+1.I had great luck with just Real peppermint shrimp
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
+1.I had great luck with just Real peppermint shrimp
I used fresh lemon juice(squeezed myself) in a needle and syringe. Moved slowly in the tank and then stabbed them and filled them up. Haven't seen them since.
I have only seen 3 aptasia in my tank. Does this solution completely kill the aptasia with one treatment? Or did you have to retreat each aptasia that was already treated? Thanks for any infoI have been battling Aiptasia in my 30" x 30" x 24" starfire cube tank for over a year. I have tried Joe's Juice, Aiptaisia X, Kalk paste, Peppermint Shrimp, and a Copperband Butterfly. The CBB didn't live, and the Peppermints didn't eat the aiptasia, or did not live after placement in the tank.
My experience until recently with chemical treatments was that when I used Joe's Juice, Aiptasia X or Kalk paste, it would cause the Aiptasia to shrink back for a couple days, but then there it would be again. I followed the product directions to the letter, but they just were not effective for me.
I was on the internet and came across this webpage, posted back in 2002, and it outlined the use of sodium hydroxide as an aiptasia eliminator.
Now, for those not familiar with this chemical, sodium hydroxide is also known as lye, which is a very caustic chemical with a pH of 13. It can burn skin, remove the anodization off metal, and pit aluminum. So please follow the directions outlined in the webpage carefully.
http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/b...a_control.html
My experience with this method:
I mixed a two times normal solution (2N) of NaOH.
The webpage advises against using commercial drain opener, but I used ROOTO Brand crystal lye formula drain opener. It is all lye, but if anyone prefers, lab grade NaOH can be ordered online, but it costs a good bit more. The ROOTO lye is about $4 a jar, and is more than you will need in your lifetime. Available at any ACE Hardware Store. A 2N solution of NaOH uses 80 grams of NaOH in one liter of RODI. I used a digital scale, but 80 grams comes out to 1/3 cup. Mix the solution up in a plastic container you can seal up. It will get warm when you mix the lye and water together (exothermic reaction). And be VERY CAREFUL about fumes coming off the solution while it is warm right after mixing. It does not feel good to breath it in (personal experience).
What I found so nice about this method was that you don't have to get the NaOH slurry exactly on the aiptasia, but just next to it or near it for it to work. The webpage explains it quite well. Kind of like this stuff is a hand grenade, or napalm, where close kills, vs Joe's Juice or Aiptasia X, in which a bulls-eye is required for a kill.
This method also works very well for majano anemones. It dissolves them on contact
How I did it:
Follow the instructions about turning off all flow in the tank. I used a flashlight for dark areas of the rock to look for aiptasia, and be careful about what the NaOH slurry can fall onto. I basically treated every aiptasia I found with the NaOH on day 1, then repeated on Day 3, then repeated on Day 5. You must be willing to check and treat every other day several times in a row, until you don't see any more aiptasia. Observation is key, as some of the anemones will be too small to see initially, but become visible as they grow.
I started treatment on or around December 1. I treated about 40 aiptasias day 1, about 10 on day 3, about 3 on day five. I continued to observe every other day and picked up a few I didn't see the first few times, and have not seen any aiptasias in the tank for over 10 days now.
The webpage is totally correct about the NaOH not being harmful to the tank or inhabitants after it is diluted with tank water. NaOH (and KOH) is actually the main ingredient in a Seachem Aquavitro product called balance.
I have not seen a single aiptasia come back since I started treating my tank. I believe the key for success using this is sticking to the every other day inspection/treatment schedule until no more aiptasia are observed for at least 4-5 inspections, and repeated follow ups once a week until you are sure you have totally eliminated aiptasia from your tank.
Here are pics of the lye I used, and a pic of the syringe/applicators. I cut the tip off a bulb type syringe and use it for easy application, and I made a curved applicator by heating and bending a piece of 1/8" rigid airline tubing. Works well for under rocks. You can also use Joe's Juice applicators, or Aiptasia X applicators.
Dave