Aiptasia issue

[Ctepfenhart]

I have hundreds of aiptasia. They are taking over my tank! I have put 6 peppermint shrimp in my tank and they don't touch it. I've tried every product I could find with no luck!! I even tried using an insulin needle and injecting with lemon juice! I think I may have been feeding too much but I cut back to feeding one a day. Please help

 

[mike_cmu04]

silver scats to eat the small ones and joes juice to kill the large ones. That is the combo that worked for me.

 

[MAVX]

Are you sure they were true peppermints?

 

[SushiGirl]

Not all peppermints will eat aiptasia. I've only ever had one in more than a dozen over the years that would.

I had a filefish that took care of all of them in one of my tanks 10 years ago. There's a risk they'll eat coral polyps, though.

 

[T Diddy]

just get some berghia nudibranches and call it a day. With an infestation like that, you wouldn't ever be able to eradicate all of them even with fish. It is quite possible that the berghias won't finish them off even up to their eventual starvation. Once all the berghias have died/ been traded off, then spot treat any outliers with previously mentioned chemical methods or some kalk paste.

HTH

 

[Fastcroc]

Redseas aptasia x worked for me.

 

[belljim]

Aptasia

Aptasia

I must be sick cuz I love blasting aptasia with aptasia x. I had a big outbreak and w daily shots of x I have virtually wiped them out.

 

[straycat]

I had the same problem, hundreds of Aptasia of all sizes in a 90gal. 24" tank. Sounds simple to just shoot the juice to them but in reality kinda hard in an established tank where they are everywhere including under and behind LR. I tried it all also, nothing worked, to far overgrown. Thought about just tearing the tank down giving up or starting completely over that's how bad it was. One day I seen an add for the Berghia, bought 12 and they just disappeared into the abyss. Got up in the middle of the night just to check on them and I did see a few eating the smaller "weeds", my only hope would be they keep multiplying and rid my tank of the pests. This was not the case. Here's what worked for me, I turned off all lighting and quit feeding for about 2-3 months. I personally watched my Chocolate Star Fish devour most of the Aptasia out of hunger I guess. Fast forward I have been running my MH & T5 system 4-6 hr's a day now for 2 months and I see no sign of the "weeds", all my fish lived (didn't loose one). Yes you will loose most Corals, SPS, etc. but I didn't have to tear down the tank and start completely over. There is no easy way when they get out of hand................

 

[scubakid3]

I have found that Aptasia X works best. Depending on the size of your tank, you could get a Copperband Butterflyfish. They will get rid of the Aptasias as well.

 

[fredy free]

Red Sea Aiptasia-X Treatment Kit worked great in two of my tanks all Aiptasia killed after two treatments, a third tank I have treated Aiptasia numerous times, its down to six Aiptasia and I treated it again today every time I get one or two less after three weeks when they come back. Don't know why worked on two out of three tanks, treated all the same. :uzi:

 

[tyler22]

Have you tried a copper band butterfly? Mine has almost completely eradicated a population of about 40 or so aptasia in only a month or so

 

[burnah]

bristletail filefish. worked great for me, but might eat zoas. other than that, peppermints but as long as they find other food they might not eat the aiptasias...

 

[dartier]

I am struggling with the same issue as we speak. Hundreds on Aiptasia on some second hand LR in a 125G.

What I did was to add 6 true peppermint shrimp and then every weekend I launch an assault with DIY Kalk paste. The big ones usually survive and grow back over the week, but the medium ones are often killed outright by the kalk.

What I have noticed is that the peppermints are quick to converge on the wounded aiptasia to feast on the dieing beasts when the lights go out.

With only six shrimp there are too many aiptasia to go around, but in the near future I hope to have them knocked down to the point where the shrimp can start to knock them down on their own.

I would launch more than 1 salvo per week, but taking my lights and covers down is such a pain. Also when each foray can involve 20 - 30 Aiptasia I am mindful of the biologic load I am adding to the tank from the dead bits.

Dennis

 

[implac]

I've had luck with Aiptasia-X if I get the end of the syringe down into the oral disc opening and literally fill the little beasties up. If I just let the aiptasia pull the product in themselves they seem to regenerate after a few days, especially if they are situated on a vertical face or slight overhang, allowing the product to slide off.

 

[_shorty_]

FYI - I did get needles from the pharmacy.. quite a while back. Dude gave me a wierd look paused for a moment - but then submitted and sold them to me. I don't THINK I look like a heroin adict. No offense to those of you who might be...

I tried that a while back - and lemon juice particles kept clogging up the needle. I gave up on that, and used aptasia-X. It worked great. During my last use of aptasia-X the bottle spilled over. So - without it, several have grown back...

Without any LFS around me that carries it - I got fed up, pulled out the ol' needles and tried the lemon juice again. This time, I folded up a paper towel over a small bowl and filtered the pulp out of the lemon juice... Rang out the paper towel into the bowl - and it worked great. I probably won't spend the time on the aptasia-X any more - however you might be more likely to get the little guys to eat the ap-X rather than poking them and injecting them with a needle - especially if they can pull into a hole in rock.

 

[sunilp]

I used one peppermint shrimp and it wiped my entire aptasia population out. I have a 175 gallon tank. I have no idea where the peppermint is at now.

 

[Backline13]

I would say Peppermint shrimp would be your cheepest bet buy them till you get ones that eat, when you do you will wake up with a clean tank free of any Aptasia I used three to clean a 75 and was amazed how well and fast they worked, you may have to buy a few and try them but will work in the end, good luck.

 

[Tinpanva]

I took a more aggressive approach, i pulled out my rock and fired up my propane torch and baked da bastids. Guarantee not to return. I lost a little of the life on the rock and caused a mini diatoms bloom, but i feel it was worth it.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[victor escobar]

For me the best to get ridd off aiptasia was to introduce a Acreichthys tomentosus in the tank, it works very well it takes it time but works. With the big aiptasia I testroy them phisically and the fish eat the left overs

 

[sullyg]

Copperband Butterflyfish