Aiptasia!

[DJ Mike Fury]

Hey everyone - I have spotted two aiptasia in my 66G tank. I want to nip it quick before it gets out of control if it hasn't already. In case it helps, I have a pair of snowflake onyx clowns, pair of b&w clowns, blue eye tang, green mandarin and a mystery wrasse. I was thinking of going the natural way first by getting possibly 4 peppermint shrimp especially considering after reading that some may not pick at the aiptasia or if the wrasse may get an appetite for them. I feed the fish varied diet of frozen shrimp, cyclopese, dry pellets etc to make sure they're fed well/right. Hopefully, this will limit the wrasse's attempt to look for other food. Anyways, I wanted to know if this makes sense first. I personally don't have seringes so therefore injecting is out. I do have a turkey baster type feeder made by Kent that can at least direct it straight onto it, but I'm not sure how the chemical/lemon juice/vinegar needs to be applied. I just feel that the chemicals may do more harm them good. Knowing me, I'll probably end up killing more than what I intended to do. Let me know.. Thanks!

 

[countrykat]

Well I'm along for this one. I found a few pretty nice sized ones in my overflow yesterday afternoon. I didn't have a syringe so I had to go buy one. Had to go to a couple places before they would sell me one. " Hi, I would like to buy 1 syringe please. I have a pest in my reef tank and the only way to kill it is by injecting hot water." Then I got the look. Finally 2 ladies at walgreens said that was definitly original and sold me one. Anyway, I injected them with boiling hot water. They shriveled up, changed colors and looked very dead. Yes good job Jim. Then went to my boys football game and when I got home they were opened back up and looked like nothing ever happened.

 

[All6Fish]

I had the same experiance with hot water, except mine went away for about a week. Now I have SOOOOO many and am frustrated. I do not want to use chemicals unless theres no other sure fire methods.

 

[zoafarm]

I've tried the boiling water approach...worked about 40% of the time. The best way for me is kalk paste. I take about a Tsp of "Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime" (any Kalk product would work) and mix it with enough RO/DI water to make a medium to thick paste. Put the paste in a syringe, and squeeze a little out in the mouth of the aiptasia. It kills them fast.

Caveat: Don't treat too many at one time. Kalk can raise the PH in your tank. I normally only use a 1/4 of the mix or less at any given time. I would also turn off your pumps while you are applying the kalk in your tank.

 

[All6Fish]

any other ideas out here?

 

[Fizz71]

I had used Joe`s Juice which is basically Kalk but it only work for a few days or week or so before more were back in the same spot. Eventually I took the rock it was on out of the tank, relocated the coral that was on it and let the bastards dry out for a few months.

Unfortunately countrykat if they're on your overflow they're probably someplace else too because they don't just spontaneously appear in a system. I would probably razor blade them off a flat surface and keep let the area dry for a few days if you can, but there are probably more.

 

[DJ Mike Fury]

Not to sound stupid BUT what is Kalk? Is that an acronym for the mixture or something of lemon juice and ro/di water?

 

[All6Fish]

I have a ton and they are eveywhere, I cant really take the rock out we have a red anenome on it and I dont want to risk killing it. They are tough once footed in. I may be able to direct the wave maker at it and force it off on its own the dry the rock out.

 

[FNDsalt]

From what I have heard peppermint shrimps usually only go after the small aptasia. Just what I have read elsewhere on RC. Luckily haven't had to deal with them so far.

 

[All6Fish]

It almost appears to get rid of them you have to create another issue! then get rid of that issue !!! does the cycle stop?

 

[acabgd]

There is a reason why Stickies exist on top of this forum. Read here first:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=803632

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Not to sound stupid BUT what is Kalk? Is that an acronym for the mixture or something of lemon juice and ro/di water?

It's Kalkwasser. Also known as Lime Water or Calcium Hydroxide.

As for the original question, I tried the lemon juice thing and it didn't work, but Kalk did. I mixed up a thick slurry in a shot glass and injected the Aiptasia using a syringe.

You have to very slowly squirt a little towards it's mouth and it will almost freeze. Then you can jab it with the syringe and inject into the stalk. If you just try and stab it they seem to retract. I don't know if the initial squirt of Kalk stuns it or what, but that's what worked for me in the end.

 

[DJ Mike Fury]

I just spoke to a guy at a LFS over the phone. I wanted to get your opinion on this. He said I should try a Copperband Butterfly fish. Based on my original post on here, I'm not sure how compatible it may be with my other fish and not to mention the size of my tank may cause some crowding. The other option is some peppermint shrimp.

As far as syringes go, I have NO idea where I can get one w/o a perscription of any kind. They'll think I'm a drug addict or something lol I heard someone say CVS or Walgreens, but while searching the site, the best that came up was for a plastic oral one, no needle type.

I'm pretty confused which way to go now (natural/chemical), (copperband/peppermint shrimp/lime-lemon juice/joe's juice).

 

[All6Fish]

Plastic syringes work perfect, they come with various stuff at LFS. whats the size of your tank? I think copper band need 75 gal or more.....over crowding is bad all the way around...for the tank ....for the fish....and for your wallet. Stay away and get Pepermints. I would always becarful of LFS they may just want to sell you thing you do not need nor should have just to make a buck. I always research first ask here then buy.

 

[Pittsburgh]

How about Aiptasia-X or something similar? It comes with a syringe, two needles and the solution. Works every time.

If you have just a few aiptasia here and there, killing them manually isn't a big deal. But if you have way too many of them all over the tank, you gotta check and fix your water quality. While aiptasia likes MH lights, it also loves nutrients in the water. I used to have a major aiptasia problem when I started with this hobby. After fixing my nitrates issues and then blasting aiptasia with aiptasia-x for just a couple of weeks, it disappeared completely and never came back.

 

[All6Fish]

Did the X promote any other issues? skimmer issues? other fish issues?

 

[tjp1014]

I used Aiptasia-X on the big ones (took 3 times to kill it) but multiplied between the attempts to kill it. Got a Peppermint shrimp from my local LFS that was only fed Aiptasia. The shrimp did the trick and finished off the remaining within a few days.

 

[johnike]

I'm a great fan of Matted Filefish. Never seen a creature go after it like they do.

 

[zoafarm]

Peppermint shrimp is a good idea...but it can be hit and miss. Some peppermint shrimp won't touch them, but anytime I get live rock from someone, I always put it in a 10 gallon quarantine tank with 3 or 4 peppermint shrimp. They have been very effective at removing aiptasia. But in my DT, kalk paste has been the answer. I use a standard oral syringe that you can get at Walmart...I'm sure a needle would work. But I squeeze it right on the oral disk of the aiptasia. If it sucks back into a crack or hole, I fill the hole. It works most of the time...I may have to go back every once in a while and do it again.

 

[countrykat]

Just ordered some aiptasia x from BRS.