Aiptasia vs. Super Glue.
- Thread starter wocka
- Start date
mjmpinsky
Member
I posted a thread on this about 1 month ago.
I found it 100% effective to kill them by injecting them with a tiny amount of lemon juice concentrate.
You should be able to get an insulin syringe at a LFS or at a local
[hr]
if you explain to them what you are going to use it for (I had it easy - I'm a doctor!).
I found 0.2cc injected into stalk (not the mouth) of small anemones and 0.5cc for the larger ones did the job in just a few seconds and they were never seen from again.
Technique it completely safe...if you miss and inject the tank, the tiny amount of acid is completely inactivated by your tank's buffering action.
Try it....You will like it (They will turn black before your eyes).
I found it 100% effective to kill them by injecting them with a tiny amount of lemon juice concentrate.
You should be able to get an insulin syringe at a LFS or at a local
[hr]
if you explain to them what you are going to use it for (I had it easy - I'm a doctor!).
I found 0.2cc injected into stalk (not the mouth) of small anemones and 0.5cc for the larger ones did the job in just a few seconds and they were never seen from again.
Technique it completely safe...if you miss and inject the tank, the tiny amount of acid is completely inactivated by your tank's buffering action.
Try it....You will like it (They will turn black before your eyes).
soupysteve
Member
In every reef forum site I go to there always seems to be someone who wants to know how to get rid of aptasia. IT WOULD SEEM that none of the moderators at any of these sites has ever decided "Hey, maybe we should sticky a thread about aptasia removal" - not that I am trying to HINT AT SOMETHING!!!
It's just crazy to me that all these forums are up and running so that people can exchange information on how to keep their tanks inhabitants HEALTHY or HEALTHIER, but it's some huge mystery how to kill one kind.
As far as the peppermint shrimp go, I've read that there are actually two varieties that are readily available to LFS (you can only distinguish between the two by measuring the lengths of the base of their antennae or some such bizarre thing). This may explain why some people have success with these guys eating aptasia and others do not. So unless you have a magnifying glass and a measuring device that can measure SUPER small lengths AND somehow get lucky that your individual shrimp LIKES to eat aptasia. Hey, NOT every overweight American likes Big Macs... you catch my drift
Using lime, boiling water, chemicals, etc seems to be effective. I would think that ANY chemical used to kill the aptasia had better be something you already need in your tank in the first place (so the Kalk makes sense). The problem with this method IMO, is that if there are neighboring corals by the aptasia, you risk burning (chemically or literally) them to get rid of the aptasia.
I've heard that some fish will eat it. I honestly cannot remember what it was but I DO remember that it was a fish that was only "reef safe with caution". IMAGINE THAT, a fish that eats a "glass anemone" EATS other corals!? So I'd say buying a fish for the purpose of eating your aptasia my not be too great.
The president of the local "fish nerd group" in which I am a member, is using "Joe’s juice" and says it works well - but all the chatter on our message boards seems to be of folks who have used the stuff and need to borrow it from him again and vice versa. Once again, suggesting to me that it is NOT the cure-all.
So let me tell you WHAT WORKED FOR ME. Let me also add that this method works well for ANY coral that you consider a nuisance (Mojano, Xenia, etc...). There's this stuff called reef epoxy. It comes in a little tube. You have to squish the stuff together to activate it so that you can get it to bond to your rock or SPS, etc... It is reef safe. I've read that some folks who use A LOT of this at one time (like when they are using it for reef-scaping purposes while setting up their tank) will notice that their skimmer will produce more scum than normal. I would think that this is due to the introduction of all their live rock into their tanks and not the reef epoxy - as I have never noted any change when I have used the reef epoxy. You can use it underwater (meaning you don't have to take your rock out of the water to use the stuff). Anyway, let's say you have a small stalk of aptasia poking itself out of some live rock. Make it mad so that it shrinks up. Take a blob of mixed up reef epoxy (I used a piece about the size of a blueberry) and just cover up the aptasia - ENTOMB THE THING! BURY IT ALIVE! If the rock the aptasia is attached to is porous, you might need to apply more reef epoxy near the "burial site" to make sure it doesn't creep trough the rock and reappear elsewhere. End of story.
So my tips to make your tank Aptasia free:
1- Examine EVERY inch of every piece of LR you put in your tank before you buy it if possible!
