Aptasia Nudi

[Prater]

Anyone have the aptasia eating nudibranc that they want to sell localy? I have some outbreak and would prefer the nudi over chemical extermination.

 

[captbunzo]

Gor a 75g tank, I bet you'd have more luck with a Pearlscale Butterfly. What do you think, Professor Z?

 

[pwhitby]

Ahhhh Steven old chap.

Want to borrow my pearlscale. Its death to aptasia. Heres the deal. Fish is free....so long as it comes back. Kill it....well we are talking.....took me a long time to train her.

what a sweet deal that is.

Prof Z.

 

[Prater]

I apreciate it paul, but i may pass at the moment. I dont really want to take a chance at killing a prized pet. I only have about 5 aptasia at the moment. I may look at purchasing a pearlscale, but sounds like it is pretty hard to keep them

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Why not inject them with a little limewater, Joe's Juice, or vinegar?

 

[captbunzo]

I think you should use battery acid. Wait, no, don't do that....

 

[Prater]

it was very difficlt to eradicate them with limewater last time I tried. I would like to go with a natural predator.

 

[pwhitby]

Hard? not at all.

Copperbands are a different kettle fo fish....so to speak.

 

[Matrexz]

Peppermint shrimp maybe??? Worked for me.

 

[Prater]

Just purchased a pearlscale from the Pet Place. Hopefully it will take care of the smller aptasia that is starting to surface.

 

[captbunzo]

Let us know how things go....

 

[Prater]

Acclimation is done and she seems to be enjoying the new tank. I fed flake and she had no problems eating. Lynn at the Pet Place told me she was eating flake and brine.

 

[Prater]

I will try to get a better pic later

 

[captbunzo]

Just to clarify, are you talking about enriched or gut-loaded brine, or perhaps baby brine? Adult, un-enriched brine are (nutritionally) nothing more then "shrimp shaped sacks of water". (Calfo quote)

 

[Prater]

I am not sure which brine she was feeding.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Paul, Enriched and Gut-Loaded are pretty much the same. Enriched is generally used for prepared Brine Shrimp. It's "gut loaded" before it is prepared (IE Frozen, Freeze Dried, Dehydrated, etc). Gut-Loaded is usually the term used to feed Brine Shrimp highly nutritious food to give to an animal of choice. But, those are just minor details. You definitely have it right. It would be like trying to raise a baby elephant on popcorn.

 

[captbunzo]

Yeah, I know that. I just always use both terms as you'll see both printed on packages. USUALLY you see the words "Enriched" on frozen stuff, as you are saying...

You can actually gut-load anything like that, it's just particularly important with foods like brine that are, on their own, nutritionally worthless.

You know, to go on with that tangent, I don't ever feed any sorts of brine as it. First of all, they aren't actually a saltwater food, which I think is relevant to some extent. And secondly, there are great alternatives, such as mysid and ocean plankton (don't know the specific species here). I also REALLY like a product sold by H2O Life, mini-mysis. They are, basically, just baby/juvenile mysis shrimp.

 

[scott0615]

You should do some further research...the mysis sold to our industry are freshwater shrimp lacking the fatty acids found in saltwater shrimp. I think that was the point you were trying to make with brine. One company does exist out of England that sells a mysis variety that is raised in saltwater. Brine shrimp are raised, like their name, in a brine solution...which is not truely saltwater. I have always fed "enriched" brine - whether it is spirulina or omega "enriched". Plankton will certainly be the best alternative as it is truely an ocean organism. Krill is another good choice because of the beta carotene found in that animal. It is readily used as a color enhancer in all foods [fresh or salt] beacause it will make the red coloration of the fish "boom".

 

[captbunzo]

Very interesting - I will have to check, but I am pretty certain that the mysis I buy specifically says saltwater mysis. Is there any chance that this is something that varies on a brand by brand basis?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

It might depend on the manufacturer as well. There are commercially available Mysid (Opposum) Shrimp. Heck, you can breed them yourself, if you have the floor space. But, regardless of the food source, a prepared food is inferior to any live, gut loaded food.