Redsea Aiptasia-x

sharkbait9

Active Member
Occasionally I would find a couple aiptasia in my tanks and deal with them accordingly. Using various products and homemade concoctions like Joe‘s Juice, lemon juice or boiling hot ro/di water or kalk paste or kalk paste cut with Ro/Di water to get a better draw and injection with a syringe. I even used garlic trying to find a way to deal with these pest known as aiptasia.
It appeared that the treatments works, or so we thought. The biggest problem with aforementioned treatments was that utilization of a syringe, not a common tool found in the hobby, let alone in most states are syringes easily obtained without doctors orders and or prescriptions.
I, however was able to get my hands on a couple of everyday IM needles to use for the aiptasia injections.
A week or two later after treatments we would see a little cluster of babies starting to grow in a different area and again we would treat deal. It seemed this was just life with reef tanks. We would treat the problem area and it would be done. Add a new rock or coral colony and we would be dealing with the problem again.
I Recently introduced a couple of frag plugs to our tank and noticed the plug had an aiptasia on it, so I went and got my tools need to remove the pest. As I injected the aiptasia and I watch it spit this real quick burst of white. Not thinking anything of it other then maybe it was trying to spit out the lemon juice shortly thereafter it started wilt away. Problem solved once again. Not so. In the picture you can see the cluster of babies that started to grow in an area that never had aiptasia before. The cluster of baby aiptasia were at an angle that was hard to get a good look at and see just where I was sticking the needle. Not wanting to inject one of the xenia that was growing in the area and being the rock was to big to remove I was in a for difficult time to treat these pest.
I was introduced to a new product called aiptasia-X.
Watching one of my friends use this treatment was interesting and amazing to say the least. To my amazement it worked, and it worked fast.
i went and purchased the treatment and started doseing.
The pictures are from my camera phone and not of the best quality but it will at least illustrate how well this stuff works.


 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Now about the product.
A recently new product has been introduced to the hobby for the treatment and eradication of aiptasia, called aiptasia-x, made by Redsea.
Inside the box comes a very basic instruction manual along with two administering tips one straight and one with a bend at the end for angled applications. The medication itself is a pink water solution that draws easily into the applicator. Users will notice when the medication and tank water mix the pink medication will instantly become a whitish glue like drops. Medications is easily administered to the intended target with little to no force applied to the plunger of the applicator. Applications is easy as it is interesting to see how the aiptasia reacts to the applicator tip.
Anyone who has dealt with aiptasia knows how quick aiptasia are to retract when even the slighted disturbance is felt. Not so with Aiptasia-X. Aiptasia are quick to reach and latch onto the applicator tip truly thinking its food. As the aiptasia latch onto the tip, administering the treatment easy and less messy.
When administering the treatment, the user doesn’t need to use any force on the plunger. A light tap on the plunger is all that is needed to cover the oral disk of the intended target.
Within minutes of dosing the target begins to stretch and react to the treatment. With minutes the aiptasia begins to implode and starts to shrivel up.
At this point, its my opinion to have a turkey baster or some sort of suction tool available and at the ready to suck up and left over medication and body parts of the aiptasia.
Again the suction is my theory and opinion, it is not address in the manual.
I felt that removal of leftovers was important part to A, hinder any possible spread of tissue and any planula that may excape from the body cavity and B, the possibility of unintended targets having the medication accidentally land on them causing the possible death of the unintended target. Redsea stated that the medication will decay in the water and be of no harm to other life and co inhabitants. My opinion, why take a chance.
 

salt life

Active Member
Thanks for posting this and also replying in my thread about aiptasia, all i gotta do is find a store that sells this stuff, lol
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by Salt Life
http:///forum/post/2897138
Thanks for posting this and also replying in my thread about aiptasia, all i gotta do is find a store that sells this stuff, lol

No problem. Aiptasia-x is readily available all over. From what I can see the bigger "pet" chains don't carry it. A simple search will reveal all the placed to purchase aiptasia-x.
I forgot to add one important but disturbing action that happens when aiptasia-x is used. When the user doses aiptasia-x in the targeted area and the medication has be administered, the smells travels thru the water column other aiptasia start to pop up in areas you did not know were infected otherwise.
Not really a bad reaction but kind of surprise’s the user.
Good luck it really is a great product.
 

