aiptasia...i cant take it anymore!!!!!

jtoz116

jtoz116

Member
hey everyone,
i have a 55 gallon reef tank, and aiptasia is everywhere. I have tried chem marines and injected them some died, but there are just way too much to get rid of like this. i cant really buy peppermint shrimp to solve the problem because my arc eye hawkfish will make a nice dinner out of them. I am thinking about getting a small copperband butterfly to just eat the aiptasia and then give the butterfly to my brother who has a 75 gallon....what do you guys think i should do?
 
babyb

babyb

Active Member
im haveing a hard time with them as well, te ones that i can take out (rocks with them) i super glue them to the rock , but i have been thinking about getting a copper banded butterfly as well there is a small one at my lfs but the tank i need him in is a 29 reef but after hes done takeing care of my aptasia i have a 125 to put him in
good luckwith your tank
 
hardcrab67

hardcrab67

Member
Well, I've had to stay on top of these little buggers, because they tend to spread quickly. I went through my rock from one end to the other and inject them w/ 1ml of lemon juice and my sallylightfoot eats them while they are shriveled up. I do about 5-6 so as not to mess my pH up. A couple of weeks later, I've got three more to get when they're a little bigger. I usually have to do this once a month. Other's recommend Joe's Juice, but I read about the lemon juice in another forum and you just have to give them plenty(1ml at least) or they will survive and spread worst.
 
keith burn

keith burn

Active Member
when i started up my first 55gal i had aiptasia in it.
i used my buffer in a syringe and inject in it's mouth, the calcium is good for the tank.
straight calcium will kill aiptasia fast.
good luck and good hunting...
 
jtoz116

jtoz116

Member
yeaa i actually just came back form my lfs..i bought kalkwasser..lets see how it does..ill keep an update
 
grumpygils

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by hardcrab67
Well, I've had to stay on top of these little buggers, because they tend to spread quickly. I went through my rock from one end to the other and inject them w/ 1ml of lemon juice and my sallylightfoot eats them while they are shriveled up. I do about 5-6 so as not to mess my pH up. A couple of weeks later, I've got three more to get when they're a little bigger. I usually have to do this once a month. Other's recommend Joe's Juice, but I read about the lemon juice in another forum and you just have to give them plenty(1ml at least) or they will survive and spread worst.
I have tried KW but it seems as though they retract and it misses them? Peppermint shrimp did ok but were quickly eaten by the fishys. Is close enough with lemon juice good enough?
mc
 
wilsonreef

wilsonreef

Member
I have had great luck with boiling hot water. I boil water, put it in a syringe and get it as close to the mouth as possible and blast away. It works really well. You can tell if you kill them they turn into a clear slime that floats away. You should try it, and can't beat the price ( I use filtered water ) just in case.
 
grumpygils

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by wilsonreef
I have had great luck with boiling hot water. I boil water, put it in a syringe and get it as close to the mouth as possible and blast away. It works really well. You can tell if you kill them they turn into a clear slime that floats away. You should try it, and can't beat the price ( I use filtered water ) just in case.
How long until it will slime? Immediate? I am going to try that.
 
wilsonreef

wilsonreef

Member
Originally Posted by grumpygils
How long until it will slime? Immediate? I am going to try that.

Immediately! And a lot of time you don't have to get it in the mouth, I think the boiling hot water will kill it just about anywhere it touches. If it's a big Aiptasia you might have to give it a couple of doses. If it's small I just put the syringe into the hole it retracted into and give it a shot. Works every time...
 
hardcrab67

hardcrab67

Member
Well, I've tried Ca, but they recovered. Might be I had to sharpen my harpooning skills, but they came back and alot of little ones appeared. I didn't try the hot water though, I have a 1.6mm syringe and didn't want to try holding it w/ boiling water in it. Just decided to up the dosage of lemon juice and injecting them head-on, instead of in the tube. If I see juice, I pull it out a little, because they will puff up if your injecting it right. Then, my sally was more than happy to pick the remains off the open brain and the others I had injected on the rocks
 
hardcrab67

hardcrab67

Member
Whatever method you use, just roll up your sleeves and dive in. Go for the biggest first and work your way across the tank. 4-5 at a time per day and before you know it, you'll only have 2-3 little ones you can let them grow till they're big enough to inject. I didn't know they were pests, till some zoas I bought had them and they killed out every zoa on the rock and were spreading. When you see one stinging one of your prized corals, like I did, you'll get mad enough to do battle w/ them. Good luck and keep on reefing
 
threed240

threed240

Member
I also used boiling hot water. As well as a pick that was red hot on the end. Just stick it in the hole there in and wiggle it around. You can hear them sizzle. Only down side to the boiling water, is it also kills your coralline algea, and anything else hidden in that area.
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
I tried the boiling water on the one stalk I have. It strivelled up but recovered and the coralline covered rock is white around the hole its in (easy to find now). They really dont spread fast at all unless you have high nitrates/nutrients or keep messing with them (like tearing small parts of it off trying to kill it). I just leave it alone. Its been there months and has not spread AT ALL.
 
N

n_sarno

Guest
IMO peppermint shrimp are the easiest way to get them out of there.. Have your brother hold onto your hawk and throw 4 or so peppermint shrimp in there and the aptasia will be gone in a week.
 
infern0

infern0

Member
Bristle worms don't work to well....copperband butterfly fish are great options...and for the winner...the one thing that eat only aiptasia..
Berghia Verrucicornis Nudibranchs Very expensive though. http://www.berghia.net/marketprice.html
Probably get banned for this, but since this site doesn't sell them, should be ok, no competition.
 
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