Aiptasia Control

[builderguy]

Ughhh!!!

My 37gal predator tank is SERIOUSLY overrun with Aiptasia...what's the best way to take them out?

 

[Pico1]

peppermint shrimp / copperband butterfly

 

[funman1]

I love Joes Juice

 

[Justin74]

Ive had near success with peppermints shrimp, had 6 in my 50 cleared it all but a couple, then they started movin in on my anenonme's then I removed em. This copperband butterfly I got a couple weeks ago cleared my whole tank within 4 days(talk about plague perportions too) The fish does in one day what it takes the peppermints to do in a week though, due to being able to cover more ground without worry of predation.

In the meantime I have a needled syrenge that you can inject em with a kalk slurry if youd like to use.

-Justin

 

[wombat2]

It's a predator tank? As in, no corals? What fish do you have in there? Peppermints might get eaten, and they don't always eat larger Aiptasia. Copper bandeds can work, but they are finicky and hard to get eating. Then they sometimes won't eat Aiptasia either. There are much hardier selections that will eat anything and everything that looks like an anemone, and if you don't have any corals you won't have to worry about them doing damage.

My top choice would be a small Chaetodon fasciatus.

They'll destroy Aiptasia, and any other coral you stick in with them. They're also very easy to get eating and they can hold their own with aggressive fish.

The only downside is that they get big. You'll need to move it to a much larger tank eventually.

 

[MandM]

I've had to take out the rocks that were heavily infested and break of chunks to save them for Fragmented's beghia project. I have a nice little farm started in one of my QT tanks for her. For the occasional lone one, a little Kalk paste in an irrigation syringe works well.
My 55 has a Marine Beta so the peppermint shrimp would be lunch.

 

[Fragmented]

I really appreciate your extra effort MandM. Thanks.

Builderguy, I'd be happy to give yours a home as well.