aptasia trouble

daddycadi

Member
im loosing the battle!! my tank is getting overrun with these bastards. ive tried lemon juice, aptasia x, with minimal results and my peppermints arent interested. i need some good advice from the been there done that people on what will actually work to get rid of these things
 
you have a few options,

copperbanded butterfly's are hit or miss kinda like pepermint shrimp..but they are also known as a somewhat difficult fish to keep happy. I havent tried this method yet but many others have done it with success though they sometimes turn to eating zoanthids as well

Berghia nudi's is another natural option. been breeding these lately and some that got them from me have had great success (with patience) and i have yet to put any in my tank though ill probalby be doing that soon. they go online for too much money 15 plus shipping each and dependin on teh size of the tank and how spread out the aiptasia are, what fish...they are no gauruntee but the ones i have in my breeder set up eat anywhere from 1-6 aiptasia a day non stop.

ive heard really good things about zap-tasia which is like kalk/joe's/aiptasia-x but have not first hand experience again...ive seen it in a friends tank its its more like coating them with superglue gel so it stays with them much better...i know roozen (dc area) sells it and a few others online..i think glass box designs did a write up on it as well

Manual removal is the last effore. just need to make sure you get every bit of the aiptasia off the rock or it will grow back.
ive heard other boil rocks but that would just staank.

good luck. i know the feeling of frustration it brings, my tank is basically a ton of sps, zoanthids, and majority aiptasia.
 
I would try a small butterfly like a klein's. Like most things in the salt water world they can be hit or miss if they take to corals. In general they are easier to care for than a copperband IMO. Can you take out or frag any of your corals? just in case they take to your corals. I placed a small raccoon butterfly in my tank and it took about a week for them to be gone. never came back. Good luck.
 
I too have the same problem. I have tried every method out there. My LFS sold me Crystal Clear Aquatics Zap-Tasia and finally something works! Its sold in syringes, is a thick goo, you stick it right down the mouth of the aptasia and fill him up (very satisfying). With what spills out I coat his tentacles. This stuff works. On some you have to give a couple treatments but finally something works. I have a mixed reef and I do it right in the tank - it is reef safe. I just make sure I only do couple at a time maybe once a week or more. Most of the goo stays in the aptasia and if any spits out I suck it up with my turkey baster. It seems to have had no effect on my corals and my very sensitive skimmer does not respond at all. Its an all natural, non toxic gel they say also kills other nusiance anenomes and polyps too. Good luck in the battle!
 
If you can take out your LPS and soft or shell less inverts and put them in a seperate tank, hypo always works, they will pop. I did mine over a year ago and haven't had anything since. It really depends on how far you are willing to go I guess, alot of people I am sure will disagree on this method but it works.
 
I am with Ade on this after getting a system with about a thousand majanos, the only real options for an over run tank is to either dry the rock out and start all over, or get a butterfly that is known for aptasia removal. I used a true falcula for the majanos and after a few months they were all gone and then I had to get rid of the fish. Most likely if you find a fish that will remove the aptasia it will probably like eating your corals as well. Just research aptasia removal with butterfly fish and I am sure you will get a variety to chose from.
 
If you have several severely infested rocks, you an bring them over and my copperband will clean them for you in under an hour.
 
just an update in case anyone cares..... i got a product called aiptasia stop from foster and smith. it actually seems to be working. makes your tank smell like **** for a day or so but its worth it! im sure im celebrating prematurely but ive gone from a couple hundred to one here and there! woo hoo
 

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