Is there a way to nuke a tank of aiptasia?

[icemanalex]

This is the tank a few months after the file fish

 

[icemanalex]

This is my most recent picture

 

[dbl]

My CBB has been in display for three weeks now and has yet to touch the aiptasia. I guess he missed the aiptasia eating class in his school.

It will in time. How much do you feed? I reduced feeding to entice mine.

I'm beginning to think you're correct @frogman_reefer. Oddly enough, I noticed last evening that there were a few aiptasia missing. So some time this week, the CBB discovered his taste for them, or they were simply withdrawn in to the rock for some reason. I guess I will wait and see what happens, but I'm sure hoping the CBB is finally doing it's thing. I don't overfeed by the way...anything I put in is gone within about 90 seconds, with very little left overs!

 

[xwing]

Copperband Butterfly worked GREAT for me some years back, after months of various completely INEFFECTIVE, expensive, frustrating trials, and they NEVER came back so was a thorough cleaning:

No: Peppermint shrimp.
No: Aiptasia X...just impractical to get after every one on /under all the rocks and not very effective, just frustrating.
No: Berghia nudibranchs. They were expensive...but didn't kill a single Aip, I DID however see an Aiptaisia LITERALLY EAT/INGEST one of the Berghias instead of vice versa!!! I got them from 2 different sources, same NO results. Complained to one seller, who sent more free, but maddeningly ineffective.

The copperband did pass away eventually, not sure if it ran out of Aiptasia so petered out or just finicky. What a BEAUTIFUL fish though!!
I would happily try a Filefish if I get another infestation, sounds like might be more reliable as some are saying not all copperbands eat Aiptasia.

As always, Your Results May Vary, and If It Can Fit Inside The Fishes Mouth, It Will Likely Eventually End Up There

ps Date Your Additives!!! THROW THEM OUT if they get old!!! Especially any with "food" or "vitamins", even if refrigerated. Pure chemicals like Iodine likely fine. I'm still in mourning from using some additive, not sure which, that killed the 4 fish I had in my 90g mixed reef tank started in 1996, they went belly up in hours after additive and some tank work.
RIP my male/female Oscillaris pair that I had bought in adult size and had for 16+ years so must have been at least 18yo?; one of my original tank break in 3 stripe Damsel 17+ years, Bicolor Angel 14+ years in tank. Tested water, had Fish Store do their water tests too, all GREAT... but something poisoned them and I did it, still suspect some additive went bad, it acted like poison. My babies, put them in isolation tank with new water, stayed up all night trying to keep them going by gently moving them side to side to aerate gills when they were too tired to move and started bellying up, idea that I killed my own fish is hard to get past been well over a year, have to get my kiester in gear, get now "reef only" tank tuned up and Get Back On The Sea Horse...

 

[frogman_reefer]

Copperband Butterfly worked GREAT for me some years back, after months of various completely INEFFECTIVE, expensive, frustrating trials, and they NEVER came back so was a thorough cleaning:

No: Peppermint shrimp.
No: Aiptasia X...just impractical to get after every one on /under all the rocks and not very effective, just frustrating.
No: Berghia nudibranchs. They were expensive...but didn't kill a single Aip, I DID however see an Aiptaisia LITERALLY EAT/INGEST one of the Berghias instead of vice versa!!! I got them from 2 different sources, same NO results. Complained to one seller, who sent more free, but maddeningly ineffective.

The copperband did pass away eventually, not sure if it ran out of Aiptasia so petered out or just finicky. What a BEAUTIFUL fish though!!
I would happily try a Filefish if I get another infestation, sounds like might be more reliable as some are saying not all copperbands eat Aiptasia.

As always, Your Results May Vary, and If It Can Fit Inside The Fishes Mouth, It Will Likely Eventually End Up There

ps Date Your Additives!!! THROW THEM OUT if they get old!!! Especially any with "food" or "vitamins", even if refrigerated. Pure chemicals like Iodine likely fine. I'm still in mourning from using some additive, not sure which, that killed the 4 fish I had in my 90g mixed reef tank started in 1996, they went belly up in hours after additive and some tank work.
RIP my male/female Oscillaris pair that I had bought in adult size and had for 16+ years so must have been at least 18yo?; one of my original tank break in 3 stripe Damsel 17+ years, Bicolor Angel 14+ years in tank. Tested water, had Fish Store do their water tests too, all GREAT... but something poisoned them and I did it, still suspect some additive went bad, it acted like poison. My babies, put them in isolation tank with new water, stayed up all night trying to keep them going by gently moving them side to side to aerate gills when they were too tired to move and started bellying up, idea that I killed my own fish is hard to get past been well over a year, have to get my kiester in gear, get now "reef only" tank tuned up and Get Back On The Sea Horse...

+1

 

[gary henkel]

Has anyone tried that Majano Wand that thing looks like some fun

i bought it, but a supply of peppermint shrimp did the trick for me, so its still in the box. expensive, at about 125 dollars.

 

[JesseLander]

PEPPERMINT SHRIMP!!!! But don't get too many! Once the aiptasia is gone they might go after your LPS or at least steal their food when you spot feed which will really tick you off! I recommend no more than 1 peppermint per 60 gallons, but that may take a while to clear out your aiptasia which may actually not happen at all because a single pep will be too timid to hunt where a pack of 3-7 of them will destroy them with ravenous rage. It may take a couple weeks for them to settle in though so be patient at first, then watch the aiptasia disappear with pleasure. If it takes longer than two weeks then try starving them some.

