Question about Aiptasia

[Steve W]

I bought some live rock and rubble at the Coral Reef. Two days after putting in the tank, I noticed that I had what looked to me like an Aiptasia anemone on one of the larger rubble pieces. I immediate removed the piece and boiled the sucker.

Question: How concerned should I be that there may be more hiding in my tanK? What is the best way to control?

I know some people recommend peppermint shrimp, but some are absolutely against them. What's the deal?


Steve W
24 gallon nano with 30 pounds of live rock going strong

 

[Engloid]

I haven't yet had a big problem with aiptasia, but did get some after buying some live rock. I had probably 5 polyps of it, but not all at once. I took white vinegar in a syringe and squirted it directly on them. Only one came back, and after the second dose, it was gone. You don't want to use any more than you have to though, because it will change the pH of your water if you do. I also got a peppermint shrimp, so that he could get at any I couldn't see or didn't know existed. I think he got eaten by my wrasse when I got him, but I haven't had any aiptasia since.

 

[Knox_Legend]

I have had two so far. Luckily I just pulled out the piece of LR and scraped off the slimy little buggers

 

[reeflover101]

i have seen some peppermint shrimp pick at poulps on zoes. I sont like them if you want to keep your tank aiptasia free get a copper banded butterfly they are beautiful fish also. But do research and ask question about them. to the pet store. if they can tell you nothing i wouldnt buy it. Some catch them with cyanide and those are the ones i wouldnt buy.

 

[Flavum]

IME ive never had any issues with peppermints eating coral. Theyll usually clean up and than I wont ever see them again a month or so later. If your keeping coral copperbands pose as much if not more of a threat than peppermints do IMO.

 

[DevinWolfe]

I am extremely new to the hobby but I followed the advice of Amy at CR and picked up a pair of Peppermint Shrimp. The tank is a Biocube-29 that had just finished its 1-month cycle and had at least 5 or 6 polyps, the shrimp ate them ALL within 3 nights.

They seem to be quite docile, though one night after the Aiptasia were gone I caught one poking at my Xenia. I spooked him off of it and checked it the next morning. It seemed fine and it hasnt been bothered since.

Before using the Shrimp I had attempted to inject them with a hyperdermic needle and lemon juice. They were just WAY too fast for me to stick them. Mine were very well hidden in the holes and cracks and could completely hide their entire bodies.

 

[vwtanker]

A very basic solution actually works better IME and will just help raise ph. Either way the volume compared to the tank water is so low there should be no noticeable difference.

 

[AcroJames]

i had the worst time ever getting rid of my aptasia. i tried everything u could think of from joes juice, lemon juice, copper band, peppermint shrimp, and those little aptasia eating filefish and never got the problem under control. so then i took every bit of my live rock out my 180 and soaked it in the bathtub in hot water and scrubbed for hours with a brush and then got a kiddie pool and re-cured it all then put my tank back together. it was about 250lbs of rock i did this with. now i am aptasia free. but it was the worst headache ever.