aiptasia worries?
- Thread starter salt nate
- Start date
silverdak
Active Member
ya time is critical! k mart had some wally mart has em also. its not a super small needle... doesn't have to be either. the heat of the calcium melt and kills them almost instantly. if you have a lot and dont want to mess with calcium maybe throw a peppermint shrimp or 2 in there. they have eaten all mine int he past. any way you do it let us know how it goes!
natclanwy
Active Member
They are extremely aggressive as far as growth is concerned I would kill them now not tomorrow or the next day. Once they get out of control it is very difficult to get them eradicated Here is an old pic of my tank this pic was taken after a treatment with Joe's juice, all of the white spots were colonies of aiptasia that were treated with Joe's juice. This outbreak started with one aiptasia.
I started with Joe's juice which worked very well but a mix of kalkwasser works equally well and is much cheaper. Shut all of your pumps off when you treat the aiptasia just be sure you don't jab the aiptasia with the syringe in fact they should never touch just slowly let the solution fall onto the oral disk and the aiptasia will consume it and die.
I started with Joe's juice which worked very well but a mix of kalkwasser works equally well and is much cheaper. Shut all of your pumps off when you treat the aiptasia just be sure you don't jab the aiptasia with the syringe in fact they should never touch just slowly let the solution fall onto the oral disk and the aiptasia will consume it and die.
socal57che
Active Member
I use both. I tried plain kalk paste, but it didn't work as well as lemon juice for me so I now make a lemon-lime elixir paste that works really well.
Large gauge hypodermic needles are available at the local farm supply.
Lemon-Lime= Lemon Juice and Pickling Lime...
Large gauge hypodermic needles are available at the local farm supply.
Lemon-Lime= Lemon Juice and Pickling Lime...
stanlalee
Active Member
they arent that aggressive in growth unless you facilitate it. EVERYBODY who's had a reef tank for any length of time has had an atapsia or two or three. they do not grow out of control in well kept reef tanks. In fact grow very slow. In my case, to the point I really didn't need to do anything about it. If I had one it would take MONTHS before another single one would pop up. And I have never had one grow big like the ones in those pics no matter how long I let it stay there. Of course I killed them, they are ugly. They are like bubble algae, if they begin to grow out of control its an indication of a tank nutrient issue.
If you had seven pop up in a few months time then you should start to worry. If you had one and it took over a year before you noticed there were seven then there isn't a big concern over taking over. if they could have they would have a long time ago unless you changed something in your tank that would increase available nutrients.
If you had seven pop up in a few months time then you should start to worry. If you had one and it took over a year before you noticed there were seven then there isn't a big concern over taking over. if they could have they would have a long time ago unless you changed something in your tank that would increase available nutrients.
salt nate
Member
hey socal....
do you inject into them, or just sqirt on the center of the disk? I shot them with lemon juice(in the center of the disk) this morning and they quickly pulled in. I just got home from work and none of them are out of their holes??? maybe their gone? it couldnt be that easy could it?
do you inject into them, or just sqirt on the center of the disk? I shot them with lemon juice(in the center of the disk) this morning and they quickly pulled in. I just got home from work and none of them are out of their holes??? maybe their gone? it couldnt be that easy could it?
socal57che
Active Member
Originally Posted by salt nate
http:///forum/post/2773678
hey socal....
do you inject into them, or just sqirt on the center of the disk? I shot them with lemon juice(in the center of the disk) this morning and they quickly pulled in. I just got home from work and none of them are out of their holes??? maybe their gone? it couldnt be that easy could it?
They will retract when touched. They can survive the injection or kalk paste. They can also move. I've seen some retract into a hole and emerge from a nearby hole overnight.
Watch for them to return. If they do, just blast them again.
When I used lemon juice by itself I injected the juice in the base near the foot.
When using the lemon/lime paste I glob it on the disc, followed by a glob on the hole it retracts into. This is the most effective treatment I have used.
http:///forum/post/2773678
hey socal....
do you inject into them, or just sqirt on the center of the disk? I shot them with lemon juice(in the center of the disk) this morning and they quickly pulled in. I just got home from work and none of them are out of their holes??? maybe their gone? it couldnt be that easy could it?
They will retract when touched. They can survive the injection or kalk paste. They can also move. I've seen some retract into a hole and emerge from a nearby hole overnight.
Watch for them to return. If they do, just blast them again.
When I used lemon juice by itself I injected the juice in the base near the foot.
When using the lemon/lime paste I glob it on the disc, followed by a glob on the hole it retracts into. This is the most effective treatment I have used.
socal57che
Active Member
Originally Posted by salt nate
http:///forum/post/2774075
well i squirted it on them, then doused the hole they went into. There are no aiptasias sticking out as of now!!!!!!!!!
