How much aptasia.

[fishtaco]

How much aptasia does everyone see around at their LFS? Just wondering because it seems like all the stores in my area don't really seem to be concerned about it and it kept me from buying two super nice zoa colonies today because they also had these hitch-hikers. I just can't help but think a few peppermints in the tank would be an easy fix and wonder why they don't control it better since it is such a problem in a home tank.
Fishtaco

 

[fishtk75]

Originally Posted by Fishtaco
http:///forum/post/3137359
How much aptasia does everyone see around at their LFS? Just wondering because it seems like all the stores in my area don't really seem to be concerned about it and it kept me from buying two super nice zoa colonies today because they also had these hitch-hikers. I just can't help but think a few peppermints in the tank would be an easy fix and wonder why they don't control it better since it is such a problem in a home tank.
Fishtaco
The LFS need to cleanup there tanks they will over take the tank. I have many in my tank from coral I got. Every week I use old test kit syringe and heavy mix of O/R water and pickling lime in a bottle and shoot them to kill them off.
Yes you need to keep them under contol.

 

[luamada2008]

Please help me to learn how I can control aptasia. I thought they were some type of coral just to findout they were aptasia and my tank is infested. I have no idea. I tried to buy a copper but it died in the same day I bought him. I was devasted. I think my other fishes may have killed or i have no idea. I put in my tank at 6 and the next morning it had desapared. Vanished from the tank. I looked everywhere for it but nothing not even the dead body.
I have been putting a solution (purple) that I bought at the store, but no sucess. Any ideas?

 

[242bats]

we just boiled tank water and dripped it on the aptasia about 30min ago, and it seems to have worked very well, took the rock out of the tank to do this

 

[islandkoa]

I let mine reproduce for too long then tried various techniques and none have worked so I am going all out this weekend and cleaning my tank which I put in a different thread under corals.

 

[sandman181]

I ended up buying some peppermint shrimp and just like that the aptasia were gone. One thing my LFS told me was don't feed your tank for 2-3 days that way the shrimp will have to eat the aptasia.

 

[cranberry]

None of the solutions (kalk/water/vinegar etc etc) work 100%. I've tried them all. They work momentarily.... but they'll come back.
The only thing that really works IMO is critters that consume them. Now, finding critters that will exhibit said behaviour... that's a whole 'nother ballgame. We've had luck with our peps, but now I have some in my scorp tanks where I can't place peps. We got a pair or filefish they is suppose to eat them... we'll see.

 

[kaingers]

My experience is pepermints are 50/50. Depends on the tank and the tankmates. With that said, if you population of aiptasia is controllable (<12) I would vote hot water and a turkey baster and or joes juice with a syringe. You are going to pay $8+ bucks a pop for a pepermint that you will prolly never see again, and may or may not resolve the problem.

 

[be2lose]

One rock I bought was infested with them, I could not see them when I bought it. I used Aptasia-x probably for 6 months now and it has worked really well. I had at least 2 doz. I kill them as I find them only two last week (in the prefilter) nothing new since then. Water changes are on Sundays, I'll get a closer look then.

 

[cranberry]

Originally Posted by kaingers
http:///forum/post/3148072
With that said, if you population of aiptasia is controllable (<12) I would vote hot water and a turkey baster and or joes juice with a syringe. You are going to pay $8+ bucks a pop for a pepermint that you will prolly never see again, and may or may not resolve the problem.
But just know... that doesn't work for everyone. It didn't work for me. The pop of just a handful grew while I was trying all those different things. The boiling water worked the least for me, followed by vinegar/lemon juice. The best that worked was the prepared solutions but that stuff is almost a single use app. No matter how much you clean the top and put the lid back on pronto... the stuff still goops up. If you have to add the water to thin in up, it will never work the same again. You'll always get those irritating clumps after that. But cleaning the outside rim of the bottle and the inside of the lid before putting it away, will help with the clumping factor.

 

[kaingers]

Ya, joes juice is definately for spot treatments. Never actually tried the hot water, just heard it worked for some people. And to answer the original Q, yes, just about every LFS I go into has aiptasia somewhere in their tanks.

 

[aceguitar1]

I had at least a dozen in my tank when I started it. I got a peppermint shrimp and didn't feed him for several days. No more aptasia... I've heard that for some people, their pep's don't eat them, but then again not every "peppermint shrimp" is a true aptasia eating pep. All I can say is that it worked for me, and to respond on an earlier post, I see mine all the time... He's actually fairly lively. Guess it just depends on the personality of the shrimp

 

[cherylann]

Yep tried Joe's Juice, boiling water and another product that was essentially
the same as Joes Juice. Peppermint shrimp did the job, they even ate the ones on my power heads in the sump and in my other tanks as well, don't be fooled by camal shrimp which look very familiar. No more aptasia nightmares for me.

 

[gritchie2]

I have had problems with aiptasia more than a few times, can’t do the peppermint shrimp thing due to tank mates, copper banded work great for me. The copper banded are hard to get to stay alive but when you get one to stick he will be around for a long time. For the best luck find out the salinity your LFS keeps in the tank he will be in at the store. Slowly adjust your home tank to the same. My LFS keep fish water low 2.0 or 2.1 my tank stays at 2.5. Then when you add him do a slow drip with and air stone. I always ask for a large bag for the fish this will make the dripping take longer witch is better. After all aptiasa are gone I slowly change some rock out from my sump-fuge with some more, after everything clean the longest I have had one live is 2 or 3 months. Also I have had better luck with the bigger coppe banded, not sure why. Any info in size and die off rate??