Removing Aiptasias

mfbs1998 · Feb 25, 2019

I'm having trouble containing aiptasias in my tank right now. I used Aiptasia away before but it seems to just make them recede for a couple of weeks and then come back. I would like to hear more options on how to completely kill them.

Charlie’s Frags · Feb 25, 2019

I squeeze some super glue on mine. I’ve had success with aiptasia x by Red Sea but it requires all the water flow to be off for 30 minutes. It seems to raise the alk a little also in my small tank. So now I just let them eat some super glue

Josh Kraft · Feb 25, 2019

There's a newer product over @ https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/f-aiptasia.542934/

I haven't used it yet, but it supposedly hardens over the aiptasia to block the spores from being released. Also requires the fans to be turned off so it can harden.

Jvesche20 · Feb 25, 2019

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/is-this-aptasia.554217/#post-5697328

some people have some good suggestions here.

Tuan’s Reef · Feb 25, 2019

3 aips hitch hiked on one of my frag. I bought aip-x from Red Sea and all that did was made more babies. 2 weeks ago I super glued then buggers then used reef epoxy to entomb them. I haven’t seen any more . I will have to eventually cut the coral at the base and glue to my rock work to ensure the spores don’t reseed.

Haggisman14 · Feb 25, 2019

Josh Kraft said:
There's a newer product over @ https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/f-aiptasia.542934/

I haven't used it yet, but it supposedly hardens over the aiptasia to block the spores from being released. Also requires the fans to be turned off so it can harden.

Used aiptasia-x in the past, and did the same thing (more babies, and just acted like food for them). Used Franks F-Aptasia, and a week so far after treatment, everything I treated is still dead! I'd recommend it.

I left my pumps off for 30 minutes while treating, left the coverings in the tank for 2 days, and then did a water change and siphoned them out. Worked like a charm!

fish farmer · Feb 25, 2019

I've used a combination of Joe's Juice, Aiptasia X, and peppermint shrimp and I have all but eliminated aips. The ones I have left are in very tricky spots to treat with anything, they are attached underneath the rock.

Orko · Feb 25, 2019

Turn off all the pumps and power heads and The trick with all the inject ones you have to get it right in the mouth if you hit it from the side poof you have 100 more little Bast--ds. I Tried Joe's Juice before but really did not have any luck no new little ones and they would come back. Then I read a post on here about using FRESH lemon Juice it is the same got to get them in the mouth center of oral disk with syringe I use an 22g needle syringe full of fresh squeezed lemon juice you can watch them shrivel up and die so far it has been the best thing I have used to combat them. Even the small ones give them a squirt then a good bath of lemon juice.

sarcophytonIndy · Jun 22, 2019

I have about a half dozen large aiptasia in a mixed reef. They don't seem to be bothering anything and aren't multiplying, so far. I'm not sure if I should mess with them???

Tuan’s Reef · Jun 22, 2019

Every organism is going to want to multiply.
You either deal with it now while it’s manageable or completely freak out when your tank is completely taken over .

sarcophytonIndy · Jun 22, 2019

I am leery of attacking them in the display, for fear of causing them to spread. I am thinking of moving the affected rocks, which have some really nice coral attached, to a quarantine tank first.

Jvesche20 · Jun 22, 2019

sarcophytonIndy said:
I am leery of attacking them in the display, for fear of causing them to spread. I am thinking of moving the affected rocks, which have some really nice coral attached, to a quarantine tank first.

Kill them ASAP. I started with just 1. My lfs was looking at the frag weird and I thought nothing of it. They let me go home and that got massive. And I didn’t know what it was until I saw someone post about it. Then I tried to just scrape it off the plug. Bad idea now I’m constantly killing them. Tried peppermint shrimp and idk where they went. They are gone or hiding. Never see them. Then I got a copper band to eat them and the copper band died due to bacterial infection. Then I got apistas x and it works great but they still spread so I got another copper band and seems to be better

sarcophytonIndy · Jun 23, 2019

It seems like trying to kill them in the display tank is a BAD idea. All these posts indicate it just causes them to reproduce. Perhaps it is mainly due to botched attempts. I am thinking quarantine is the way to go. That way if I screw it up, it will only lead to an outbreak in the quarantine tank.

flchamp89 · Jun 23, 2019

If there are small I prefer a qtip with superglue.

sarcophytonIndy · Jun 23, 2019

I like the approach of getting a natural predator. But since I only have a few Aips, I am worried the Berghia would starve to death before they find one to eat. I would definitely go for the filefish if I knew it would leave my corals alone.