2- DO NOT try to cut or rip off aptasia. Like some great sci-fi movie critter, they have the ability to come back from next to NOTHING and their "blood" can yield even MORE aptasia!
3- If you CAN burn away your problem child with chemicals, juices, or hot water, go for it.
4- Bury the b*stard alive with reef epoxy.
5- Peppermint shrimp make interesting additions to a tank anyway, just don't expect them to have an appetite for Aptasia (I won't eat McDonalds but I know tons, LITERALLY
, who do).
6- If you use any chemical or creature to do your dirty work for you, know that you may have to deal with THEM later.
All in all I have only had to get rid of three aptasia, four Mojano, and I've used this method to kill a couple of stalks of xenia. NONE of them EVER returned.
It's just crazy to me that all these forums are up and running so that people can exchange information on how to keep their tanks inhabitants HEALTHY or HEALTHIER, but it's some huge mystery how to kill one kind.
As far as the peppermint shrimp go, I've read that there are actually two varieties that are readily available to LFS (you can only distinguish between the two by measuring the lengths of the base of their antennae or some such bizarre thing). This may explain why some people have success with these guys eating aptasia and others do not. So unless you have a magnifying glass and a measuring device that can measure SUPER small lengths AND somehow get lucky that your individual shrimp LIKES to eat aptasia. Hey, NOT every overweight American likes Big Macs... you catch my drift
Using lime, boiling water, chemicals, etc seems to be effective. I would think that ANY chemical used to kill the aptasia had better be something you already need in your tank in the first place (so the Kalk makes sense). The problem with this method IMO, is that if there are neighboring corals by the aptasia, you risk burning (chemically or literally) them to get rid of the aptasia.
I've heard that some fish will eat it. I honestly cannot remember what it was but I DO remember that it was a fish that was only "reef safe with caution". IMAGINE THAT, a fish that eats a "glass anemone" EATS other corals!? So I'd say buying a fish for the purpose of eating your aptasia my not be too great.
The president of the local "fish nerd group" in which I am a member, is using "Joe’s juice" and says it works well - but all the chatter on our message boards seems to be of folks who have used the stuff and need to borrow it from him again and vice versa. Once again, suggesting to me that it is NOT the cure-all.
So let me tell you WHAT WORKED FOR ME. Let me also add that this method works well for ANY coral that you consider a nuisance (Mojano, Xenia, etc...). There's this stuff called reef epoxy. It comes in a little tube. You have to squish the stuff together to activate it so that you can get it to bond to your rock or SPS, etc... It is reef safe. I've read that some folks who use A LOT of this at one time (like when they are using it for reef-scaping purposes while setting up their tank) will notice that their skimmer will produce more scum than normal. I would think that this is due to the introduction of all their live rock into their tanks and not the reef epoxy - as I have never noted any change when I have used the reef epoxy. You can use it underwater (meaning you don't have to take your rock out of the water to use the stuff). Anyway, let's say you have a small stalk of aptasia poking itself out of some live rock. Make it mad so that it shrinks up. Take a blob of mixed up reef epoxy (I used a piece about the size of a blueberry) and just cover up the aptasia - ENTOMB THE THING! BURY IT ALIVE! If the rock the aptasia is attached to is porous, you might need to apply more reef epoxy near the "burial site" to make sure it doesn't creep trough the rock and reappear elsewhere. End of story.
So my tips to make your tank Aptasia free:
1- Examine EVERY inch of every piece of LR you put in your tank before you buy it if possible!
2- DO NOT try to cut or rip off aptasia. Like some great sci-fi movie critter, they have the ability to come back from next to NOTHING and their "blood" can yield even MORE aptasia!
3- If you CAN burn away your problem child with chemicals, juices, or hot water, go for it.
4- Bury the b*stard alive with reef epoxy.
5- Peppermint shrimp make interesting additions to a tank anyway, just don't expect them to have an appetite for Aptasia (I won't eat McDonalds but I know tons, LITERALLY
, who do).6- If you use any chemical or creature to do your dirty work for you, know that you may have to deal with THEM later.
All in all I have only had to get rid of three aptasia, four Mojano, and I've used this method to kill a couple of stalks of xenia. NONE of them EVER returned.