Tank move/ aptasia

[mark197829]

Need to move my tank as getting new flooring laid, fish going into my quarantine tank, question is my tank had a massive aptasia out break so was thinking of taking all my rock work out and replace it new rock. Is there anything else I need to do ie leave tank dormant for few days/weeks to kill off the aptasia ??


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[Daddi0]

If you give your rocks a quick soak in vinegar (then rinse) , it should kill it off.
Cheers! Mark

 

[mark197829]

What about sand bed etc little twats are everywhere ?


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[Mrtakeoff53]

Pretty much every surface has to be treated (vinegar, bleach, acid bath, etc) to ensure they won’t come back. This includes sand. However, killing the aptasia this way will also kill anything else on your rock (bacteria, coraline algae, corals). If you go full Nike mode on the aptasia, be prepared to do a full cycle again and start, essentially, with a new tank. There is really no other way to get rid of them. Trust me, I’ve tried...

 

[mark197829]

Looks like the only route to go down mate to get rid of them, what about keeping tank empty for a few weeks and replace all the rock


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[ThRoewer]

If you have a lot of Aptasia and are planning on keeping the tank empty for a couple of weeks you could also give Berghia nudibranches a shot. If undisturbed by fish and predatory inverts, the will eliminate the Aptasia.

If you go the full sterilization route, be aware that normal drying at room temperature is unlikely to kill Aptasia for good. They may look dead, but if only one cell remains just a little moist, it will be back.
If you want to get rid of them for good, you have to sterilise everything the tank water touched, every piece of equipment, rocks, sand,... either with heat or chemicals.

BTW even if you choose to try the Berghia, I would suggest to still sterilise the sump, piping, overflow box, and equipment where the Berghia may have a hard time to munch away on the Aptasia undisturbed.

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[mark197829]

Is it likely there in the pipe work and the sump


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[mark197829]

How will I sterilise the tank water /what do I use ? So it kills everything in the tank then I can clean the full tank out after wards and start a fresh


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[ThRoewer]

Bleach will kill pretty much everything (there are however some pathogens that can even survive bleach!)
The bad thing about bleach is that it also attacks the silicone of the tank seams and if left in the tank for too long might cause the tank to spring a leak. Vinegar on the other hand should have no ill effects on silicone. So I would strongly suggest to tear down the tank and just clean it diligently with vinegar and then let it dry.
Bleach, vinegar, or HCl (muriatic acid) are also not really good for pumps and other equipment so exposure time should be limited.
The rocks on the other hand can be soaked in bleach (or alternatively in NaOH solution) for extended periods without immediate ill effects. To be sure to get everything I would soak them for at least a week and then water them - with frequent water changes to - in tap water for at least another two to get the chemicals out. If using bleach you should also add a chlorine neutralizer to the rinse water.

 

[mark197829]

Bleach will kill pretty much everything (there are however some pathogens that can even survive bleach!)

The bad thing about bleach is that it also attacks the silicone of the tank seams and if left in the tank for too long might cause the tank to spring a leak. Vinegar on the other hand should have no ill effects on silicone. So I would strongly suggest to tear down the tank and just clean it diligently with vinegar and then let it dry.

Bleach, vinegar, or HCl (muriatic acid) are also not really good for pumps and other equipment so exposure time should be limited.

The rocks on the other hand can be soaked in bleach (or alternatively in NaOH solution) for extended periods without immediate ill effects. To be sure to get everything I would soak them for at least a week and then water them - with frequent water changes to - in tap water for at least another two to get the chemicals out. If using bleach you should also add a chlorine neutralizer to the rinse water.

Thanks mate [emoji106][emoji106]


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