Capt Crabtabulous
Member
Anybody have any experience with these? Am told they eat aiptasia.
Kleins Butterflyfish
- Thread starter Capt Crabtabulous
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Capt Crabtabulous
Member
I'm aware of Butterflyfishs' reputatation for eating corals, but I don't know what else to do at this point. I'm being overrun by aiptasia. I do have a fish trap which I've used to trap almost (all but one) fish out of my tank. I'm hoping I get this Butterflyfish, he munches all of the aiptasia and then I trap him and find him/her a new home. I've tried Peppermint Shrimp to no avail and unfortunately I can't reach all of the anemonies by hand.
bradleyj
Reefkeeping Mag Staff
I tried them twice and hated them, just like Steve said, chewed on everything but aptasia.
I swore I wouldn't try them again. But like you, I got desperate and when D/D had one for sale and said it was eating aptasia, I tried again. He has been in my tank for over a month and my aptasia and manjanos are 90% gone. He/she has been wonderful.
3rd time was a charm for me, but the first 2 were my worst nightmare.
I swore I wouldn't try them again. But like you, I got desperate and when D/D had one for sale and said it was eating aptasia, I tried again. He has been in my tank for over a month and my aptasia and manjanos are 90% gone. He/she has been wonderful.
3rd time was a charm for me, but the first 2 were my worst nightmare.
Last edited:
Art VandeLay
New member
Just added one to my tank yesterday.....havent seen him picking at anything let alone aiptasias.....course he is busy checking out his surroundings and feeling out the pecking order still....keepin my fingers crossed.
Art
Art
Been there done that with the K. Butterfly fish, had to destroy the tank to catch him 
No one had a bigger problem than I did with Aiptisia. How bad was it 
I was going to quit saltwater and go back to fresh. My answer was to buy a few bottles of Joes Juice and 8 P. Shrimp and I have never looked back. I used to go thru a bottle of Aiptisia X every month, (Joes Juice IMO, is a better product) I now only kill about one Aiptisia a month in my tank. I have some really big ones in my overflow box that I can't get to without taking the canopy off and I am sure they are putting out spores, its just very few make it into the tank. I am sure the P. Shrimp, which are big, 16 to the pound I would guess are taking care of the problem. You won't clear this up over nite, but you will get there. As I said, Joes Juice is the best thing to use.
No one had a bigger problem than I did with Aiptisia. How bad was it I was going to quit saltwater and go back to fresh. My answer was to buy a few bottles of Joes Juice and 8 P. Shrimp and I have never looked back. I used to go thru a bottle of Aiptisia X every month, (Joes Juice IMO, is a better product) I now only kill about one Aiptisia a month in my tank. I have some really big ones in my overflow box that I can't get to without taking the canopy off and I am sure they are putting out spores, its just very few make it into the tank. I am sure the P. Shrimp, which are big, 16 to the pound I would guess are taking care of the problem. You won't clear this up over nite, but you will get there. As I said, Joes Juice is the best thing to use.
capt, get a cbb, kleins was in my tank for 1 day and he nipped every single one of my corals, out he went luckly i was able to catch him. CBB works amazing, i have a video of mine eating aiptasia he cleaned up my tank in 1 month from over 1000+ aiptasia. by the way i have tried everything before, the CBB hands down is amazing and a beautiful fish. I got mine from liveaquaria. Instantly i put him in the tank he started eating aiptasia, now he eats frozen mysis
Copper Baned Butterfly, I tried that also, I should have posted that , he ate my polyps also, they are hit and miss as far are your corals go. I still haven't forgiven my LFS owner for that advice, he now carries P. Shrimp on a regular basis. But I did learn a LFS saltwater lesson, they sell you what they have, not necessarily what is best for your tank.
for that advice, he now carries P. Shrimp on a regular basis. But I did learn a LFS saltwater lesson, they sell you what they have, not necessarily what is best for your tank.
PSU REEFER
New member
Have had my Kleins for almost 2 yrs w/ no problems(no sps) and had tried CBB w/ no luck. The Kleins took out over 200 aptasia in my old 150 in alittle over a week. I since upgraded to a 500 and all fish got moved over after it cycle (July)...about 2 wks ago I noticed the kleins nipping at my only acan I added 2 days earlier--then he started on my zoa's and 1 of my only 2 sps. So had to get him out (pain in the @ss trying to caught him). I guess once he got a taste of that acan he wanted everything
From my experience, from best to worst:
1. Bristletail Filefish
2. Klein's Butterfly
3. Copperband Butterfly
My Klein's is in a tank with Ricordia, Zoanthid, several kinds of Xenia, and GSP and has only eaten the Aiptasia, that I can tell.
I've had the filefish with a Zoa rock with 4 Aiptasia. They had eaten the Aiptasia with no obvious damage to the Zoa's in 2 days.
1. Bristletail Filefish
2. Klein's Butterfly
3. Copperband Butterfly
My Klein's is in a tank with Ricordia, Zoanthid, several kinds of Xenia, and GSP and has only eaten the Aiptasia, that I can tell.
I've had the filefish with a Zoa rock with 4 Aiptasia. They had eaten the Aiptasia with no obvious damage to the Zoa's in 2 days.
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