Aptasia killing me

troythegreat

New member
hello all, i have a 75G reef and its currently being overrun with aptasia. I have a very good natural filtration system so i feed my coral and fish alot. therefore the aptasia are thriving.

Anyways my question is, i live in Trinidad (caribbean). Does anyone know if there is some kind of local aptasia predator besides peppermints that are local to caribbean waters?....something like a berghia...(not sure where they collect berghia)


Regards
 
Can you get kalkwasser (pickling lime) just mix it up into a paste and drench the little suckers with it. You have to be very diligent and do it every single day until they are all gone. Don't forget to turn off your pumps while your doing it either for about 15 minutes.

Otherwise, you could get a copperbanded butterfly fish, but they don't have very much success in captivity.
 
I Use Aiptasia X, and have heard of people using Joe's Juice.

Aiptasia X is reef safe and easy to use. Give it a shot.. It eats the stuff and it just dies and dissapears. I no longer have Aiptasia at all...
 
Yeah im using Aptasia X right now, but for some reason they keep coming back, and they are soem big ones behind the rock that keep releasing spores...:(
 
Try a copperband butterfly, I use to have a problem until I bought one and haven't seen aptasia since.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15476387#post15476387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kreator
Try a copperband butterfly, I use to have a problem until I bought one and haven't seen aptasia since.

How long did it take before the copperband starting eating Aiptasia?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15481620#post15481620 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ryshark
How long did it take before the copperband starting eating Aiptasia?

+1 for CBB. I got one about a month ago and it took about 2 weeks before it started eating aiptasia. I have heard many reports of CBB being a difficult fish to get to eat, but I guess I lucked out, I asked my LFS to feed it and it took frozen brine shrimp. I got it home and it took frozen brine right away. With all this being said I would try a couple peppermints first however as they are less of a gamble.
 
You just have to get really obsessed with it. Every single day your going to want to zap every one you see. If you miss one and catch it later, well do it again. Its the only way to get rid of all of them. Although I will admit, I have been extremely diligent and every other day I still see one I missed here or there.

You really should go to the grocery store and get some pickling lime and mix it up with RO water to make your Aiptasia Killer. Its sooooo much cheaper and you could make about 1000 bottles of Aiptasia X with one box of pickling lime for about $4. Its the exact same thing and i've actually had more luck with it.
 
I use a propane torch it not only doesn't let them melt off and reattach other places like with Kalk solutions it gives me an evil smile as I cremate them ... works better than all the rest of the methods, and doesn't kill the attached corals.... now with crabs I use an electrode and my welder....
 
Peppermint shrimp have always worked for me. I went on vacation and when I came back my sump had about 40 (that I could see) aiptasia all along the rocks and glass. I threw in two peppermint shrimps and the very next morning they were all gone. Same goes for my 80 gal display.
 
I like your idea of using natural means, but in your case I think you need something more aggressive to get control. After you get control of the situation, then go for something natural.

The peps seem to only go after the smaller ones, and that's probably why they're taking over your tank. Copperband butterfly works, too, but not as reliable and not a good survival rate in captivity. Whatever you add as a natural predator, make sure it will thrive and not just survive in your tank.

I have used kalk paste, lemon juice, Joe's Juice, and Aiptasia-X. I like the Aiptasia-X the best for ease of use and the fact it doesn't mess with pH.

Good luck!

- Sunny
 
buy a syringe and inject them directly with a strong concentration of Kalk water. it works every time for me and is incredibly easy. i wouldn't buy a fish to fix it unless you really want the fish in the first place.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15514608#post15514608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sunnyday
Whatever you add as a natural predator, make sure it will thrive and not just survive in your tank.

- Sunny

I agree 100%, after the Apt is gone I will feed the peps chopped silversides, they love them! Anyway, peps seems to thrive in captivity as long as you keep them fed of course!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15516413#post15516413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SirVilhelm
I agree 100%, after the Apt is gone I will feed the peps chopped silversides, they love them! Anyway, peps seems to thrive in captivity as long as you keep them fed of course!

Peps do need to be fed once the aiptasia are gone. I learned that the hard way when they started munching on my zoas!
 
Try placing an elegance coral to where the tentacle can sting the apt. It worked for me. I also use the Blue Life Aptasia control.
 
Last choice

Last choice

After you try all of the above suggestions, and find you still have an infestation of aiptasia (like I did), then try to purchase a pair of Berghia nudibranchs. Not sure if they export, but they can be obtained from http://www.saltyunderground.com/

I spent hundreds of $$$ for Joe's Juice and Aiptasia-X. I screwed up several tanks with kalk paste injections. The aiptasia just came back, madder than ever.

After starting a Berghia colony, I wiped out every Aip in a 180G reef in two weeks, and now clean aip off other reefer's LR in a large sump I maintain just for that purpose.

They are amazing creatures, and breed like rabbits if there are no predators (like wrasses) in the tank.

LL
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15514608#post15514608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sunnyday
Copperband butterfly works, too, but not as reliable and not a good survival rate in captivity. Whatever you add as a natural predator, make sure it will thrive and not just survive in your tank.


CBB's are tough enough to feed. I do not recommend them as a solution to this prob.
 
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