Too many aiptasias

[innsmouth]

Kalk injections work well for me. How strong is the mix you are using?

 

[nm reef]

The "salt method" is totally new to me! Not something I'd do for sure!!
Injections of kalk are reported to be very effective...peppermint shrimp will munch them...and as mentioned "Joes Juice" is reported to be very effective.

 

[debbie g]

i tried unsuccessfully injecting them with the kalkwasser. I ended up sort of "spraying" them rather than injecting them. I tried again, and the needle didn't want to suck up the mixture. Then I just broke the needle. There are so many itty bitty aiptasias that I would definitely miss one anyway, whether I used the kalkwasser or the Joe's Juice. Thats why I was wondering if there was some way to do a mass killing of them. Thanks.
Debbie G

 

[birdy]

Debbie- if you have a lot of small ones then several peppermint shrimp should do the job, or I believe a copperbanded butterfly will also eat them.

 

[debbie g]

Thanks Birdy!

 

[cdn_beaver]

I had the same problem a few weeks ago. I went to the LFS and got a couple pepermint shrimp. Within a day or two, all aptaisia was gone. Hungry little biggers.

 

[birdy]

If you do go with a copperbanded butterfly you should know that they eat feather dusters as well as aiptasia. They also are a more difficult species to keep.

 

[nacl-man]

Someone told me to use lemon juice in a syringe... did it last night and both of em' are now dead... didn't seem to have any ill consequences.
thought i'd share

 

[mburnickas]

Joes Juice worked great for mine!

 

[disgusted]

A syringe of lemon juice at the base will do the trick!

 

[sal713]

I used lemon juice also..syringe and needle..and stuck them in the stalk. They try and retract though. Give a small squirt. Mine were just about dead within 15 min.

 

[sergeant]

I had the same problem and here is how I solved it.
I got a syringe and took the needle out. Put salt in a small cup with just a bit of water and mix it well. Suck the left over salt from the cup in the syringe. Pick up your rock but only expose to the air the opened aiptasia. get the syringe and put the salt in the center of it and let it sit for a minute. That will kill them on the spot. Be careful not to get pure salt on your coral and if you do just put them in a water stream near a powerhead to rinse as much as posible. I hope this can help you. It work for me.
Tito

 

[dragonboy]

The best way is to have to take the rock out of the tank make sure you know where it is at cause they will retract. And have another bucket of saltwater and I either use hot water or hydrochloric acid with a dropper. The acid won't harm much of the coraline on the rock just make sure you aim at where it is and they will melt away.