Aiptasia is a widely distributed genus of temperate and tropical sea anemones of benthic lifestyle typically found living on mangrove roots and hard substrates.

These anemones, as well as many other cnidarian species, often contain symbiotic dinoflagellate unicellular algae of the genus Symbiodinium living inside nutritive cells.

Species of Aiptasia are relatively weedy anemones able to withstand a relatively wide range of salinities and other water quality conditions.

In the case of A. pallida and A. pulchella, their hardiness coupled with their ability to reproduce very quickly and out-compete other species in culture gives these anemones the status of pest from the perspective of coral reef aquarium hobbyists.

The resulting zygote becomes a free swimming planula larva which eventually settles onto a suitable substrate where it undergoes metamorphosis to become a small polyp.

are considered pests in the marine aquarium hobby, because they are stressful to coral around them, and occasionally even sting fish and desirable invertebrates.

Hobbyists commonly put peppermint shrimp or certain species of filefish or butterfly fish inside the aquarium to control Aiptasia populations, as the arthropods regularly prey on small cnidarian polyps.