Live Rock with a lot of aptasia

[777]

Hi I have a lot of LR with aptasia and have been killing it off a little at a time, but always seems to come back.
Can I take a piece out at a time, let it dry out and then place it back in the tank? I plan on keeping it out for about 2 months then placing it back in? Or do i have to cure it?

 

[ibew41]

you would have to cure it again after scrubbing it to get the stuff that dies off have you tried peppermint shrimp to get rid of it

 

[dmcdonald]

After setting up my live rock, 4 pieces all had aptasia. After thowing away one which was infested w/ bubble algea and aptasia, two other pieces where spot treated and scrubbed w/ lemon juice then laid in the sun for several days. The rock obviously died but no aptasia since and a month later color from the other rocks in the tank have began to spread.
My last piece base / cave rock had a mild case of aptasia which I continually spot treated w/ store bought 'aptasia killer'. Finally I bought four peppermint shrimp which have removed all signs of aptasia.
*** Side note, be sure to buy a few peppermint shrimp. I've been told they work much faster as a group when going after the aptasia.

 

[jstdv8]

I bought some aiptasia infested rock about a year ago and I kept them in a seperate holding tanka nd treated with a lime paste made from Mr's Wages pickling lime (cheap for very large container of it)
It took a few weeks but I killed off all the aiptasia and managed to keep all the corals that were on the rocks alive throughout the process.
Id reccomend this treatment and then get a starving peppermint shrimp for backup.

 

[777]

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[dutchswan]

I had aptasia, got a peppermint shrimp...it was gone in 10 minutes. My peppermint shrimp is the longest living inhabitant of my tank so far

 

[mylady]

We've gone through, I think 6, peppermint shrimp, and none of them would eat our aptasia

 

[jstdv8]

there are another kind of shrimp that look very similar to a peppermint. the other thing is that they won't eat aptasia if they are liking something else like your fish food better.
if you have a managaebale amount of aiptasia in your tank I suggest not feeding the tank for 2-3 days and let the peppermint shrimp do his thing. if you have lots of aiptasia, you need peppermints.

 

[ibew41]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/383845/live-rock-with-a-lot-of-aptasia#post_3362709
there are another kind of shrimp that look very similar to a peppermint. the other thing is that they won't eat aptasia if they are liking something else like your fish food better.
if you have a managaebale amount of aiptasia in your tank I suggest not feeding the tank for 2-3 days and let the peppermint shrimp do his thing. if you have lots of aiptasia, you need peppermints.
camel shrimp look like peppermint shrimp and they wont touch it and in some stores sold as pepperments

 

[spanko]

Lysmata wurdemanni s the Caribbean shrimp that eats aptasia.
Lysmata californica is the other one that does not eat aiptasia.

 

[mylady]

I think our problem was hubby feeds the tank so well they didn't need to eat the aptasia.