If they come back, I will try your method. Why pickling lime juice? what makes it a paste? arent they both just juice--so cal
Pickling Lime:
Pickling Lime is Calcium Hydroxide. It's also called "food-grade Lime", because in making the Calcium Hydroxide the processors make sure that the process remains pure and doesn't introduce anything untoward (e.g. it's not done in rusty old bins).
It is a powder.
Add enough lemon juice to make a semi-solid paste. Play with the consistency to find a solution you can administer with a hypodermic or eyedropper.
http:///forum/post/2774075
well i squirted it on them, then doused the hole they went into. There are no aiptasias sticking out as of now!!!!!!!!!
If they come back, I will try your method. Why pickling lime juice? what makes it a paste? arent they both just juice--so cal
Pickling Lime:
Pickling Lime is Calcium Hydroxide. It's also called "food-grade Lime", because in making the Calcium Hydroxide the processors make sure that the process remains pure and doesn't introduce anything untoward (e.g. it's not done in rusty old bins).
It is a powder.
Add enough lemon juice to make a semi-solid paste. Play with the consistency to find a solution you can administer with a hypodermic or eyedropper.
natclanwy
Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/2773473
they arent that aggressive in growth unless you facilitate it. EVERYBODY who's had a reef tank for any length of time has had an atapsia or two or three. they do not grow out of control in well kept reef tanks. In fact grow very slow. In my case, to the point I really didn't need to do anything about it. If I had one it would take MONTHS before another single one would pop up. And I have never had one grow big like the ones in those pics no matter how long I let it stay there. Of course I killed them, they are ugly. They are like bubble algae, if they begin to grow out of control its an indication of a tank nutrient issue.
If you had seven pop up in a few months time then you should start to worry. If you had one and it took over a year before you noticed there were seven then there isn't a big concern over taking over. if they could have they would have a long time ago unless you changed something in your tank that would increase available nutrients.
I'm glad you haven't had a serious outbreak but I think you need to check your research as aiptasia are not Dependant on nutrients in your tank they have Zooxanthellae in their tissue and are quite capable of living and propagating aggressively without the addition of nutrients. They are also very hardy I have personally seen them survive several hours in freshwater, and hyper salinity. I had a tank that I placed several rocks covered in aiptasia and some bergia nudibranchs, it was set up in a dark room and I never fed the tank. After three months the aiptasia still survived although they were seriously bleached, then the bergia nudis finally took off and consumed them.
I do agree that excess nutrients will increase the speed at which they reproduce but lack of nutrients will not halt their progress as long as there is enough light for photosynthesis to occur.
http:///forum/post/2773473
they arent that aggressive in growth unless you facilitate it. EVERYBODY who's had a reef tank for any length of time has had an atapsia or two or three. they do not grow out of control in well kept reef tanks. In fact grow very slow. In my case, to the point I really didn't need to do anything about it. If I had one it would take MONTHS before another single one would pop up. And I have never had one grow big like the ones in those pics no matter how long I let it stay there. Of course I killed them, they are ugly. They are like bubble algae, if they begin to grow out of control its an indication of a tank nutrient issue.
If you had seven pop up in a few months time then you should start to worry. If you had one and it took over a year before you noticed there were seven then there isn't a big concern over taking over. if they could have they would have a long time ago unless you changed something in your tank that would increase available nutrients.
I'm glad you haven't had a serious outbreak but I think you need to check your research as aiptasia are not Dependant on nutrients in your tank they have Zooxanthellae in their tissue and are quite capable of living and propagating aggressively without the addition of nutrients. They are also very hardy I have personally seen them survive several hours in freshwater, and hyper salinity. I had a tank that I placed several rocks covered in aiptasia and some bergia nudibranchs, it was set up in a dark room and I never fed the tank. After three months the aiptasia still survived although they were seriously bleached, then the bergia nudis finally took off and consumed them.
I do agree that excess nutrients will increase the speed at which they reproduce but lack of nutrients will not halt their progress as long as there is enough light for photosynthesis to occur.
spiderwoman
Active Member
I would try the Peppermint way. I added 7 in our 150g reef and it took them about 2 weeks before they started going after Aiptasia and Majanos. Our tank is too deep for me to try to get anything with a syringe.... I do have Joe's Juice ready to go if any of them come near the top.
socal57che
Active Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2774721
I would try the Peppermint way. I added 7 in our 150g reef and it took them about 2 weeks before they started going after Aiptasia and Majanos. Our tank is too deep for me to try to get anything with a syringe.... I do have Joe's Juice ready to go if any of them come near the top.
