How long till aiptasias croak?

[debbie g]

So, I used a hypodermic needle and sucked up some kalkwasser, shot it into the aiptasias last night. Today they're all as happy as can be. Will it just take a little longer, or should they be dead by now?
Thanks.

 

[cptn howdy]

they shoulda been nuked on the spot. you probably
1. didn't use a strong enough mix
2. didn't use enough of the mix or
3. didn't get it directly in the mouth

 

[barry cuda]

Did you just use kalk in the same strength that you'd drip? I've only had one aiptasia (that I'm aware of) and it shriveled right up after getting a nice shot of kalk paste in the mouth. I mixed it with just enough water to make it flow thickly.

 

[gkp]

If I find them on a rock I get at the lfs I hold an ice cube against them untill it is fully melted. This works great for me.

 

[nudibranch]

a good ol' peppermint shrimp will do the trick, unless it's a large one (so I'm told).

 

[debbie g]

I used about a teaspoon of kalk in about 1/4 cup of water. Sure looked like an overdose of kalk to me. I think I actually gave them a "spraying" of kalk. They were wrapping their tentacles around the needle but I guess I wasn't going in far enough. There are about 20 or more in there and they've all got their arms folded across their chests mimicking Mr. T..."Is that all you got? Bring it on!"
I'll get the shrimp

 

[cptn howdy]

well it sounds like you used the right mixture. but it think the "spraying" is the problem. the way i nuke em is this:
put the tip of the needle up to em and SLOWLY let a tad bit leak out. then they become interested and will wrap their tenticles around the whole tip (just like they did when you tried). once they do that then just slowly inject more into the mouth. if you spray em then they'll retract. you'll hit em but might not get enough in their mouth by the time they hide in your rock. give it another try deb.
i'm pretty sure peppermints out there eat the apts. mine don't. they're worthless. they barely even come outta hiding.
stupid shrimp.

 

[cptn howdy]

hey kip, is it bad if "uneaten" portions of the mixture start floating around the tank? i usually take a 2nd sringe full of saltwater and spray off corals where some of that kalk can settle.

 

[debbie g]

Okay thanks. It did look pasty on the bottom of the cup, but that part didn't get sucked up into the hypodermic. I think I'll try again when I can put them in my small tank. It was too hard to reach into the tall tank and do it.
Thanks again, I was thinking I had the aiptasias from hell
Deb

 

[jenfur427]

I used white vinegar and a needle syringe on my aiptasia, and haven't had a problem since. You don't have to inject them directly in the mouth either, any place you can stick them will work.

 

[sal713]

I used a small amount of lemon juice. Thats the answer I got here when I asked the same question but I was told to make sure you stick them in the body not the mouth. They were dead or appeared to be dead in about a minute.

 

[debbie g]

Did you guys take the rock out of the water to give the aiptasias the lemon juice/vinegar shot? If yes, didn't they retract into the rocks so you couldn't see them? If you left them in the tank to do it, wasn't putting lemon juice/vinegar into the tank a bad thing?