Getting rid of aiptasia?

C

crypul

New member
It started with one... I blasted it with boiling RO water and didn't see it again so I thought that was the end. Last night I noticed 9 or 10 babies in different crevices of a big rock in my tank. What's the best way to get rid of them?

Removing the rock is not an option and there are corals growing on it so I want to be careful not to harm anything other than the aiptasia.

TIA....
 
I hade a few of these and some corn anemonees too. I used Kalkwasser powder mixed with RO water. I used the plastic measurer (it is used to measure .5ml water) that came with one of the test kits. Put it right up to its mouth and slowly feed the kalk mix. It closes up around the tip and bingo! I've got ya. Keep going till its empty.

Now be warned doing this in the tank can get calk everywhere. IT tends to float around. Here is some tips:

1. Shut off the flow. LAst thing ypu need is water flow pushing the kalk over to your corals.

2. Be ready with airline tubing. I create a syphin with the tubing to suckup the peices of kalk that float away. This can take awhile. It does make a mess.

3. Be ready with some fresh salt water to replace the water you syphon off.

4. rinse-repeat. If you got them you will get them again. Thats why they are the pest that they are. Have fun - You didn't think that keeping a salt water tank was going to be easy!


Its cheap. Its messy. Its fun You get to nuke em.
 
I got some Peppermints from Reef's Edge a couple of weeks ago. I watched them eat before getting them so I knew they would/did eat aiptasia. I had 20 or so aiptasias in my RSM and after a couple of days I noticed they were all gone! The key was to verify they were eating aiptasia before I bought them. I've used Joe's Juice and it does work but only for the ones you can see and get to.
 
Same here Peppermints do a great job, and don't have the potential to be a pain in the butt like Roggers famous Copper
Band Butterfly fish.

BTW hows the tank going????
 
Ok, I will have to call Reef's edge to see if they still have. I have a 2 peppermints already but they aren't earning their keep! : )

The tank is doing great. I will have to post some current pics tonight after work. This one is 2 months old and we have added a bit. The anemone floating to the left side in this picture didn't make it... Floated around but never attached to anything. Oh well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11089233#post11089233 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rogger Castells
I am a big believer of Copper band butterfly fish, aptasia is on their menu, the only problem is to feed them afterwards
Click to expand...

I spent over $150 on peppermint shrimp and they never ate any aptasia. I spent $30 on a copper band butterfly fish and they all vanished in days.

I have a 75g tank and had THOUSANDS OF THEM. Literally I could see more aptasia then live rock.

I mixed mysis shrimp with live brine to get the butterfly to eat frozen food, I slowly took away the live food and it eats.

My .02

hth

-Matthew
 
Ok. LAST TIME. Sorry guys! Bandwidth restrictions on the other site...

IMG_9273-3.jpg
 
Ok, I will try the Butterfly if the shrimp fail. I really don't have tooo many so hopfully the aiptasia crazy peppermints will work. I'm not buying them unless I see them eat though!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11089233#post11089233 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rogger Castells
I am a big believer of Copper band butterfly fish, aptasia is on their menu, the only problem is to feed them afterwards
Click to expand...

I never had any aiptasia, but I got a Copperband to help with Spaghetti worms in the sand and LR. Mine still picks at the sand and rocks, but also nibbles at frozen mysis and live brine shrimp.
 
I would love to check it out in person one day.
You have done an awesome job. The colors are just
spectacular. Thanks for the updated pic...
 
Mel, you are welcome to come by whenever you are in the area. Shoot me a pm and I will give you our number.

I really like the Sureflows. Night and day assembly process from the MaxiMods. There is almost too much flow. I had to move them around the tank to find a spot were they didn't make sand dunes.
 
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