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jkelson 
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 Topic: leather coral
Posted: March 10 2003 at 8:27pm |
Hello, My name is Jessica. I am new here, but just need some info or advice on the Toadstool leather coral.
I purchased for a great deal & it seems to be doing ok, but when I saw it in the tank I purchased it was out & open. Since I have had it, it has only opened partially. i also noticed it did retract & shed the mucous layer ( I guess is normal) But does anyone have any ideas on how I can get it to open completely? ( all levels are fine in the tank & consistent)
:) Any help or advice would be appreciated.
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WhiteReef
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Posted: March 11 2003 at 9:01am |
For the most part my leather coral likes to stay open the majority of the time. However, if it is stressed in any way it will close until the irritant is taken care of.
How long have you had yours for? How long has it stayed closed?
My coral has sometimes stayed closed for as long as 2 weeks. So I would not be overly stressed.
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----------------
Richard
Former 47G Column Reef, Magna
20" x 18" x 31"H
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Firefish
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Posted: March 11 2003 at 9:28am |
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It is normal for that to happen sometimes. I have probably a similar leather that would send out stalks but the polyps on the ends of the stalks wouldn't come out.....as a matter of fact I thought it was just some different kind that didn't really have polyps. It took about a month before they came out, and now it is very pretty. Sometimes it goes days without extending its polyps at all even now after it has settled in. They are usually very hardy so just give it time. Also I can't infisise (and I don't think I can spell that either) enough how important it is to look at your other additives such as magnesium and carbonates. Everyone is always talking about calcium this calcium that and never about magnesium and the carbonates and the strontium. Don't forget about those. That is all I would suggest.
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jkelson
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Posted: March 11 2003 at 9:04pm |
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I have since moved my leather to a different position & he opened up almost all of the way. I guess they are picky about where they want to be. I unfortunately found out that I had two beautiful aiptaisa (haha) in my tank. I guess now i know why i got them for 3.00 a piece! But I luckily asked a marine aquarium store & he warned me of them. They were very hard to get out of my live rock though. Thanks for the advice on the leather, this site is great!! Jess.
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ewaldsreef
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Posted: March 11 2003 at 11:49pm |
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Jess, how did you remove the aptaisa? If you dont get rid of them completely they will come back.
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Contact me for professional aquarium maintenance and localy grown coral frags. [URL=http://www.aquatitranquility.com][/URL]
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jkelson
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 12:15am |
Well after stressing because I could not just pull them out & everything was closed to get a needle for the inkection kit. I took the advice from a fish place - basically run the rock under hot water - not only did this bring out all of the (fat) bristle worms, but one of the aiptaisa kind of died & I took a fork & he slimed out---"yuck" my husband did not even dare to do this (wus :), but I got some of the other one out, I think it slimed out of the rock, but I am going to be watching to make darn sure! I also really was stung before this by one of them, that is what brought me to ask about them! If I can help further let me know or pm me Jess
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jfinch
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 8:55am |
Quote: Originally posted by jkelson on 11 March 2003
I have since moved my leather to a different position & he opened up almost all of the way. I guess they are picky about where they want to be. I unfortunately found out that I had two beautiful aiptaisa (haha) in my tank. I guess now i know why i got them for 3.00 a piece! But I luckily asked a marine aquarium store & he warned me of them. They were very hard to get out of my live rock though. Thanks for the advice on the leather, this site is great!! Jess.
Who sold you aptaisa? Did they ask if you had a reef?
Maybe I should post this in the for-sale forum, but I've got 5 or 6 aptaisa for anyone interested...I'll even pay you a buck or two if you can get 'em off the rock without removing the rock 
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jfinch
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 9:13am |
Quote: Originally posted by pistonfister on 12 March 2003
Jess, how did you remove the aptaisa? If you dont get rid of them completely they will come back.
let me give you another data point to evaluate (not recommended for the faight of heart :) )
I got aprox. 20 lbs of live rock that had many aptaisa (20-40...lost count). When I transfered the rock from the orginal tank to mine I followed this procedure.
mixed a near saturated solution of KOH/water using KOH flake (from here at work). This is a VERY caustic mixture, it will dissolve skin in very little time. I put on my rubber gloves. Sucked this mixture up into a sringe (with needle). Grab a rock, search for aptaisa, inject aptaisa. Every single one would then start to dissolve and release from the rock. Then use the needle to pick them off the rock and into the garbage. I then placed the rock in a 5 gallon bucket of salt water and shook vigorously. Then out of that and into another bucket of salt water and shoot vigorously. Then into my tank. This method allowed me to remove the aptaisa without doing any real harm to the rest of the rock or it's inhabitants. The two bucket rinse was to remove all the residual KOH solution. This worked like a charm, no ill effects in the tank. I just didn't find all the aptaisa in the move, some of the smaller ones excaped my attention and are now growing and multiplying  .
I've actually used this method in the tank (with a slightly less concentrated KOH solution). I do not recomment this. The caustic solution causes a localized area of very high pH resulting in a small cloud of calcium carbonate precipitation. This is a bad thing in a reef.
