aiptasia going crazy!!

[blumarlin]

Will the joes juice hurt my btas & rbtas? I have a few majanos on a rock several inches from my nems.

I got joes juice & dropped the needle that came w/ my syringe (couldnt find the darn thing). I cut the pumps off & when I doesed, it puffed out & covered them w/ a powder blanket.

To my horror, my rbta several inches away started releasing a milky substance from her mouth (for several minutes) & within 10 minutes she withdrew under her rock, shrunk up 3 xs her size & was barely hanging onto the rock. The other nems shrunk up also, but not to this extent.

The next day they were all fine & back to normal, but it scared the crap aout of me.

Needless to say, they majanos are still there, only smaller. Also, I have found a new one in another area of my tank:mad2:

Advise please!!!!!

 

[blumarlin]

Sorry, didnt mean to jump this thread.

 

[Candy803]

With lemon juice you may have to dose a few times. I had a big one I dosed 3 times and it is completely gone. Lemon juice is cheap and effective IME.

 

[tspors]

I have used this Method it is safe and a sure fire way. Just use as directed and Moderation. If you only have a few this is the trick.


OK, here is my sure fire way, 100% success rate, never to return again method.

Use a saturated solution of Sodium Hydroxide (Drain Away, Draino, whatever you like to call it) and water. Using a syringe, squirt about 0.5 mL into the mouth of each aiptasia. This will kill even the stubborn foot tissue.

I initially used kalk paste like pies, by found that the success rate wasn't that great. Sodium Hydroxide is much more soluble than Calcium Hydroxide, and is more alkaline, completely nuking the aiptasia.

Again don't dose too much at one time. It is not harmful to your reef, unless you directly squirt it onto corals. Just a warning that Sodium Hydroxide will cause sever chemical burns if handled, you can tell if you have it on your hands 'cause they will feel "soapy" and slippery. If you feel your hands becoming slippery, wash with a LOT of cold water. Preferably wear gloves when handling.

As dangerous as the chemical sounds, it is really quite safe for your reef.

It's great to see some different people on this board too, from what I hear, the hobby is really starting to grow. draino is surprisingly pure sodium hydroxide, and is really no more dangerous to your tank than calcium hydroxide (kalk). Any tank with a reasonable alkalinity (greater than 2.6) should have no problems adding it. The hydroxide ion reacts relativly quickly with dissolved carbon dioxide producing, there are also other mechanisms for the neutralisation of the free hydroxide. Which reaction is most significant is determined by the pH.

2(OH)- + 2CO2 ---> H20 + 2(CO3)2-

The only difference between this and the kalk method is the spectator ion (Ca2+ as opposed to Na+).
Kalk will do the same thing to your hand as sodium hydroxide, at a much much slower rate.

If anything this method is easier on the fish, I had problems with fish eating, or trying to eat the white kalk paste. I for one wouldn't like a mouth full of kalk. The sodium hydroxide method is much safer in that it is completely soluble, such that any solution which doesn't make it into the aiptasia, is quikly netralised by surrounding water by the above reaction, and no solid remains to be eaten by fish.