Trouble with Aiptasia

[jesshika]

After getting fed up with these aiptasia covered all over the rock, the live sand, the glass, heater, filter, literally everything; I did a hot freshwater dip on all the rocks in the hope to eliminate the aiptasia. Of course that would mean losing my coepods and bristle worms, its the only thing I could do to get rid of them.
I took out the fish and inverts and moved them to the QT tank while I destroyed my tank. It is now so cloudy from the sand you can't see anything and I have the rocks sitting in a bucket with a light over them. I think if I put them back into the tank they will only be contaminated again by the aiptasia still in the sand and the teeny tiny ones floating in the water.
I don't know what to do, after not even three months of having the tank setup I already have to start over again. I still have to dip some of the rocks again because even the hot freshwater didn't kill all of them!! HELP, what do I do with the tank? Will the rocks be infested again if I put them back in the water?

 

[thangbom]

if it was me.. and everything is actually infested with them non-wanted pest.. i would probaly crash my tank on purpose.. ( yours gonna lose it anyways.. mite as well do it controled) id do somthing like low low SG... maybe that will kill them.. or have no light on the tank for like months.. some people even take all their rock out and boil it.. this would eliminate all pest ad substance on the rock but what about the equipment??... maybe drain the tank?? let it dry for a week or two... then start over??...
sry.. but it sounds like you need to start over...
YzGyz

 

[earlybird]

I agree sounds like you need to start over. You've killed your rock and bacteria with the hot water. I would remove everything, clean the tank, and start fresh. You'll have to rinse your sand really well and get a few new pieces of LR and/or some "true" LS to re-seed your rock. I'd wait until after your cycle before you do that though.

 

[m0nk]

Yeah, sorry to say, I agree with earlybird there. It already sounds like at this point you've torn your tank down to that point already.

 

[jesshika]

Even after the fresh water, all the aiptasia still wasn't dead! I put it all back in boiling water and then took each piece and used high water pressure with boiling water to get everything off. I now have the rock sitting in a bucket with no water so if there is anything on there still it will just dry out. Is it ok to leave the rock out of water? Or will it have to cure again or something?
I did more water changes on the tank and I hardly see any aiptasia left, only a few tiny ones in the live sand. I bought a couple peppermint shrimp in the hope that they eat the remaining tiny ones. I only put a couple pieces of the live rock back in the tank, but I guess now its dead rock. I'm worried that any aiptasia still in the tank will infect the rock again or will the peppermints take care of it?

 

[40 galons]

i would like to think after a boiling water dip, that would take care of them. i would definately recure the rock if its sitting out of water for a long time.. if it were me i would do as the earlier poster said to do , crash the tank and get a live piece of rock or something to reseed the dry stuff with after curing. good luck !

 

[thangbom]

i would completely tear the tank down.. don t know where those little buggers can hide .. i would make sure that i have noting alive in the tank and start over.. don't want to get re-infested again and have to tear her down again..
YzGyz
ohh and watch the rock turn green when you boil it.. well at least mine did and like 1000 pods died..

 

[jchmiel]

When you get your tank back up. I kill my Aiptasia with Soduim Hydroxide mixed with some water. Put it in a syringe and put it right on them. the mix will turn, white cloudy look and is heavyer then water so it stays in the cracks. Burns the crap out of them and just about anything it sits on for a while. When your done wave your hand around to wash it away. dont use more then 5 ml or so it can change you ph down fast. also I forgot to say that to make sure you turn off your pumps. Soduim Hydroxide is Lye it is found as drain cleaner and WILL burn you if you touch it or spill it

. Vinegar will neutralize it. Wear googles or glasses at least. Do not use Draino make sure the Lye is JUST 100% Sodium Hydroxide not mixed with anything, Like for example sodium hypochlorite, which is bleach. I found mine at True Value and I use it to make cold process soap. This Works Awsome 99% kill everytime.

 

[al mc]

After reestablishing the tank you will hopefully be free of the Aptasia. If any come back you can also consider Berghia Nidibranchs. They do a great job on these unwanted pests, but you have to be careful that the fish or other inverts you have won't decide to eat them. If you want more info on them and where to get them just google.

 

[chaoscat]

I hate to be a naysayer, but you "ain't gonna git em" this way. Even if you get them off the rock and out of the sand, they are still in residence somewhere in your corals. If it was me, I would hand kill every one of the buggers you can see and get to, then go out a get a couple of Berghia or a copper banded butterfly. This won't be an overnight solution. It will take a couple of months. You'll have to continue to handkill any you see and can get to. Eventually, between the handkilling and the Berghia scouring the cracks and crevices you will git em.

 

[mie]

There is no way i would crash my tank or kill all my rock. butterfly got them once before it will do it again, pep shrimp, nudi's. I have them and just deal with them, I will go on a rampage every month or so and start to destroy. My neighbor has massivly huge one's in his 150 they are as big as my thumb. They thrive in poor water conditions so hot water and low salinity will not work. Will kill some but not all.

 

[jesshika]

Originally Posted by Al Mc
After reestablishing the tank you will hopefully be free of the Aptasia. If any come back you can also consider Berghia Nidibranchs. They do a great job on these unwanted pests, but you have to be careful that the fish or other inverts you have won't decide to eat them. If you want more info on them and where to get them just google.
I've heard about using them before and was going to have my LFS order one for me but then I found out that with that much aiptasia, just one wouldn't work. And then they can get sucked into powerheads?! I didn't want to spend $50 on something that would be sucked into the power head. Since aptasia is their only food, they will eventually starve right?
I may try adding a small copperband though. I know a butterfly is probably too small for my 40, but I can trade him back into the LFS once he gets too big?

 

[mie]

Yes they will eventually starve.

 

[jesshika]

Thanks for all your replies! I left the rock out of water overnight and I decided to put it back in the tank today and it just looked cloudy. After a few hours it looks even more cloudy and very dirty looking and the tank smells really bad. So I hope its not curing again? So I will have to take out the inverts and fish? And I can't believe after all the boiling that there are still two large aiptasia that are still alive! I'm guessing these are a couple of the mother aiptasia?

 

[mie]

Watch your water peramiters,because there is going to be some die off from the boiling and the rock being left out over night, and the smell you are smelling is die off. yuck.