Majano or Mejano

[cobbie]

Can someone tell me how to get rid of these nuisance creatures. They spread like wild fire. I am begging my RC family!!!!!
Banded butterfly - no
Peppermint shrimp - no - they eat aptasia........

HELLLLPPP!

 

[ADA33]

you can use inject them with Joes juice, lemon juice, vinegar, kalk or hot water. All work but you just need to keep on top of them.

 

[jjmcat]

Only thing that helped me was super glue.

 

[llewoh05]

super glue? please explain.

im currently taking mine out with boiling hot water and a syringe. gotta work fast with it tho. after a few days you will see several small ones pop up, but just keep on em. they will lose.

 

[aurora]

I had a huge problem with these couple of years ago and tried everything. I have huge tank and can't really break it down but was really tempted a few time. Finally in desperation unleashed a racoon butterfly into the tank. He ate everything then started nipping on some of the LPS. I lost a prized orange scolemia as a result. I kept the racoon in my refugium and did not feed him for several days and make sure he learns to eat majano before putting him into the main tank.
What you can try is keep your racoon butterfly in your refugium and every few days or so, move 1-2 pieces of your infested rock from the display tank there. Once he learn to eat them, he'll pick every rock clean. Of course, this way you can keep him away from your LPS. If you unleash a racoon butterfly into your tank, remove all your LPS first.

 

[jjmcat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12023357#post12023357 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by llewoh05
super glue? please explain.

im currently taking mine out with boiling hot water and a syringe. gotta work fast with it tho. after a few days you will see several small ones pop up, but just keep on em. they will lose.

I covered them up with super glue gel.I had them real bad on my caribbean rock.I haven't had one since.

 

[coralnut99]

A long time ago, I had a bad majano infestation. I took the hard route, and diligently attacked them with my trusty fine-pointed tweezers. I got real good at grabbing a hold of the foot, and carefully peeling it off completely. The ones in holes and cracks simply got hacked out. I managed to at least get them down to a manageable number of very small ones. Then I took a route similar to what jjmcat suggested, and put small pieces of epoxy on the last visible ones. I got them to retract first, and then put the epoxy over the hole without too much pressure. After a few weeks, I was able to lift off most of the epoxy "grave stones". Any infestation will take some diligence, and a sense of "it's either me or them".

 

[GreshamH]

I've done a similiar method but using a dental pick as well as tweezers depending on where they were located. I found it best to harass them to get them to close up a little to make them "firmer" for easier removal.

 

[coralnut99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12055159#post12055159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
I've done a similiar method but using a dental pick as well as tweezers depending on where they were located. I found it best to harass them to get them to close up a little to make them "firmer" for easier removal.

Good point. I forgot. Once you get them to retract, the foot becomes much tougher, and you have a much better chance of getting a good hold on the foot. Dental tools are incredibly valuable in the hobby.

 

[reefkeeper2]

I bought a heniochus bannerfish and it ate every aptasia and mojano I had in my tank. He's really well behaved and hasn't touched anything else. There are 2 types, one reef safe and one not. You can see a picture of him.Here

 

[coralnut99]

Hmmm. the image in the link doesn't show up for some reason. Is it the brown variety with the shorter dorsal banner?

 

[Kolognekoral]

There are quite a few butterflies that eat Aiptasia and Majano anemonies. I have had success with Ch. rafflesii, but others had less luck and it went on the SPS. Heniochus diphreutes and H. acuminatis are very difficult to tell appart. The best method is the anal fin. In the first species, it forms a right angle on its outsdie edge, in H. acuminatus it is an acute (under 90°) angle and rounded. In adults this is pretty obvious, but the juveniles can be tough. Now, which one eats the anemonies, I don't know! I would guess H. acuminata, as the H. diphreutes is a pelagic butterfly dining on plankton. But I do not see why it should change over from plankton to corals. It could be a case of personal tastes.

Other anemonie eating butterflies include Ch. xanthurus, Ch. paucifasciatus (and probably its close relatives), Ch auripes, Ch. melanotus, Ch. vagabundus and relatives, Ch. auriga and Ch. kleinii. All can go after certain corals, but it differs from individual to individual. From my own experience, most get used to being fed and tend to stay with anemonies as a side dish. After a general tank inspection, they leave most corals alone. Zooanthids are generally not safe, though. I know that Ch. lunula and Ch. fasciatus both go after anemonies and LPS, as well as get quite large.

Hope this helps,

 

[reefkeeper2]

Here is a pic of the little guy that cleaned up my tank. I beleive he is heniochus acuminatus.

 

[reefkeeper2]

Oops, I was wrong. It's an H diphreutes.

 

[Kolognekoral]

Yeah, I tend to H. diphreutes, as well.

Please confirm that it has not gone after other corals or inverts, outside of the pesty anemonies. Do you have zooanthids in the tank?

 

[reefkeeper2]

Yes, I have zooanthids. So far he has not touched them or anything else . He scourers the rockwork for food and eats voraciously when I feed.

 

[Kolognekoral]

Yes, yes, yes! I just may have to try one out. I'm currently trying various chaetodontids for Aiptasia control in the reef. I've remained shy from Heniochus, as some are known to go after corals.

Thanks for the info!

 

[llewoh05]

im gonna have to try that superglue method. since i cant quite fit some of those bigger fish into my smaller tanks.