Potentially bad aiptasia removal idea

Moort82

Moort82

New member
So like many people I've got the odd aiptasia which I wish wasn't there. Now in the same way I know not to poke a tiger I don't believe any of the normal manual/chemical removal methods do anything but make them spread. I've seen countless times, whenever you go near one they spore and multiply fast. So this leads me to my thought, if sporing is the issue, is it possible to milk the aip before removal. My thoughts are to pee it off with a syphon tube during a water change and suck as many out as spores as possible and also if able snip it off at the base. In this way it would leave the base which is much less problematic and perhaps kalk paste would finish it off.




So mental thought or possible solution? The other "safer" test would be to stick a small bore pipe over it so that it has to climb it and can be removed easier.
 
Sk8r said:
They don't spore. They spawn, much as fish do.
Click to expand...

So does that mean that when you annoy them, the gametes that comes out won't create lots of tiny ones elsewhere? Ie they need both sexes to spawn at the same time (and not saying that when one does spawn, that others don't sense it and do the same).
 
Aiptasia are animals. There arent any "spores". In theory they could spawn, but in practice they dont spawn in aquaria.

In your aquarium they reproduce by pedal laceration -- ripping off tiny pieces of their foot (the pedal disc; what they're attached with) each of which grows into a clone of the parent.

So anything you do to disturb them makes it likely theyll spread. Also, if you leave them alone, they'll spread.

Peppermint shrimp or filefish! These always work for me.
 
the Peppermint shrimp or filefish didnt work for me.
I bought a small pool took whatever inver and coral i could put it in the pool and dropped the salinity really really low.
I killed all the pest i had in my tank including every single aiptasia.
its been over a year and not 1 return.
No fish was harm during this lol
 
They can also pedal and reproduce asexually. Any bits that are left or float off have the capability to create new aiptasia. But with the siphon idea that's like holding a plastic cup out in the rain. Most people give up on peppermint shrimp because they buy the wrong kind (learned this from R2L). There's Lysmata Wurdemanni and Lysmata Rathbunae. Wurdemanni are the ones that basically live on nothing BUT aiptasia. Rathbunae won't touch them. Difference is the Rathbunae have tails that are more black with little to no striping. Wurdemanni are the same the whole way down; with clear striped ends to their tails. Some people pass Rathbunae off as Wurdemanni because they're about half the cost.
 
If you only have a few and they are small I've had good luck with getting them to retract and then sealing them with superglue.
 
I had a Klein's butterfly for years that was reef safe and ate all my aptasia within a few weeks of its introduction. After it died my aptasia returned as they were throughout my system (sump overflow etc). I then splurged about a year ago on a Tinker's butterfly and this fish has been very hardy, has done well and has eaten all the aptasia in my display. The Tinkeri complex of butterflies are reef safe with caution and quite beautiful. Mine has been a model citizen in my SPS/LPS system.

My experience with chemical methods of aptasia control has been poor. The laser method might be effective but you have major risks health wise with the use of a laser that need to be carefully studied. Some though have had success with lasers in pest eradication. However, it is not worth it in my view when a butterfly can do the job well. Bergia also seem to have their proponents although I have never tried them. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Don't try this without some research and careful planning, but I "took care" of aptasia with very hot water in a turkey baster. Luckily, they were in areas that didn't have coral too near.

The key was to go super slow with the release of water out of the baster, and get as close to the nem as possible. The hot water dispersed pretty quickly into the water column in my 54G. The nems shriveled up, let go of the rock, and then I sucked them up with the baster. I didn't see any additional ones pop up, and no obvious negative effects.

Of course, this is risky, and likely riskier if your aquarium is smaller.
 
Has anyone trying to inject them with vinegar? I've read some people have tried this with xenia as well with some success.
 
kalkwasser paste, put it in an oral syringe, and feed it to the aiptasia.. worked for me. in the past. You want to get it in their mouth, not on the tentacles.

(There are also commercial versions of that.. i believe aiptasia x is one)
 
I use the hose method like you are talking about, 8mm tubing..
Get the suction started away from it and creep up on it, suck it up into the hose.
The tube I use is hard plastic so I can use the end to cut it loose from the rock and scrub the spot it was sitting on..
Did my tank a few months ago and haven't had any reappear..
 
JamesHolt said:
I use the hose method like you are talking about, 8mm tubing..
Get the suction started away from it and creep up on it, suck it up into the hose.
The tube I use is hard plastic so I can use the end to cut it loose from the rock and scrub the spot it was sitting on..
Did my tank a few months ago and haven't had any reappear..
Click to expand...

Good to know thanks. I tried this with a couple and so far I haven't seen signs of them coming back. With the bigger one I was lucky and could remove the rock it was one, which I didn't know was possible until I went to suck it up.
 
Anyone ever try Aiptasia-x? I've had some success in using with the needle applicator (I turn off the flow before use). If I had to do it over I would just get a $6.00 pep shrimp.
 
Janetsplanet said:
Don't try this without some research and careful planning, but I "took care" of aptasia with very hot water in a turkey baster. Luckily, they were in areas that didn't have coral too near.
Click to expand...

This is a similar method I use, except I use a ketchup bottle with a piece of tubing on it to guide the stream.
 
Lysmata Wurdemanni...years ago I had a nightmare experience with these guys attacking my BTA. I now have a very aggressive egg laying couple of percussion though. I wonder if they could defend their BTA? Anyone else see this?
 
I have been successful using my diy coral feeder and boiling water. I have had five aptaisia polyps in two separate incidences. The boiling water method seemed to work well. My coral feeder is made from a syringe, a small section (1/2") hose for a joint and yankaur hard suction wand from work....
 
cubbyman60 said:
Has anyone trying to inject them with vinegar? I've read some people have tried this with xenia as well with some success.
Click to expand...

This.

I use a hypodermic needle to inject them with boiling vinegar and it nukes them along with any babies that might be inside. Every other method I've tried from kalk to laser ends with them growing back.
 
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