bill109

Active Member
when you use boiling water can you squirt it while the rock is in the tank? or do you have to take the lr out?
 

doc308

Member
Good post!
I like it too. It's a good product and worked great to remove the aiptasia I had in my tank. The only down side I have with the product is that mine apparently didn't come with an angled tip, so I had to somehow get it in there without disturbing the beasts.
My aiptasia are young, so they were protruding from the rockwork on stems. I applied the aiptasia-x and they quickly withdrew back into their holes. However, I must have gotten enough on them to work because they are now gone completely.
This is potent stuff and so far there have been no problems with my other life in the tank.
 

brian_wis

Member
aiptasia-x.does not work, I usd the stuff and 2 weeks later

[hr]
>
Them little suckers tick me off
, Mr copper band butterfly fish is going in my reef this weekend
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Originally Posted by Brian_Wis
http:///forum/post/2918974
aiptasia-x.does not work, I usd the stuff and 2 weeks later

[hr]
>
Them little suckers tick me off
, Mr copper band butterfly fish is going in my reef this weekend

Be sure you are not confusing aiptasia with hydroids... I will try to find a pic...
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
all i can say is that on aptasia it works great with out a doubt. on hyds it will work also but a couple of treatments will kill them off.
So far my tanks are pest free now.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Oh I agree with you that the stuff is awesome! I was concerned that Brian said id didn't work for him. I never tried it on hydroids, but my flame back angel ate them if you can believe that.
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by Tizzo
http:///forum/post/2919219
Oh I agree with you that the stuff is awesome! I was concerned that Brian said id didn't work for him. I never tried it on hydroids, but my flame back angel ate them if you can believe that.

really, your flameback angel??? Well now thats interesting. The only real disclaimer that i would high light is that all water movement must stop before treatment is made. With in min the aptasia swelled up started to deflate and melted away all within 1 hour after treatment was done.
The couple of droids i had did take a couple of treatments but it did kill them.
 

salt life

Active Member
Originally Posted by Brian_Wis
http:///forum/post/2918974
aiptasia-x.does not work, I usd the stuff and 2 weeks later

[hr]
>
Them little suckers tick me off
, Mr copper band butterfly fish is going in my reef this weekend

It works, you just have to keep up with them and be consistent with it.
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by bill109
http:///forum/post/2918851
when you use boiling water can you squirt it while the rock is in the tank? or do you have to take the lr out?
When treating with boiling water in your tank make sure the water is at a good boil when you put it in your syringe. It will cool as soon as it is introduced into your tank and you also have to use a good amount IMO at least one cup per aptasia
 

the_hadleys

Member
I've read/heard that using the chemicals in your tank is bad bad bad... Granted I'm very new to the hobby, just stuff I've picked up reading different things... I also read that nudibranchs are the way to go to get rid of the aptasia...? Opinions? Not sure I want them, it sounds like they multiply like mad, but we definiteley don't want the aptasia speading more...
 

salt life

Active Member
I read about a nudibranch that only eats aptasia, forgot the exact name of it.. But on the site I looked on they are 25+ each depending on size. I would rather go with the Aiptasia-X. Doesn't harm anything and chemicals aren't "bad" to use in an aquarium, as long as you dose it correctly.
 

the_hadleys

Member
That's a good point. And you're right about the price. As far as the name it's something like Berhgia ... They're certainly cool looking, just not so sure we'd want them if they're quick breeders.
 

wilsonreef

Member
They are called Berghia Nudibranch. They are somewhat expensive, and they do multiply. The thing about the Berghia is they only eat aiptasia, once the tank is eradicated of them, if aiptasia is not entered into the tank a little every now and then the Berghia will die. If you had 20 of them and they had nothing to eat they starve. I've never used them but what I've read they do work. I have talked with one person that had some and he said they did not live very long. I think I would try them though.
 
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