So really it just depends how fast you want the aiptasia gone but the more you get, the more you will have to get out when aiptasia gone if you have LPS. Keep one pep in tank permanently to safely keep aiptasia under control. They are easy to trap. Just take clear plastic bottle, cut top off, put piece of silverside inside, put in tank, wait a minute or so for pep to go inside, then cover top with hand and take out. The hungrier they are the faster the trapping process will be.

 

[7hogwarts]

This is an interesting thread. Obviously by reading this what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for the next. I guess kind of like people, we're all different. I too have tried all the above methods, true peppermint shrimp worked great. So have matted filefish. My only problem with the filefish was after the Aiptasia, he went on to my maxi mini anemones. Catching him was not easy either. I wound up using the old blind him temporarily at night with a bright flashlight and scooping him out.

 

[Barron]

I too had a tank that had a bout with Aiptasia. However I bought 10 peppermints and dropped them into a 260 gallon tank. I never saw them again but after 3 to 4 weeks the Aiptasia was gone. I think the peppermints hide so well that you can't find them. However, I know they will all die off once the Aiptasia is gone. Just a price to pay to get rid of Aiptasia.

 

[tobii.san]

In my 30G tank, I had a lot of aptaisia, some pretty big. Bought one peppermint shrimp, didn't really think it was gonna work well so I had low expectations... mostly just thought the shrimp looked cool After maybe a month or less, all the aptaisia were gone. The biggest ones were the last ones the shrimp ate. Haven't seen a single aptaisia since (been a few months I think). Maybe I just got lucky and got the right type of peppermint shrimp. As others have said, I'm sure it's a hit and miss.

Anyways, maybe it's possible your shrimp are still alive? Seems odd that they would all just die... I wonder if you'll see fewer and fewer aptaisia in your tank over time.

 

[JesseLander]

As some have said, as has myself, the Peppermint shrimp we buy are not true peppermints. However, true peppermints are cold water and will not have long lives in our warm water reef tanks. The fake ones offered by your local pet store and such WILL eat aiptasia. Perhaps not every single one but out of 3 purchased, at least one will. I have also seen Camel back shrimp eat them but not so much and these will eat LPS so NOT recommended. If your "peps" are not eating the aiptaisia, simply starve them into it, once they try it they will never go back!

 

[Thjhiggins]

If you're going to extreme measures already, just get a single file fish. The brown ugly ones. They will literally eat every aptasia and mojano in your tank within a few days. After that, they may or may not move on to zoas or bubble anemones if you have them, at that point, put it in a sump or refugium till you need it again.

Either method you choose to try and completely nuke a tank of aptasia is going to result in coral loss, try to go a natural route if possible. From my experience though, 1 or 2 file fish will take care of your aptasia problem. My 2 cents.

I have a nano tank that is simply a coral forest. I got some really bad brachypus caulerpa and a small foxface did the job but now in a few months I will have to re-home him due to the tiny tank. I thought I was free & clear but now aptasias are running wild. They seem to double every day. I there a supplement that you do not have to inject or directly cover these creatures? I am at a loss. My first nano tank, among many aquariums I have owned from 2g to 180g. This is my biggest problem. There are so many and injecting them is not possible. I can't add a file fish, there is no room. It's a 5gallon eve with upgraded lighting and all kinds of coral. Now these aptasias which came out of nowhere without adding a single thing to my tank for over 6 months are destroying everything. Any help would be appreciated. [email protected] thjhiggins at gee mail dot com

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a nano tank that is simply a coral forest. I got some really bad brachypus caulerpa and a small foxface did the job but now in a few months I will have to re-home him due to the tiny tank. I thought I was free & clear but now aptasias are running wild. They seem to double every day. I there a supplement that you do not have to inject or directly cover these creatures? I am at a loss. My first nano tank, among many aquariums I have owned from 2g to 180g. This is my biggest problem. There are so many and injecting them is not possible. I can't add a file fish, there is no room. It's a 5gallon eve with upgraded lighting and all kinds of coral. Now these aptasias which came out of nowhere without adding a single thing to my tank for over 6 months are destroying everything. Any help would be appreciated. [email protected] thjhiggins at gee mail dot com

For Aptasia- You cant beat a Kleini Butterfly BUT must be the bluehead- NOT the yellow version. The yellow will go after coral too but bluehead as pictured will eat aptasia like candy, then eat all dry and frozen food offered, colorful, friendly and stays small. I will note that a couple of persons who got the blue had their kleini nip zoa. if so- easy sell, or place in sump as aptasia have likely made it down there already

 

[apb03]

File fish worked for me. They are hardy and easy to keep unlike the CBB, and are easy to catch if you need to move him around to other tanks to clean up.

 

[tbrown]

This thread is 8 years old...

 

[vetteguy53081]

This thread is 8 years old...

It is and someone added a question an hour ago and was replied to. I understand a new thread would wok

 

[OrionN]

How reliable are file fish? My CBB is still in my QT system. My 340 tank is absolutely overrun with aiptasia.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I frequently see filefish turn on soft coral and zoa. Proven is a kleini butterfly which eats them like candy but a few have mentioned picking on zoa once the aptasia were gone and placed them in sump
Occasionally aptasia makes it into sump so not a bad move

 

[OrionN]

I don't have any soft corals. Just clams, SPS and anemones. My anemones should be fine with their clowns. Right now, Petco in Corpus has a lot of file fish. Getting fishes here is not easy. I just have to make do what what I see. My aiptasia problem is second to none. For too long I have neglected the tank

 

[apb03]

How reliable are file fish? My CBB is still in my QT system. My 340 tank is absolutely overrun with aiptasia.

I use a filefish to keep my Aptasia under control. He took them all out except the ones he cannot reach. Given your situation, I would certainly add a Filefish to the tank, and also add berghia nudibranch to eradicate the rest.