"Reef safe" aiptasia eating fish of choice.

[sfsuphysics]

Now I know the idea of reef safe aiptasia eaters are kind of contradictory, but if you were to go with a fish to deal with aiptasia what would you go with? I'm deal with aiptasia currently by pulling rock, and chipping off the rock with the aiptasia up, which ends up having me reaquascape, and of course I'm losing rock the whole time, but I always seem to miss one, or it spreads from elsewhere and I've come to the conclusion I should use biological controls to keep it check more so than to fruitlessly try to eradicate it out right.

I know peppermint shrimp are often the first suggestion, but those tend to be more hit and miss than fish are for chowing down on aiptasia. So I need fish for my tank, but I'm wondering the "partially" reef safe fish is there a particular type of coral they are more likely to go after? In which case no problem I do without that type of coral, I see butterflies in large tanks but those tanks also have lots of corals so maybe picking here and there is tolerated. I do have a collection of fleshy polyped LPS (acan lords, lobos, etc) that I'd rather not become food, things like zoanthids and what not I could move and it won't be a big deal.

I'm leaning towards butterfly fish, but was thinking, the longer skinny snout ones might be best for what I want, long nose butterfly or copper band maybe?

FYI, the tank is 6 feet long by 5 feet wide, so it's a good size swimming tank (another reason why dealing with the aiptasia is so problematic)

 

[alton]

If you can pull several pieces of rock then setup a QT tank with berghia. Let them clean it and then replace with more aptaisa rock. just be careful not to kill the egg strings on the glass in the QT tank.

 

[CoryD]

If you just have a few I would try the old injecting with lemon juice method. Worked great for me. Gotta be quick when sticking them or they will go in there hole and you will miss them

 

[tc2007]

Now I know the idea of reef safe aiptasia eaters are kind of contradictory, but if you were to go with a fish to deal with aiptasia what would you go with? I'm deal with aiptasia currently by pulling rock, and chipping off the rock with the aiptasia up, which ends up having me reaquascape, and of course I'm losing rock the whole time, but I always seem to miss one, or it spreads from elsewhere and I've come to the conclusion I should use biological controls to keep it check more so than to fruitlessly try to eradicate it out right.

I know peppermint shrimp are often the first suggestion, but those tend to be more hit and miss than fish are for chowing down on aiptasia. So I need fish for my tank, but I'm wondering the "partially" reef safe fish is there a particular type of coral they are more likely to go after? In which case no problem I do without that type of coral, I see butterflies in large tanks but those tanks also have lots of corals so maybe picking here and there is tolerated. I do have a collection of fleshy polyped LPS (acan lords, lobos, etc) that I'd rather not become food, things like zoanthids and what not I could move and it won't be a big deal.

I'm leaning towards butterfly fish, but was thinking, the longer skinny snout ones might be best for what I want, long nose butterfly or copper band maybe?

FYI, the tank is 6 feet long by 5 feet wide, so it's a good size swimming tank (another reason why dealing with the aiptasia is so problematic)

From what I have read Copperband is your best bet. Only if you can get it eating, or rather get a one that is already eating at the LFS.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Alton: That sounds like something that could work, what kind of time frame is there for bergia to eat everything on a rock? Are they adverse to strong flows otherwise why wouldn't I just put them in the tank?

CoryD: Yeah they're popping up everywhere, to the point where if I see more than half a dozen on a rock I consider just cooking that rock to rid them. It by no means is an infestation level of problem, but it's like ridding your tank of green star polyps or any other weedy coral, you think you get them all and then you miss one and poof, cycle continues

TC: Yeah I've heard issues with copperbands, I've had one in the past (long time ago) that I could have sworn ate mysis at the LFS in front of me, but when I got home he still ended up starving to death. Maybe if I find one on DiversDen since they're supposed to fish that are looked after a while to make sure are healthy....

 

[CoralsAddiction]

The only thing that exterminated Aiptasia in my tank was peppermint shrimp.

 

[Kies1]

Copper band butterfly has cleaned out my tank.

 

[swhobbie1]

I had an aiptasia eating filefish ... got rid of all my hard to reach aiptasia ... but also ate many corals ... acans, favia, clove polyps etc. It also ate pellets, frozen etc.

 

[Rybren]

I had a matted filefish for a while. It ate all of my aptasia first and then started nipping at the LPS. Luckily, it was easy to catch and return to the LFS.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

cbb for sure. mine cleaned out my tank within a day. for some reason, here in dallas i found lots of good cbb that are eating. i started mine with clams, now the fish is eating mysis.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Ok, so I'll keep on the lookout for a copperband then, and make sure they eat in the store, and make sure what they eat stays in them

Anyone with a copperband manage to get them to eat flake food? I have an autofeeder dumping food 3 times a day and mysis becomes a a treat not a staple of their diet.

 

[thenewguy997]

Any butterflyfish

Also my cbb wouldnt eat anything but whole perfect looking mysis. Only live,at first then frozen.
He wouldnt eat any cut in half or bent or anything even when he ate good.

theyre super picky be prepared to spend a lot of time trying to get it to eat

 

[tc2007]

Ok, so I'll keep on the lookout for a copperband then, and make sure they eat in the store, and make sure what they eat stays in them

Anyone with a copperband manage to get them to eat flake food? I have an autofeeder dumping food 3 times a day and mysis becomes a a treat not a staple of their diet.

Many people have had luck with Clams. You might want to research that.

 

[sfsuphysics]

well I sure as hell don't want him eating the clam I have!

 

[johnike]

I've tried everything with limited success.
I added a Klieni Butterfly to the reef a few weeks ago and it completely wiped out a very bad Aiptasia and Majano problem.
I keep it well fed, it picks constantly. All corals (LPS and SPS) untouched so far.

 

[xrayjeeper83]

I put a file fish in my tank about 2 weeks ago. So far he wiped out a large amount of aiptasia and hasnt touched any coral.

 

[johnike]

I had a file a couple years back that did great in my tank, wiping out a wave of Aiptasia that I gave to my sister. It went rogue on her Zoas and peppermint shrimp.
I put a pair in my tank months back, and they've done nothing but look cool in the tank.
Wouldn't touch an Aiptasia.

 

[ReefTeacher]

I second the berghia. I just dropped them in the main tank. They are expensive, but the population grows in time and the aiptasia just disappear. Won't touch anything else and you rarely see them. I do keep peppermints in the sump for control there.

 

[davew0670]

I have a customer with a terrible aptasia problem. Had hundreds of them. We have been battling for over a year. He bought an Asfur angel on a whim. Angel devoured them in a month. Don't think this is typical but if you get you really desperate for a solution.

 

[MIKE NY]

I have a matted file in my DT which took care of all my aiptasia...I feed heavily which is why it doesn't touch any corals...