Polyps and mushrooms and bears? oh my!

[auximage]

Ok. Got a couple good pictures of the only corals in my tank. I started out with something easy, green star polyps, and saw some mushrooms (don't know what kind) that also looked good. The rock w/ the mushrooms have some other hitchhikers that I have no clue what they are. The first one looks like a type of anemone, but I'm not sure (please tell me it's not apitasia). The other, smaller ones (which I can't get a great shot of) I have no clue. There are about 5 or 6 of them in different spots on the rock. Hopefully you might be able to identify. I still haven't gotten a good shot of the Mithrax that I think I have lurking.

On a side note, I've got a 150W heater in my tank, and it's set to it's lowest setting, but my temperature hovers between 80 and 84 degrees. Maybe I don't have enough air flow over the top of the tank, but I don't know what to do shy of getting a smaller heater (it's only a 20G tank).

 

[Anonymous]

what kind of lights are you running? if you're running halides, or something thats puttin out a decent amount of heat too close to the water u'll run into temp. problems. also whats the temp in the room like?

 

[auximage]

Not using MH, using compact florescent. They do sit pretty close to the surface of the water, but even when they aren't on the temperature is still not in the 70's where it should be. Ambient room temp. is around 74.

 

[Anonymous]

well if you have to constantly run the heater on the lowest setting, its telling you something, might be worthwhile to just get a smaller heater, something like 50-100w would most likely do the trick

 

[auximage]

I guess I'll look at getting a smaller heater then. Any ideas on the mysterious hitchhikers on the mushroom rock?

 

[Len]

It does look like Aiptasia to me. I'd personally kill it with hot kalkwasser paste or Joe's Juice, just to be safe. The nightmare of dealing with a population explosion .... you don't even want to go there

 

[auximage]

So both of them are? The body structures are totally different. Maybe the little ones just haven't had time to grow, or are the little ones what you meant?

 

[Brian5000]

I think aptasia can stretch out to reach high making its body long and thin, or it can squat down where it's body looks like a jelly ball.
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