Aptasia Control

[splurge619]

For some reason I have a large amount of aphasia. I have Aptasia X and works great but they keep coming back a few weeks after. I tried a peppermint shrimp but that has disappeared and haven't seen that little guy for a few months. I have a 29 gallon reef with 2 clowns and a purple orchid dotyback.

Any other recommendations on killing aptasia? I was told emerald crabs but I have only seen them eat hair algae.

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[LobsterOfJustice]

Aiptasia eating filefish would be a good choice.


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[wildman926]

Aiptasia eating filefish would be a good choice.

What he said, and that is what I do.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

My only Aiptasia is where my file fish can't go.

 

[jd371]

I can't use Nudis or Peppermint because of the fish I have in the tank. All the stuff I've used to inject only made them spread. I've had a Copperband for 3 years now and got him because I love the fish and eating aptasia would be a plus, but he doesn't. So my last hope was a Matted Filefish that I added last Friday. So far he's pecked at pods and my gorgonian and swims right past all the aptasia. Even Filefish can be hit or miss.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Instead of injecting have you tried kalk paste? I had a filefish that ate them, but also loved my rock flower anemones.

 

[wildman926]

I can't use Nudis or Peppermint because of the fish I have in the tank. All the stuff I've used to inject only made them spread. I've had a Copperband for 3 years now and got him because I love the fish and eating aptasia would be a plus, but he doesn't. So my last hope was a Matted Filefish that I added last Friday. So far he's pecked at pods and my gorgonian and swims right past all the aptasia. Even Filefish can be hit or miss.

Filefish take a week or so to get acclimated and then they go for it. That has been my experience.

 

[jd371]

Filefish take a week or so to get acclimated and then they go for it. That has been my experience.

I hope so. It will be a week tomorrow since I had the Filefish and he hasn't paid any mind towards the aptasia and swims right by them. He eats everything I feed my other fish. Lucky that he's only gone after a Gorgonian that he picks at from time to time and and acan that he was really munching on until I moved it to another tank, other than those two he has left everything else alone in my mixed reef.

 

[splurge619]

I just got an aptasia eating filefish maybe about a week ago. It eats my frozen brine shrimp but waiting to see when it will go after the aptasia.

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[wildman926]

Just give them some time. The ride it takes to get them from the ocean to your home takes a toll on them, or any fish for that matter.

 

[jd371]

Just give them some time. The ride it takes to get them from the ocean to your home takes a toll on them, or any fish for that matter.

I hope so, going on two weeks now and no sign of him eating any of the aptasia. He eats everything I feed my other fish (live black worms, reef frenzy, mysis and brine shrimp) but besides an acan that I moved to another tank hasn't touched any other corals so he'll stay. I'm calling him Deadbeat.

 

[wildman926]

I hope so, going on two weeks now and no sign of him eating any of the aptasia. He eats everything I feed my other fish (live black worms, reef frenzy, mysis and brine shrimp) but besides an acan that I moved to another tank hasn't touched any other corals so he'll stay. I'm calling him Deadbeat.

Why would he want to eat anything other than what you provide with that menu? Feed every other day, go to flake food, something not so appealing. Then he will start to do his job.

 

[Sounds Fishy]

I have purchased a filefish recently and found that it was not eating the aptasia in my aquarium at an acceptable rate.I suppose he was feeding on it because it wasn't being fed anything else.I never saw it pick at anything and the aptasia got more out of control.I since added a small Racoon butterfly fish and I had immediate results.The Racoon butterfly and filefish tend to hang out together and the filefish seems to be picking at the aptasia more noticeably

 

[saphosbro]

I use a 445 5mW laser I bought on ebay and it works amazing on Aptasia. It also works great on vermetid snails. Obviously you have to use with caution but I have had very good success with the laser.

 

[hottuna]

I use a 445 5mW laser I bought on ebay and it works amazing on Aptasia. It also works great on vermetid snails. Obviously you have to use with caution but I have had very good success with the laser.

Can you shine it THROUGH the glass or does it need to be top down through the surface water ?

 

[saphosbro]

Can you shine it THROUGH the glass or does it need to be top down through the surface water ?

I shine through the glass all the time no issues. Also both glass and acrylic are fine (it did not melt the acrylic tank)

 

[hottuna]

if u have time...maybe you can detail how you use it and for how long,etc, thanks

 

[EnderG60]

Things I have tied....

Injecting with lemon juice - Makes them small for a day or two.

Injecting with boiling water - angers them off and does nothing really since the water cools before you can inject them.

Aptasia eating file fish - May work for others but not for me. They didnt do any visible damage to any aptasia in my tank, but they did eat all my xenia and started going after leathers and feather dusters.

Pepermint shrimp - I put 20 in my 300g, they dont go after big ones. After a kalk paste treatment they are able to keep the population down but not totally kill them all.

3 watt laser - most satisfying since you hear them sizzle. but Does not actually kill them totally and it usually takes a full battery charge to kill each one. Not worth the money. Oh and safety is a BIG deal. the reflection off the glass is enough to burn walls and cloth.

Cover them with epoxy - works 50/50, they usually find a different way through the rock past the epoxy.

Aptasia-X - angers them off for up to 2 weeks. (basically just kalk paste watered down, waste of money)

50/50 water and kalk mixed to a pasted and then cover them with it with the pumps off for 3 hours. - Melts them down to the base but they grow back. This has to be done every 4-8 weeks.

50/50 paste and cover it with epoxy - This works the best, but some still make it out.

I ended up doing a paste and epoxy treatment every 2 months along with 20 peppermint shrimp and then using the laser to get small ones in hard to reach places. Took about 2 hours for each treatment. It sucked but it kept them at bay.

Since Im currently moving tanks Im doing the only sure fire way to get them all. Nuke every last rock in the tank and trim all corals and QT them before they go back in.

Dont delude yourself into thinking there is any actual cure aside from nuking the tank. Once you have more than one, you are done for. Best you can hope for is population control.