how much aptasia is too much?
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pimpinitup6969
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have you been trying to take care of it at all? or just neglecting it? i would try getting a couple copperbands in there and try to start getting rid of it.....
Matt
Matt
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13428020#post13428020 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NeveSSL
or just don't even feel like beginning.
that's kind of how i feel lately..my work schedule has been nuts since graduating (which is why the tank is in the shape it's in), my favorite corals have been life flighted to a buddy's tank, then i opened that damned frog tank thread...
DMBillies
Active member
It might be possible to kill them all eventually, but it would probably be quicker and easier just to dry the rock out if you can (depends on fish and coral load).
This might sound a little crazy, but if you can't afford to leave the rock out for any kind of extended period of time, I'd try a blow torch to literally torch them off (I'm thinking a nice air/gas mix with a really blue flame could scorch them off fast enough without literally cooking the rock and killing everything inside of them). If you want a cheap torch with a really nice blue flame, pick yourself up a creme brulee set... and then you can make a bomb diggity dessert too.
It'll probably kill a lot of your coralline, but that'll happen if you dry them too. Just do a few rocks at a time so you don't flood the tank with too much dead stuff and invest in a group of peppermint shrimp (find big ones if you can). Copperbands can help, but they'll eat worms like crazy too and might bother some LPS.
Some people have said peppermint shrimp don't work, but I swear by them, and obviously bigger ones will eat more. The issue is, with a problem of your scale, the aiptasia can reproduce faster than peppermints could possible eat them... so you'll never get ahead of them. That's why I always add pepps as a safety measure to prevent a problem, rather than as a solution to an already existing problem.
I've never had a tank yet that didn't have at least a couple aiptasia somewhere no matter how hard I've tried (and anytime you add a coral you risk carrying in a little one), so I don't think the goal should be total elimination, but rather control.
This might sound a little crazy, but if you can't afford to leave the rock out for any kind of extended period of time, I'd try a blow torch to literally torch them off (I'm thinking a nice air/gas mix with a really blue flame could scorch them off fast enough without literally cooking the rock and killing everything inside of them). If you want a cheap torch with a really nice blue flame, pick yourself up a creme brulee set... and then you can make a bomb diggity dessert too.
It'll probably kill a lot of your coralline, but that'll happen if you dry them too. Just do a few rocks at a time so you don't flood the tank with too much dead stuff and invest in a group of peppermint shrimp (find big ones if you can). Copperbands can help, but they'll eat worms like crazy too and might bother some LPS.
Some people have said peppermint shrimp don't work, but I swear by them, and obviously bigger ones will eat more. The issue is, with a problem of your scale, the aiptasia can reproduce faster than peppermints could possible eat them... so you'll never get ahead of them. That's why I always add pepps as a safety measure to prevent a problem, rather than as a solution to an already existing problem.
I've never had a tank yet that didn't have at least a couple aiptasia somewhere no matter how hard I've tried (and anytime you add a coral you risk carrying in a little one), so I don't think the goal should be total elimination, but rather control.
Angela Short
New member
If you torch them just rinse the rock very well with tank water before putting them back in to try to wash off the dead stuff. I just threw in the towel and killed all my rock when tulip anemonies took over. I sold my tank anyways and it was a good time to just start from scratch. I am actually killing ALL of my rock in sections to be sure I end up with NO nasties whatever they may be. I have about 30 pounds in a tank with one fish that has all the pods and mini brittlstars I picked off to save. I am useing this small amount of rock to seed the new tank via the sump so hopefully any aptasia or tulips or any thing else I do not want in the main tank will not find its way up there. I will pick out manually some mini brittles and pods to get them started in the display tank but hopefully that will work with keeping anything lurking on the only rock I did not kill from making it to the display.
I am lucky I have a few extra tanks and a huge ehime (5 gallon bucket size) that I can distribute my fish and rock and kill what needs killing by hypo or drying out and still have bio for the fish while I work on killing all the rock I was so worried about every tiny organisim staying alive when I first started! :lol: Now my philosophy is the more steril the better since I have had all kinds of bad hitchickers from crabs,anemonies, pyramid snails I never could erradicate (they feed off snails in the absents of clams) plauge amounts of those astria stars, red bugs... the list goes on and on....
I am armed with interceptor, reef dip and a bad attitude twords letting anything but the coral in the tank thats alive :lol:
FWIW I had great luck with CBB fish eating tulips and apps but my powder blue killed my long time one I had for 2 years within a week of adding the powder blue and he took out another one within a few days in the big tank. I thought the bigger tank he might have ignored a tiny one but he didn't. If your fish are compatable I would try a CBB first and he would have a great food supply while he was learning to eat prepared foods. I don't think he would make a huge dent in the worm population since the worms ussually scavenge at night while fish sleep IMO. My worms seemed to multiply super fast as it was but I feed real heavy.
GOOD LUCK and I hate its gotten so bad for you. I have been there!
I am lucky I have a few extra tanks and a huge ehime (5 gallon bucket size) that I can distribute my fish and rock and kill what needs killing by hypo or drying out and still have bio for the fish while I work on killing all the rock I was so worried about every tiny organisim staying alive when I first started! :lol: Now my philosophy is the more steril the better since I have had all kinds of bad hitchickers from crabs,anemonies, pyramid snails I never could erradicate (they feed off snails in the absents of clams) plauge amounts of those astria stars, red bugs... the list goes on and on....
I am armed with interceptor, reef dip and a bad attitude twords letting anything but the coral in the tank thats alive :lol: FWIW I had great luck with CBB fish eating tulips and apps but my powder blue killed my long time one I had for 2 years within a week of adding the powder blue and he took out another one within a few days in the big tank. I thought the bigger tank he might have ignored a tiny one but he didn't. If your fish are compatable I would try a CBB first and he would have a great food supply while he was learning to eat prepared foods. I don't think he would make a huge dent in the worm population since the worms ussually scavenge at night while fish sleep IMO. My worms seemed to multiply super fast as it was but I feed real heavy.
GOOD LUCK and I hate its gotten so bad for you. I have been there!
my 75 gallon had that many in it, four peppermint shrimp took care of it in a month or so, i couldn't belive it but it was a lot less work then taring my tank down, i have all that rock in my 90 gallon now for 4 years no problem, keep one pepermint in there to be on the safe side
undertcontrolj
New member
You could just start a species specific tank at this point. LOL
Mikeyjer
New member
I have to agree with this one. Our tank was badly covered with aiptasia, majano, and tulip anemones when we first got the rocks. They were everywhere like your tank is right now. I placed two peppermint shrimp in there and was told that they won't bother with majano or tulips, just go after aiptasia only. I started zapping the bigger ones with joe's juice and the peppermints took care of the rest, ALL anemones, not just the aiptasia. I do see a lot of majano anemone in your picture!!!
tenoverthenose
New member
I haven't tried this, but I heard you can cover the rock with sand and the anemones will leave the rock to get their tops out of the sand, then you can scoop them up and throw them away.
I had a few in a tank I had last year and a couple berghia nudibranch took care of them pretty quickly. I didn't have anything like you have though.
Good Luck,
Tom
I had a few in a tank I had last year and a couple berghia nudibranch took care of them pretty quickly. I didn't have anything like you have though.
Good Luck,
Tom
waynesworld
Premium Member
Put them on ebay and you could make a killing
