Aptasia okay in a clown and RBTA-only tank?

[AliKat]

I see a lot of posts saying to kill Aptasia (spelling?). I woke up this morning to find my RBTA's rock with 4 or 5 Aptasia on it. It's in my RBTA and clowns only tank. Do I still need to kill it? If so, how do I do it? I can't get the rock out because it's the RBTA's rock.

 

[tpdpercula]

You don't have to kill them but, they will eventually take over your WHOLE tank. I've tried everything from kalk paste to boiling water. The best result I had with eliminating them was purchasing about a dozen peppermint shrimp and a copperbanded butterfly. Needless to say I have been Aptasia free for almost 6 months now and could not be happier.

 

[AliKat]

Would peppermint shrimp survive in a tank that's only 14 gallons and a month old? The clowns and RBTA are doing well, but I've always had trouble keeping shrimp for some reason (in my bigger tanks).

 

[Bmgrocks]

i don't see why not.. your shrimp should be fine, keep an eye out for them, check for copper or too high levels of iodine

Keep ontop of that tank, being 14 gallons, keep an eye out on that water quality and overall tanks stability.

i assume its a biocube 14, intrested in getting one, what is the lighting?

 

[John&Lynn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10947296#post10947296 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tpdpercula
You don't have to kill them but, they will eventually take over your WHOLE tank. I've tried everything from kalk paste to boiling water. The best result I had with eliminating them was purchasing about a dozen peppermint shrimp and a copperbanded butterfly. Needless to say I have been Aptasia free for almost 6 months now and could not be happier.

Joe's Juice is excellent for killing aiptasia. Very easy to use.

 

[traveller7]

Unless it is a fish only tank, it is going to be best getting rid of the aiptasia. Shrimp and anemones are not a great long term mix, would skip that avenue and go with some kalk paste or Joe's Juice.

Good luck.

 

[phender]

My BTA/Clown tank has more aptasia than I would like. I find that a healthy BTA will keep the area around it clear of aptasia.

They seemed to have reached a stalemate and the aptasia have failed to reach "plague" proportions. I have no proof, but I think my little flameback angel helps keep the aptasia in check as well.

This is a 20 gal tank.

 

[Raynman]

If you go the peppermint shrimp route, make sure they ARE peppermints, people will sell a twin and call them peppermints. They (peppermints) work very well for aptasia removal and usually stay hid in the rock until feeding time, they breed and supply fish with naupli, and are long lived. Make sure you get peppermints and not the one that looks like them.

 

[tpdpercula]

I believe Raynman is talking about the camel shrimp, which are sometimes sold as Peppermints. The only downside of using Joe's Juice or Kalk paste for that matter is your system is small and any kind of chemical additive will affect your CA and Alk. Just be cautious when using chemicals in a smaller volume of water. Just my 2 cents.