tony detroit
Active Member
do the aiptasia eating nudibranchs work?
The Basics of Aiptasia
- Thread starter timsedwards
- Start date
timsedwards
Active Member
Im afraid ive never tried them, dont they sell them on this site? Pop them an email and ask for info on them, sure they wont mind.
All the best,
Tim.
All the best,
Tim.
tony detroit
Active Member
Anybody else ever have one or know anyone with one. Do they ship well? My lfs said they cannot guarantee live arrival, but they can't find them anyway right now.
timsedwards
Active Member
Hi plum70rt, do you mean aiptasias or the aiptasia eating nudibranchs?
Tim.
Tim.
timsedwards
Active Member
Hi Plum70rt,
Hmmmmm im not sure on the first one. Its tenticles look almost too thick for it to be aiptasia. Is it touching any corals? If so how are they? What happens whenm you try to touch it? Does it go into the hole it came from or will it let you?
The second one is unusual, not used to aiptasia on glass. 99% of the time it comes on liverock and stays there, as it needs a hole to retreat into for protection. At least if it is aiptasia, as its on glass, I would just get a hobby knife and cut right along the glass to get it all off and quickly take it out the tank.
Maybe someone else could identify these further?
Hope this helps,
Tim.
Hmmmmm im not sure on the first one. Its tenticles look almost too thick for it to be aiptasia. Is it touching any corals? If so how are they? What happens whenm you try to touch it? Does it go into the hole it came from or will it let you?
The second one is unusual, not used to aiptasia on glass. 99% of the time it comes on liverock and stays there, as it needs a hole to retreat into for protection. At least if it is aiptasia, as its on glass, I would just get a hobby knife and cut right along the glass to get it all off and quickly take it out the tank.
Maybe someone else could identify these further?
Hope this helps,
Tim.
overanalyzer
Active Member
Hey PLum I used boiling water in a salifert test syringe and it worked great - right into the mouth - then I order the peppermints from here on SWF.com and they cleaned the ones I could not reach
timsedwards
Active Member
Hi Plum,
SOunds just like an aiptasia, and man is he big!
I think with this boiling water wont be sufficient, its too big. I would use heavy kalk mix (thick paste) and burn its mouth. You defintely dont want to risk spreading this little bugger.
Good luck,
Tim.
SOunds just like an aiptasia, and man is he big!
I think with this boiling water wont be sufficient, its too big. I would use heavy kalk mix (thick paste) and burn its mouth. You defintely dont want to risk spreading this little bugger.
Good luck,
Tim.
yammer
Member
Here's my aipstasia story. About 6 months ago I had one pop up in my refugium (under the tank). It was growing in an awkward place to get at with bolining water, calc, etc. and since the ref. was doing a good job in rearing pods for the main tank I didn't want to put a peppermint in there. I thought I'd be safe with it down there and my main tank would be fine.
WRONG!
That one aiptasia blossumed into about 12 in the ref within a month. It was right about then that I saw one crop up in the main tank. I didn't have any biological predators of them at the time so I tried to zap it with boiling water. For the moment all seemed well. It shriveled up and didn't reappear for a few days. But, of course, it did reappear along with 2 others! Over the next several months I continued to try boiling water attacks, then boiling saltwater, and finally kalk attacks. Nothing worked. After an attack they would be gone for a few days and then come back in force. By the time there were enough that started to register stress on other corals I decided that I had to do something else. I basically shut down my refugium - took it out of circulation with the tank and shut off the lights. After a few weeks of that I removed the contents and have nothing but the live rocks remaining in separate containers. That took care of the fuge, but I still had plenty in the main tank.
My salvation came in a purchase of 5 peppermint shrimp. The very day after I put them in, I started seeing the aiptasia population start to decline. First the small ones, and now even the larger ones are completely GONE! It took them only 2 weeks to completely eliminate all of them (at least all I can see). From my experience I would have to say that they are far and away the best for controlling the pest. Kalk works ok, but only if you can reach them and get them before they dart into their holes. Boiling water only affects them temporarily and it is really hard to get the whole thing. But, those shrimp... halleleulah!
WRONG!
