Aiptasia removal

[Shnabbles]

In a couple months we will be moving into our new home where i plan on building a much larger inwall system. I only have a 55 gallon tank now and as of the past couple months it has started breaking out in Aiptasia..

I do not want to put Aiptasia into the new system is there a way of "cooking" or recycling the 50+ lbs of live rock i have now so that it will kill off all the aiptasia?

Also how does aiptasia spread, does it drop babies, or is it a liquid they give off that eventually just grows more aiptasia through out the tank.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

i dont know of any ways to "restart" the rock w/out killing everything in it, but there are a couple things you can do to get rid of the aptasia.

First, and what i suggest because it worked for me...a peppermint shrimp. I added a smallish one and a couple days later i cant find any aptasia. I never see the shrimp, but he did his job, so i'm not to worried about that (plus i think they're kinda ugly anyways lol)

The other thing that i've heard people say is to inject them. I'm thinkin you inject them w/a "kalk paste"...whatever that be i'll let someone else fill you in on the injecting because i've never done it.

 

[ADA33]

I just finished enjected my Aptasia with Vinegar and it worked out great.

 

[TangWhispr]

Joe's Juice works well, my girlfriend looks for them...and I give em a lil shot and they are gone.

 

[nmprisons]

joe's Juice ... these guys are 99% water and the high alkalinity solution just wrecks them.

 

[Ehgemus]

shot hot r/o water on them. works great and safe.

 

[Shnabbles]

done all of the above they continue to come back... you can never get them all becuase some are inside the rocks, and on the back sides of rocks, they are all over the place.

Once they spread they are like herpes.... you will always have them.

 

[Ehgemus]

I shot three with hot water in my 46g tank and they never came back, there is only one in my tank that I know about.
but if you are overrun with them that might be a different story. good luck!

 

[nano10]

Copperband, they always do the job and once they are gone they won't come back.

 

[Sydney Stahl]

I am in the process of recycling my live rock. I had a massive outbreak as a result of getting a "great deal" on some live rock which turned out to be infested with aptasia.

I pulled each piece out and shot each aptasia with kalk. Most everything on the rocks has died off and no sign of aptasia, but it'll take at least a month before I can begin introducing the rock back into my tank.

Other method I have heard of is microwaving the rock. That will kill everything on and in the rocks, so no fear of aptasia, but you will be starting from scratch to reseed your rocks and make them live again. HTH