Does peppermint shrimp take care of aiptasia?

[Foogoo]

I've heard success stories as well as stories the shrimp didn't go near them. Should I get a few or is there something else more effective?

Don't say kalk, I've kalk'ed them more than once and they come back, and they are all over the place too.

 

[mc-cro]

Have you tried injecting them with a hypo needle and boiling vinegar? works every time.

as for the shrimp, some do, some dont, but they all pick at your other corals and steal food; plus you ever try to get a peppermint out of a fully stocked reef tank?

I prefer the needle.

 

[Carman34L]

I have a 58g and had a rock covered with them, i tried every chemical to get rid of them and didn't. Bought a few Pepp. shrimp and I have not seen a aiptasia since. They worked great for me.

 

[Lev F.]

They'll take care of your aiptasia alright. They'll also take care of your polyps and feather dusters and bristle worms.

 

[carlisimo1969]

I'm started fighting back with the hypo and vinegar method last weekend...It seems to be working...my 'jab and plunge' technique is improving. But it has definitely killed several. I haven't tried boiling the vinegar...I will on my next attempt tonight. The bigger one's are easier due to a big target, but smaller ones and those located in hard to reach places are a major challenge. I also tried peppermint shrimp, but they ended up in my basement refuge...which may be ok now that I read of the other damage they can inflict.

 

[mc-cro]

The boiling vinegar in a shot glass works great for the smaller ones. Even when they shoot back into their little crack in the rock, inject that crack with boiling vinegar, it WILL get them. But be forwarned, you may kill other stuff within a small area of that rock.
I have seen bristleworms, pods, and other stuff come out of that crack as well as the aptasia. But it is a very small amount of critters, food really for other stuff. And the aptasia is definately gone.

 

[carlisimo1969]

I can't wait to try the boiling vinegar tonight!

DIE AIPTASIA SCUM!!!!!!! DIE!!!!

(My wife did wonder what I was doing with a hypo..."No honey, I'm not a heroin addict...you know I can't afford that AND my reef tank.")

 

[reefpod]

The shrimp do well. But some go after it and some don't. I have never heard of them picking at corals.

 

[Spartan]

IMO, the peppermint shrimp are the way to go. My feather dusters and zoos were untouched by them, and quite quickly my shrimp become trained to climb to the top of the tank to catch pieces of food at feeding time. It's pretty difficult to get a total result with hand injections unless you do it repeatedly and diligently, and even then...

 

[kbmdale]

my experience has been yes they will eat aptisia. You have to be sure its a peppy though, some LFS will pass off camel shrimp as peppys. Now be warned mine chomps on the small white feather dusters that grow in your tank. I have a hawian feather duster that he has never messed with. As far as picking at polyps and other corals, mine never has. Also they will not eat really big aptisia.

 

[cone9]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328794&highlight=peppermint+shrimp

 

[pontiac]

peppermints work great for me, wiped out all of my aiptasia.

 

[bhdmc]

Joe's Juice requires no injection. You just feed it to the Aiptasia anemone. The problems with Joe's Juice is if you cannot see it, you cannot kill it. I have never use pepperment shrimps so I will not make any comments.

 

[Lev F.]

I have seen peppermints dismante a GSP colony and some Xenia stalks. Not the camel shrimps, actual peppermints. It might differ between each shrimp though, I've seen them behave in a reef.

 

[tibbs2]

There are two species of peppermints. One that eat apatsia and one that doesn't.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/hopkins_redfield.html

 

[Foogoo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6438140#post6438140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bhdmc
Joe's Juice requires no injection. You just feed it to the Aiptasia anemone. The problems with Joe's Juice is if you cannot see it, you cannot kill it. I have never use pepperment shrimps so I will not make any comments.

Have you had any luck with Joe's Juice? Kalk is supposed to be the magic killer too but I can't believe how some of them came back after a week when I fed it a big hunk of kalk...

 

[tibbs2]

I have many many aptasia. I haven't found a solution yet for my situation. I've tried a high concentrate limewater solution which kills some but many recover and come back. I've tried peppermint shrimp with no luck whatsoever. I then tried Berghia nudibranchs which I only saw once after putting them in my tank (I think my shrimp ate them). I think I may try peppermint shrimp again but I'll try and find the correct species that supposedly eats aptasia. I have tried boiling water but that doesn't work at all. I may give vinegar a try but with the amount of aptasia I have I don't want to shoot that much vinegar in my tank.

 

[SunnyX]

I had an out break of aptasia is my tank and found the only soloution was a Copperband Butterfly fish. This guy went after them without mercy. I had a couple that were at least 3 in across and he just wiped them out, one arm at a time. I have 7 Peppermint Shrimp and they never did a thing. Try the Copperband or feed them kalk.

2 tbls water
1 tps Kalk

Microwave for 30 seconds.

 

[mc-cro]

tibbs2, what kind of issues did you have with the boiling water to
say that it didnt work at all? IME it is the only thing I have ever had that was 100% effective. for the record, I usually use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water if Im doing several injections around the tank.

But, how can injecting a needle down the mouth of an anenome and filling it full of boiling water, cooking it from the inside out, in a matter of seconds, and disentgrating it, not be effective?

 

[corals b 4 bills]

Joes Juice is the best, Period! They die right before your eyes! I had purchased some live rock that had some on it, and had got out of control. Within three nights of aptaisia feeding the were gone!