That one aiptasia blossumed into about 12 in the ref within a month. It was right about then that I saw one crop up in the main tank. I didn't have any biological predators of them at the time so I tried to zap it with boiling water. For the moment all seemed well. It shriveled up and didn't reappear for a few days. But, of course, it did reappear along with 2 others! Over the next several months I continued to try boiling water attacks, then boiling saltwater, and finally kalk attacks. Nothing worked. After an attack they would be gone for a few days and then come back in force. By the time there were enough that started to register stress on other corals I decided that I had to do something else. I basically shut down my refugium - took it out of circulation with the tank and shut off the lights. After a few weeks of that I removed the contents and have nothing but the live rocks remaining in separate containers. That took care of the fuge, but I still had plenty in the main tank.
My salvation came in a purchase of 5 peppermint shrimp. The very day after I put them in, I started seeing the aiptasia population start to decline. First the small ones, and now even the larger ones are completely GONE! It took them only 2 weeks to completely eliminate all of them (at least all I can see). From my experience I would have to say that they are far and away the best for controlling the pest. Kalk works ok, but only if you can reach them and get them before they dart into their holes. Boiling water only affects them temporarily and it is really hard to get the whole thing. But, those shrimp... halleleulah!
timsedwards
Active Member
Thanks for sharing your story yammer 
Yes i have not found 100% with boiling water, i see it as trying kill a person by scolding their fingers; aint going to happen it will just tick them off!
Kalk paralyses them immediately and they burn, if it is a high enough concentration, that is the main issue.
Peppermint shrimps are fantastic and I think we have to remember that every problem thrown up by nature, nature has a cure for it.
Tim.
Yes i have not found 100% with boiling water, i see it as trying kill a person by scolding their fingers; aint going to happen it will just tick them off!
Kalk paralyses them immediately and they burn, if it is a high enough concentration, that is the main issue.
Peppermint shrimps are fantastic and I think we have to remember that every problem thrown up by nature, nature has a cure for it.
Tim.
discusking
Member
well i have three small ones in my tank and i think i will try a peppermint shimp, not only because i like them, but now they have a purpose
timsedwards
Active Member
Good idea. Peppermint shrimps, like all shrimps, are hugely entertaining! My cleaner shrimp jumps onto my hand and cleans it when i put it in the tank!
Tim.
Tim.
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by tangsfornuttin
I have one question to add to the thread - just to maybe spark some more interest:
What do they eat? - if anything (since it seems they can survive with very little light)
I've seen the ones I used to have suck up little pods out of hte water (it was about 3 inches long) and it sucked up the tiniest pods and seemed to blossom more where the flow hit it continually so I am assuming it filter feeds and picks off members of your pod poulation -- just a guess though - and since I have some peppermint shrimp I don't have any more aptasia
timsedwards
Active Member
I have seen them eat a piece of frozen brine before, someone on this board had a fantastic picture of it. Cant remember who though!
Tim.
Tim.
Id an anemone. Pest or not? This came in on some Fla Keys zoos and I assumed it was a type of Aiptasia. I tried to kill it, but it just migrated to the rear of the tank where I couldn’t get to it. Today it appeared up front making home in the Fla Keys zoos again. Is it or is not aiptasia? All you can see here are the tentacles. It is pretty big. The center has a very wide disk, surrounded by these tentacles.
If it is aip, then it must be a mild mannered one. It has not reproduced, nor does it seem to bother anything. It loves zoos! I've had him at least 6 mos.
If it is aip, then it must be a mild mannered one. It has not reproduced, nor does it seem to bother anything. It loves zoos! I've had him at least 6 mos.
64ivy
Member
Originally posted by Beth
Id an anemone. Pest or not?
Pest.
If it is aip, then it must be a mild mannered one.
Not necessarily. Note how the zoos right next to it are closed? That's because it is stinging them. Soon they will die and algae will begin a foothold in the colony. It will spread, choking out more of the zoos until you are left with a colony of algae, crowned with an aiptasia (or, by then, several aiptasias). This is not the act of a mild mannered aiptasia. Nuke it now.
timsedwards
Active Member
Hi there,
Yes it is a pest, yes it is aiptasia and yes it is doing harm, notice how the zoos are closed around it, they're getting stung (ouch).
However you nuke it be carefull as it is very close to the zoos. Have you got any peppermint shrimp? This may be the best answer for this one.
Tim.
Yes it is a pest, yes it is aiptasia and yes it is doing harm, notice how the zoos are closed around it, they're getting stung (ouch).
However you nuke it be carefull as it is very close to the zoos. Have you got any peppermint shrimp? This may be the best answer for this one.
Tim.