[smidoid]

Has anyone seen a list of common LR hitchers? Preferably with pictures.

I'm aware of the beasties like Aiptasia, but I just got my final centerpiece of LR and it came with a butt-ugly anemone and some filter feeders that seem to defy photography: at least with my current lenses.

These are filamentous in appearance, virtually transparent and seem to irredesce red/blue when the light catches them just right.

Just on this one: has anyone tried Joe's Juice? I have an aiptasia that I can't hit with a hypo/lemon juice - it vanishes when I get close. I can get a pipette to the hole though - so anything considered!

[optical]

joes juice works great. its just a kalkwasser solution and can easily be made.

[smidoid]

Kalkwassser! That's all. Not to sound thick (!) but how do you make it strong enough? Or would sodium bicarbonate paste do - that would be very alkaline?

Thanks for the swift reply, BTW!

[charlie]

Just make up the kalk paste thick enuf so it will go thru whatever plunger you have. That will nuke the poor little aiptasia. Just cover it until all you can is the kalk paste. It should take care of your problem.

[smidoid]

Ok, charlie, I'm gonna have to hang my head in shame here and admit that I need a head's up on where to get kalk paste. I was under the impression that you made kalkwasser by bubbling CO2 through Aragonite suspended in water -so the carbonic acid dissolves some Ca into the water... Obviously, I'm missing something important here.:slap:

[charlie]

It is sold under the name kalkwasser. You can also use Mrs. Wages pickling lime.
Just mix a little kalk with some RO water, and you are good to go.
Try a search on kalkwasser and you should be able to get where you want to go.

HTH

[smidoid]

Cheers. I'll give that a go and update when I have news.

UPDATE: found this link which has put me on the right track in more ways that one! http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/...alkwasser.html

OK, now that the Calicum hydroxide is sorted, what about the hitchers in the head of the thread? Any ideas?

[Thanks all]

[Rokie]

Here's a link to a photo id page. http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyu...tchhikers.html

[smidoid]

Pretty good resource that! Welcome to Reefland.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by smidoid

I just got my final centerpiece of LR and it came with a butt-ugly anemone...

Which is probably an undesirable species.

...and some filter feeders that seem to defy photography: at least with my current lenses. These are filamentous in appearance, virtually transparent and seem to irredesce red/blue when the light catches them just right.

Are you talking about ctenophores? Your description doesn't say much about their morphology. Can you describe their shape? Can you give an approximate size? What are the observable physical characteristics besides "filamentous in appearance, virtually transparent and irridescent?"

Just on this one: has anyone tried Joe's Juice? I have an aiptasia that I can't hit with a hypo/lemon juice - it vanishes when I get close. I can get a pipette to the hole though - so anything considered!

You could always just seal up the hole with marine putty -- the same stuff they use to mount frags.

[smidoid]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Which is probably an undesirable species.

Yeah. That would be my guess. It's horrid looking. About 1/2" tip to tip full extended with dozens of tentacles with a 1/4" disc in the middle. Retreats into the rock when prodded (with a pipette).

Originally Posted by Ninong

Are you talking about ctenophores? Your description doesn't say much about their morphology. Can you describe their shape? Can you give an approximate size? What are the observable physical characteristics besides "filamentous in appearance, virtually transparent and irridescent?"

Can't get a good view - but on consideration they might be another anemone. Don't think the are ctenophores looking at the examples on Google. They seem to behave like Aiptasia when threatened or touched. The tentacles are like very fine human hair though. Sizewise they are quite small - about 1/4" pokes out of the rock. I can't get a good - full-frontal view of any of them unfortunately. My guess would be: unwanted, so I might just seal them up too!

Originally Posted by Ninong

You could always just seal up the hole with marine putty -- the same stuff they use to mount frags.

YES! Now that's plan!

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by smidoid

Can't get a good view - but on consideration they might be another anemone. Don't think the are ctenophores looking at the examples on Google. They seem to behave like Aiptasia when threatened or touched. The tentacles are like very fine human hair though. Sizewise they are quite small - about 1/4" pokes out of the rock. I can't get a good - full-frontal view of any of them unfortunately. My guess would be: unwanted, so I might just seal them up too!

It doesn't sound like an anemone if you're talking about tentacles "like very fine human hair" that are irridescent and that only poke out about 1/4" from the rock. I would leave it alone. I would NOT seal this one up. Wait till you figure out what it is first.

[charlesr1958]

The only thing that I can think of that fits that description is a Flabelligerid worm, which are harmless.

[smidoid]

That would be them! That's pretty much what I can see only my camera can't pick them up. I'll leave those be in that case.