I got a pepperment shrimp, but he's worthless at aptaisa control.
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Suzy
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 8:12pm |
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Hey,Guys! We have the cutest pair o' peppermint shrimp who ate all our aiptasias. I think they only like babys or squished aiptasia....The shrimp are relatively cheap and hardy. Maybe Jon's didn't get hungry enough......? Be careful not to get a camel back,though. They also like gorgeous pink pulsing zenias (They also will eat the brown rusty zenias, but ......Suzy
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jfinch
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 8:41pm |
Maybe I've just got a lazy shrimp. He's a pig when it comes to eating his cousins, little brine and big brother mysis  .
Anyone have any ideas how to starve a shrimp?
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sjlopez39
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 10:41pm |
About a year or so ago, we had a discussion at one of our club meetings on how to rid our tanks of these pesky critters (aiptasia). As I recall there were several methods mentioned but the ones that seemed to make the most since were the natural methods.
Peppermint shrimp as Suzy mentioned is one method. A couple other methods mentioned are placing a coral close enough that it can reach out and sting the the aiptsia such as a (frogspawn). Also just as important, do not place the coral so close that the aiptaisia can make contact with the coral while the coral is not extending out to the aiptasia. Another method and was very highly recommended was putting a nudibranch in the tank.
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Keep your hands and arms inside the tank and enjoy the ride!
Steve
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jkelson
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Posted: March 12 2003 at 11:29pm |
Wow, I guess i need to watch for the aiptaisa to arise again. This is nasty stuff! We rec'd it from a new fish store in sandy, I am disappointed now. This stuff is nasty, I will be going out and getting a peppermint shrimp tomorrow. Also I heard aiptaisa can kill other things in the tank. They only kill by stinging (touching),,,right??
By the way thanks for the prior info Jess.
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rfoote
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 5:23am |
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I've effectively gotten rid of Aiptasia by mixing a small amout in a strong concentration of Kalkwasser or Pickling Lime and putting into a syringe and injecting directly onto/into the Aiptasia. It will be gone!
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sjlopez39
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 6:20am |
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The nudibranch I mentioned a couple of posts ago is a berghia nudibranch.
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Keep your hands and arms inside the tank and enjoy the ride!
Steve
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Suzy
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 7:24am |
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I have killed aiptasias in the past by injecting them with calcium.I remember thinking "that is so cool" when they shriveled up in agony! But they came back triple. I think they have spores or seeds or something they spit out as they die....I would lend you our shrimps but how would I catch 'em? Jon,maybe your weed corals are too big.Are your shrimp eating the babies? Have you tried squishing the big ones?Steve,do nudibranches eat other corals?And do they live without aiptasias to eat?I want to get more stuff,but we're kinda nervous about adding anythng to the coolest tank on the planet!!Don't wanna rock the boat!Thanks,Guys!
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jfinch
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 8:06am |
This thread has mutated to aptaisa control...
The other method I've heard about is getting a copper banded butterfly. My tank is not big enough for a butterfly so I got the shrimp. I'd like to know more about the nudibranch. What else does he eat?
I've tryed injecting kalkwasser without much luck. Anyone try that Stop Aptaisa stuff you can buy at the fish stores? I've been tempted to try it, but at $16 a bottle and not knowing what its made of...I've been leary.
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 11:16am |
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It is extremely difficult to get one peppermint to eat your Aiptasia. I recommend adding .5-1 peppermint shrimp per gallon. Sounds like a lot, but they will usually do the trick and they are cheaper than Berghia.
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jfinch
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 5:40pm |
Quote: Originally posted by Jake Pehrson on 13 March 2003
It is extremely difficult to get one peppermint to eat your Aiptasia. I recommend adding .5-1 peppermint shrimp per gallon. Sounds like a lot, but they will usually do the trick and they are cheaper than Berghia.
 That's a lot of peppermint!
What's the odds of keeping peppermints with coral banded?
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sjlopez39
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Posted: March 13 2003 at 9:11pm |
Suzy and all who are interested-I haven't kept a berghia nudibranch myself so I don't know first hand what they need to eat if the aiptasia is gone. There was no mention of them being harmful to corals at the meeting that I heard the suggestion to use them. However I do remember that it was Joe and Cindy Jones who highly recommended there use for getting rid of aitasia.
A person could try the berghia nudibranch until he or she felt the aiptasia is gone then he or she could trade it for credit at a store or mention on the forum or something that the nudibranch is available for trade or sale.
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Keep your hands and arms inside the tank and enjoy the ride!
Steve
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Suzy
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Posted: March 14 2003 at 7:23am |
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Hey Steve! Aren't nudibraches really cool looking like slug things? I don't actually have any aiptasias.I was just thinking of this really cool slug shaped purple striped thing I saw a while back...Anybody have a picture?Adam,are you out there? Would a conscientious aquarium oceanlover buy a nudibranch?Thanks,Suzy
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