crabs and sexy shrimp? Did they neglect to name anything? That sounds like really bad advice to me. Anemones can be pretty hardy and long lived in captivity once settled into a mature and stable environment (my sebae turns 9 next year). Most deaths happen early on from collection and shipping stresses (and later on from powerhead and pump intakes). All invertebrates are very sensitive to sudden changes in pH, temperature and salinity. Its best not to push their limits without a really good reason.

I too have used vinegar, lemon juice, calcium hydroxide and boiling water to kill anemones (aptasia).

What was the name of the book?

I had 2 books both borrowed one dealt with fish and touched on corals

The other dealt specifically with corals and i dont remember exact name but started with "Coral reefs (something something)joy" but I do remember it was printed in 1997 and the person who Lent it too me no longer lives in town(moved to Texas). The book dealt a great deal with parasites on corals and anenome and ways to eradicate them and spoke great deal about ways to use vinegar to remove and destroy parasites

Never heard of that either.

That book is highly outdated. lol

I've got The Reef Aquarium Vol 2 by Delbeek and Sprung (1997) which talks exclusively of the care for soft coral and anemones. It names a polychaete or two that might eat an anemone but says nothing of vinegar dipping. But as you've just witnessed polychaetes tend to hide out in the rocks near the anemone and not on the surface of them. I also tried several searches on RC for 'anemone vinegar dip', 'anemone vinegar pest', and 'anemone vinegar parasite' but all it turned up was ways of killing anemones.

Most of my 19 books came from the 1995-2005 era and little has changed. I'd expect something newer would probably have a little bit of information on LED lighting, organic carbon dosing and the care of non photosynthetic coral but the rest of the information would still be current and valid. Books from the 1980s and early 90's talked of skimmers as being some new and wonderful thing, suggested using under gravel filters and wet/dry trickle filters.

In addition to aptasia watch out for flatworms, small crabs, red bugs, bubble algae, pyramid snails, sundial snails, hydroids, large grey bristle worms, mantis shrimp and majano anemones in this town. There are many tanks here that have or have had these pests at one time or another. Total Pet tends to get quiet a few of them as a result when people bring liverock back to the store.

Dipping invertebrates in a dip meant to kill invertebrates seems like a very bad idea.