Aiptasia X or Peppermint shrimp?

dnguyen1

Will work for fish
Which route did you guys go?

I'm contemplated either and want to start ridding myself of two "smaller" aiptasias before they spread :)

Btw: aiptasia X is by RED SEA right? I just want to make sure I get the right thing.
 
If you only have a few to get rid of, use Kalk slurry/Aiptasia X. Just stay on top of it or it could get out of hand.

Oh yeah, you don't need to spend the money on Aiptasia X. Just mix 1-2 teaspoon of Kalkwasser in a cup of RO and let it sit for a few minutes until it gets thick. Apply it with a syringe and cover the entire aiptasia even after it retracts.
 
9 should be pretty easy to handle with a few applications of aiptasia x. IME more reliable than peppermints.
 
peppermint shrimp are a hit or miss they will either eat every single one or not touch any go with aiptasia X works great for me!
 
i have a yellow & blue eye tand & 2 clowns, & snails and a few crabs..can it be applyed in the dt tank or no?
 
I always prefer a natural method vs. introducing something foreign into my tank. And if you do get a good Aiptasia eating peppermint they will get alot of places you couldnt reach
 
I locate the aips take the rock out if I can quickly inject them all and have a 20cc syringe of tank water ready to rinse the rock quick then put it back in and it has never hurt anything doing it that way, with 60+ different types of coral in my tank im far too paranoid to ever put crap like that in my tank
 
I locate the aips take the rock out if I can quickly inject them all and have a 20cc syringe of tank water ready to rinse the rock quick then put it back in and it has never hurt anything doing it that way, with 60+ different types of coral in my tank im far too paranoid to ever put crap like that in my tank

so iject all the aptasia holes then inject all holes soon after with tank water is that correct?
 
First of all, you can use a kalk paste mix in place of aiptasiax.

Here is how you decide which way to go.

If the aiptasias are isolated and easily reachable by your syringe, use aiptasiax.

realistically, not all aiptasias are isolated, they can grow in the middle of a zoa colony for instance, you most certainly do not want to blast aptasiax into the aiptasia since you will get some major collateral damage, unless you do not care for the zoas.

In this case, you can use peppermint shrimp. for best result, take the rock or whatever the aiptasia is growning on out into a QT tank. Put your peppermint shrimp in the QT tank. It may take a while, like a week before the peppermint shrimp finds the aiptasia, but once it finds it, it will eat it clean without any collateral damage.

The least desirable of all cases is if the aiptasia is not easily reachable, and taking the rock out is not possible. In this case, if you add the peppermint shrimp in your DT, it may never find and eat the aiptasia because there are other food sources more readily available. This is where the hit and miss part comes in using peppermint shrimp.

they don't call aiptasias pests for nothing.
good luck.
 
Please dont kalkpaste. Every tank I have ever used kalkpaste they just multiplied even worse. Sure they disappeared for a couple weeks then BAM 20 more in its place...

IMO natural predators are the best route for aiptaisa.
 
Has anyone ever totally eradicated Aiptaisa with any or all of these methods? I have a feeling the answer is no, not totally, they always reappear eventually, at least that's been my experience. A happy medium is more realistic, that's why natural predators, in my opinion, are the way to go, they usually do a good job of thinning the herd. A few Aiptasia here & there won't hurt anything anyway, they are filter feeders as well. I vote for peppermint shrimp or Copperband Butterfly if you have enough Aiptasia to support one.
 
I tried aptasia x and it did kill them, but in there place came tons of tiny ones. Finally it got really bad so I put in 3 pep shrimp. I have absolutely zero aptasia now, but my colony of hammers (that I grew from 2 heads to 12 in a few months) fell victim to them and is completely dead now. So lose lose for me, but I have no more aptasia.
 
Two Words: Majano Wand :) aka Aiptasia Zapper... Check It Out.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0UI5hVdu6UY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I put two peppermint shrimp in my 37 gallon. Aiptasia was gone in just a few days. Completely gone. My problem now is that the peppermint shrimp are a pain in you know what. They steal food from my corals and even some of the more timid fish. I wish I could get the peppermints out.

Berghia nudibranch could be another option.
 
I would have to say peppermint shrimp. I just added one to my tank on Tuesday to help with a couple aptasia that have popped up and this morning when I woke up one of them is already gone. I'm sure not all peppermint shrimp work like that, but this one is doing it's job extremely well so far. As soon as it eats the other aptasia in my tank I'll probably take it back to the LFS.
 
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