I would like to have a peppemint, but I'm afraid my CBS just wouldn't agree.
http:///forum/post/2774721
I would try the Peppermint way. I added 7 in our 150g reef and it took them about 2 weeks before they started going after Aiptasia and Majanos. Our tank is too deep for me to try to get anything with a syringe.... I do have Joe's Juice ready to go if any of them come near the top.
I would like to have a peppemint, but I'm afraid my CBS just wouldn't agree.
stanlalee
Active Member
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2774370
I'm glad you haven't had a serious outbreak but I think you need to check your research as aiptasia are not Dependant on nutrients in your tank they have Zooxanthellae in their tissue and are quite capable of living and propagating aggressively without the addition of nutrients.
True indeed. Because it contains Xooxanthellae (a single celled dinoflagellate algae) it CAN multiply and proliferate without high nutrients however what it can do and what is TYPICAL are two different things. Fact is trying to irraticate one or two that arent proliferating or spreading will likely do more to cause them to spread than leaving them alone. It only takes a SINGLE cell for it to regenerate so any failed attempt or measure to stress or kill them can make matters worse (like you did, extended periods of darkness causes them to lacerate and release basal cells to multiply where they wouldn't otherwise go into panic mode). from personal experience more times than not injecting them less than perfectly with whatever only ends with a new (or the same one) coming right back to the same spot anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks later and an additional one or two for the troubles of messing with it (you basically have to inject a paste with the pumps off thats going to stay put for a while and down into the hole the foot is planted). A perfectly HAPPY unstressed atapsia in a low nutrient system does not have any trigger or stressor to tell it it needs to regenerate. Take the same situation and add nutrients the dino algae inside does what dino does.
bergia.website(probably forbidden link) pretty much sums it up as you have: "In sexual reproduction, oocyte sizes and gonad weights as well as asexual basal lacerations increase with more light and more feedings or nutrients. However the reef keeper should not assume that nutrient poor water and reduced fish feedings will slow the process any because aiptasia contain xooxanthellae".
from bob fenners FAQ: "In nutrient scrubbed tanks Aiptasia do not reproduce at all...literally. Many aquarists will have a rock say with 3 Aiptasia on it and then 2 years later... maybe have four. Most aquarists (myself included) can be too generous at times or have fish that feed messily that allow the Aiptasia to flourish"
from fishlore's aitapsia page: "Aiptasia is a smaller anemone that can get to be about 1 inch (3 cm) in diameter, sometimes larger, and reproduces rapidly in a saltwater aquarium with abundant nutrients."
http:///forum/post/2774370
I'm glad you haven't had a serious outbreak but I think you need to check your research as aiptasia are not Dependant on nutrients in your tank they have Zooxanthellae in their tissue and are quite capable of living and propagating aggressively without the addition of nutrients.
True indeed. Because it contains Xooxanthellae (a single celled dinoflagellate algae) it CAN multiply and proliferate without high nutrients however what it can do and what is TYPICAL are two different things. Fact is trying to irraticate one or two that arent proliferating or spreading will likely do more to cause them to spread than leaving them alone. It only takes a SINGLE cell for it to regenerate so any failed attempt or measure to stress or kill them can make matters worse (like you did, extended periods of darkness causes them to lacerate and release basal cells to multiply where they wouldn't otherwise go into panic mode). from personal experience more times than not injecting them less than perfectly with whatever only ends with a new (or the same one) coming right back to the same spot anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks later and an additional one or two for the troubles of messing with it (you basically have to inject a paste with the pumps off thats going to stay put for a while and down into the hole the foot is planted). A perfectly HAPPY unstressed atapsia in a low nutrient system does not have any trigger or stressor to tell it it needs to regenerate. Take the same situation and add nutrients the dino algae inside does what dino does.
bergia.website(probably forbidden link) pretty much sums it up as you have: "In sexual reproduction, oocyte sizes and gonad weights as well as asexual basal lacerations increase with more light and more feedings or nutrients. However the reef keeper should not assume that nutrient poor water and reduced fish feedings will slow the process any because aiptasia contain xooxanthellae".
from bob fenners FAQ: "In nutrient scrubbed tanks Aiptasia do not reproduce at all...literally. Many aquarists will have a rock say with 3 Aiptasia on it and then 2 years later... maybe have four. Most aquarists (myself included) can be too generous at times or have fish that feed messily that allow the Aiptasia to flourish"
from fishlore's aitapsia page: "Aiptasia is a smaller anemone that can get to be about 1 inch (3 cm) in diameter, sometimes larger, and reproduces rapidly in a saltwater aquarium with abundant nutrients."