zoanthid colony with aptasia on it

hops523

Member
I just purchased a small zoanthid colony, and I noticed about 3 aptasia on it. They are all inbetween the polyps. I dont know if they are harming them, and there is no way I can get rid of them right now. What should I do?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
You definetly want to remove them beside spreading throughout your tanks some zoas are sensitive to their sting. I have successfully used Joes Juice to remove them from zoa colonys just disturbe the zoas so that they close up and try not to disturb the aiptasia if you do just give it a few minute the aiptasia will usually come back out before the zoas will once you have a clear shot at the aptasia gently squirt the joes juice on them being careful not to get any on the zoas. If you do get some on the zoas use a turkey baster or a powerhead to blow it off the zoas.
 

groupergenius

Active Member
I used Peppermint shrimp. My Tubs blue colony had over 100 polyps and 20+ aptasia. I tried joe's without success.(everybody is different)
I put the colony in a QT with 12 Peps and they ate all the aps and left the zoas alone. Took a day.
 

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
http:///forum/post/2583182
I used Peppermint shrimp. My Tubs blue colony had over 100 polyps and 20+ aptasia. I tried joe's without success.(everybody is different)
I put the colony in a QT with 12 Peps and they ate all the aps and left the zoas alone. Took a day.
I agree, everyone has different results my Peppermints have made the aiptsia spread faster in my tank.
 

hops523

Member
i was just looking at the zoas.and now i just found like 3 bristle worms crawling aroun.i assume this shouldnt be a problem?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by hops523
http:///forum/post/2583228
i was just looking at the zoas.and now i just found like 3 bristle worms crawling aroun.i assume this shouldnt be a problem?
Yes they shouldn't be a problem from what I have read about 90% of the bristle worms found in aqauriums are harmless so it's pretty rare to find one that is harmful but it is possible if you can get some pics or check the Hitchhiker ID's on the forum and see if you can identify what type you have.
 

hops523

Member
Oh they are most definatly bristle worms, when I tried to spot feed the zoa, thats when they can out, haha trying to steal food.
 

funkyman

Member
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2583189
I agree, everyone has different results my Peppermints have made the aiptsia spread faster in my tank.
The peppermints may have not been the answer for you, but they didn't have anything to do with the increase in population of the aptasia.
You also have to be careful and make sure you're getting actual "peppermint" shrimp, and not camel back shrimp. Some places don't know the difference between the two.
If you want to save yourself some money, Joe's Juice is nothing more than kalk paste. If you make your own, you can also make it a lot thicker than what Joe's Juice is which will get it to stay where you want it better.
Some people have had success by getting the aptasia to retract back into it's hole, and then sealing it in with super glue or two part epoxy (the same stuff used for mounting frags) to seal it in to it's doom.
 

hops523

Member
Originally Posted by funkyman
http:///forum/post/2583468
Some people have had success by getting the aptasia to retract back into it's hole, and then sealing it in with super glue or two part epoxy (the same stuff used for mounting frags) to seal it in to it's doom.
I may try this method, but is it ok to take the zoas out of the water for a little?Or should I put them in another container, and then glue the aptasia in water?
 

funkyman

Member
Either way is fine, but it will be easier to do with the rock out of the water. The zoos will not be harmed by being out of the water. Remember corals are out of water for extended periods of time during low tides.
If it'll make you feel any better, you can always dunk them every couple minutes. This will also make the super glue (if that's what you use), cure faster. Super glue GEL would be a much better choice than the traditional runny glue for what you'll be trying to accomplish. You'll have much better control of where the glue goes with the GEL.
Whatever you decide to do, remember to always use gloves when handling zoos, and never leave containers of water that have had zoos in them sitting around if you have pets.
 

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by funkyman
http:///forum/post/2583468
The peppermints may have not been the answer for you, but they didn't have anything to do with the increase in population of the aptasia.
You also have to be careful and make sure you're getting actual "peppermint" shrimp, and not camel back shrimp. Some places don't know the difference between the two.
If you want to save yourself some money, Joe's Juice is nothing more than kalk paste. If you make your own, you can also make it a lot thicker than what Joe's Juice is which will get it to stay where you want it better.
Some people have had success by getting the aptasia to retract back into it's hole, and then sealing it in with super glue or two part epoxy (the same stuff used for mounting frags) to seal it in to it's doom.

I have to disagree, I believe peppermint shrimp were almost certainly the cause for the increase in my population. I started with a huge population of aiptasia several thousand and got them under control with Joes juice. After I had the population under control for a couple of months all I had were some aiptasia that were under rocks in holes or other places that I couldn't reach during this time I saw very little evidence of propigation then I decided to get some Peppermints. The shrimp were eating the aiptasia and I witnessed on several occasions but I started to notice that the aitpasia had started propigating again and very quickly I was noticing another 10 or so a week so I started treating with Joes juice again. For whatever reason peppermints don't seem to survive in my tank not sure if my Sally lightfoot preys on them or what they just slowly disapear over a few weeks now I haven't seen a peppermint for a month or so and my aiptasia has almost stopped spreading again. My theory is that the shrimp are leaving pieces of the aiptasia or spreading them when the shread the aiptasia apart and those pieces are growing into new aiptasia.
 
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