Aiptasia Question

[Pmoss]

Copperband butterfly worked wonders for a friend, tank was totally free of them in several days

 

[margaritaville]

in MY opinion only, i would use peppermint shrimp, they are cheap and they do the trick . when i was new at the hobby i bought live rock with them thinking they were really cool but then found out they kill corals the hard way, i put two peppermint shrimp in my tank and within two weeks they were gone. the only thing i didnt like about them was that they would steal food when i would spot feed

 

[pakirri]

If no acans then get peppermin shrimps

 

[discocarp]

(double post)

 

[discocarp]

Honestly though, they aren't all that bad as people make them out to be.

You've obviously never seen a tank completely overrun with them. They are enemy #1 in all my years of reef keeping. No other pest has given me more headaches over the years than aiptasia. They are common, resilient, prolific, and have a nasty sting. Do not take them lightly, or you'll have an aiptasia tank. Treat even a single one seriously and aggressively.

Also, they easily survive rock cooking. I speak with experience on that one.

 

[thebanker]

You've obviously never seen a tank completely overrun with them. They are enemy #1 in all my years of reef keeping. No other pest has given me more headaches over the years than aiptasia. They are common, resilient, prolific, and have a nasty sting. Do not take them lightly, or you'll have an aiptasia tank. Treat even a single one seriously and aggressively.

Also, they easily survive rock cooking. I speak with experience on that one.

Not true, I've been overrun with them. Thousands. A few huge ones too. But they were easily treated... One filefish to rule them all.

I'm getting a resurgence in them since I got rid of the filefish. I'll be getting some peppermint shrimp. I don't know, I just don't think they're that bad, compared with other pests. Rather have aiptasia than red bugs, acro eating flatworms, or bryopsis any day.

 

[discocarp]

I beat red bugs and bryopsis pretty easily. Haven't had the acro eating flatworms. Aiptasia though, as you say they come back. And back. And back. All treatments seem temporary, and some treatments make the problem worse when they trigger planula release.

 

[thebanker]

I have never had luck with the injections, like Aiptasia-X or Joes Juice, they always seem to turn into a game of whack-a-mole (whack-a-nemone?).

I really, really, REALLY want to get a 1-watt laser for aiptasia zapping. Not only is it geeky, but looks really fun to do. Now all I have to do is convince the wife to let us spend a few hundred bucks on another random reef gadget.

I should probably get that carpet steamer we need first :headwallblue:.

 

[lmsmith]

Not true, I've been overrun with them. Thousands. A few huge ones too. But they were easily treated... One filefish to rule them all.

I'm getting a resurgence in them since I got rid of the filefish. I'll be getting some peppermint shrimp. I don't know, I just don't think they're that bad, compared with other pests. Rather have aiptasia than red bugs, acro eating flatworms, or bryopsis any day.

Once I went to a not-so-LFS. They had a tank full of them that they were selling as polyps on rocks. They had no other corals, terrible output T8 lights, and one 'problem' damsel. One of them was easily 4 inches across. I had never seen one that big. They fed them whole shrimps on a weekly basis!

 

[IridescentLily]

peppermint shrimp.
i had 13 aiptasia. i tried everything.
it has tobe a TRUE peppermint shrimp, i got a link here for liveaquaria.com
in 48 hours he ate all 13. and they've never come back anywhere.

 

[thebanker]

I've heard that some peppermint shrimp are misidentified at the wholesale or LFS level for Rhynchocinetes durbanensis, which is not the correct shrimp.

 

[IridescentLily]

I've heard that some peppermint shrimp are misidentified at the wholesale or LFS level for Rhynchocinetes durbanensis, which is not the correct shrimp.

Yes, exactly.
I found a link to the type that was suggested, and i bought two.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+525+701&pcatid=701

 

[thebanker]

Personally I'm always confusing the two. I can't tell you how many other things, even simple household items I confuse with Rhynchocinetes durbanensis.

 

[IridescentLily]

Personally I'm always confusing the two. I can't tell you how many other things, even simple household items I confuse with Rhynchocinetes durbanensis.

:lmao:

 

[nynikki]

I have done this with great success on several different tank setups. Just be glad it is not mejano anemones. I have to battle that now with a new 1w laser!

I agree! I watched once at my LFS what happens to aiptasia when you put a rock covered with it into a tank filled with peppermint shrimp. They immediately attack the rock covering the entire thing in seconds. It was a little creepy to see it happen, but point taken. Put a few of those bad boys in the tank, and just sit back and wait.

 

[nynikki]

LOL! I really wasn't kidding! I kept some rock going in a dark bucket for months waiting to use it on a new tank...the aiptasia were clear, but very much alive! I also had a couple mushrooms that survived as clear little blobs of jelly...nearly dead, but did recover with light...this had to be at least 4 month in dark with just a powerhead and infrequent fw topoffs. They are tough!

BTW, I've also been the peppermint shrimp and aiptasia-eating nudibrach route, too. They all work to some extent, but, always, a couple months after the last aipt dissappears, they come back! None of the natural methods will 100% eliminate them...can't...or the nudibrachs would become extinct. They always leave enough viable aiptasia material for the aipts to come back. So...my best advice is to learn to live with them, just controlling them as needed. :bigeyes:

I've knowingly put rocks with aiptasia in my tank. I have 3 peppermint shrimp happily living in my 90g and I haven't seen an aiptasia since last summer when I put a rock covered with them into the tank. I don't know if they start to grow and the shrimp eat them, or if they are just completely gone. Either way, big red happy shrimp, and no aiptasia... I'm happy!

Another method I have used is Aiptasia-X or lemon juice in a syringe. This takes time and patience though, and you will need to diligently go back every few days and kill of the new ones as you find them. I prefer the lemon juice personally, lots cheaper for the same job.

 

[johandagentile]

I have an opportunity to take over a friend's tank. Actually, to take any and all of it's inhabitants.

The problem is, he has had Aiptasia for years. He's tried many ways to rid them from the tank without success. I would like to take on alot of the corals he has but would rather not start with a problem that so many people have.

What do you suggest? Take them or start from scratch?

take the tank with all the aptasia and buy urself an aptasia eating file fish and or a copperband butterfly. the filefish is easy to catch after it eats all ur aptasia and the copperband butterfly is beautiful!!!

 

[thebanker]

I have two peppermint shrimp. Hopefully they do the trick. Never tried these before but here goes nothing!

 

[mtcoins123]

never wreck a life form over aiptasia its a simple problem find a file fish (one will do) it will decimate the aiptasia i promise then you dont have to cook clean break or kill anything and i promise the file fish will do it and they are a very specific pest eating only fish great tank mate for everyone too

 

[mtcoins123]

and it will eat every bit of the aptasia i can atest to this i once had in excess of 500 aptasia in my 250 one file fish rubbed em out in a couple weeks and he is a fat happy fish now