Aiptasia Control

[AKL1950]

Tank is about 9 months along and I guess with the addition of corals, I’ve gotten some undesirables. Specifically Aiptasia. I’ve tried to control it with Red Sea Aiptasia-x, but they are reproducing faster than I can find them.

I‘m thinking of going to live control and getting some Berghia Nudibranches. My thoughts are that they would be better than peppermint shrimp it Copper banded Butterfly fish. I’ve never had them before and am looking for thoughts from those who have. I realize if they do a good job, they will die when their food supply is exhausted, but they seem to be the best answer to get this pest under control.

Any thoughts on them and where might be the best place to get some?

Jetson

 

[Saltyreef]

Tank is about 9 months along and I guess with the addition of corals, I’ve gotten some undesirables. Specifically Aiptasia. I’ve tried to control it with Red Sea Aiptasia-x, but they are reproducing faster than I can find them.

I‘m thinking of going to live control and getting some Berghia Nudibranches. My thoughts are that they would be better than peppermint shrimp it Copper banded Butterfly fish. I’ve never had them before and am looking for thoughts from those who have. I realize if they do a good job, they will die when their food supply is exhausted, but they seem to be the best answer to get this pest under control.

Any thoughts on them and where might be the best place to get some?

Jetson

I got my berghia from ebay. You can also try franks F aiptasia.
Its 100x better than the red sea one. It forms a hard layer over them while they melt so they dont reproduce.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Pics? How bad is it?

 

[AKL1950]

Pics? How bad is it?

Hard to get pictures. The ones I’m able to find are behind the rock work or under ledges. I suspect there are many more and I just can’t find them. The ones I see are medium size 1” across (about 6-8 of them with babies around them. To get to some of them with chemicals I would have to lift off the top rock structures which are covered with Acro frags. Every time I go searching, I find more

I got my berghia from ebay. You can also try franks F aiptasia.
Its 100x better than the red sea one. It forms a hard layer over them while they melt so they dont reproduce.

I found a shop in Tampa called AJ’s Aquariums who sells on EBay I may try. Price seems to be reasonable.

The Red Sea Aiptasia-X hasn’t been perfect for sure. I hit them 2-3 times and little ones keep appearing around the dead large one.

 

[Saltyreef]

Hard to get pictures. The ones I’m able to find are behind the rock work or under ledges. I suspect there are many more and I just can’t find them. The ones I see are medium size 1” across (about 6-8 of them with babies around them. To get to some of them with chemicals I would have to lift off the top rock structures which are covered with Acro frags. Every time I go searching, I find more


I found a shop in Tampa called AJ’s Aquariums who sells on EBay I may try. Price seems to be reasonable.

The Red Sea Aiptasia-X hasn’t been perfect for sure. I hit them 2-3 times and little ones keep appearing around the dead large one.

You will love this stuff.

F-Aiptasia - Reef Safe Aiptasia Fix

If you're done fighting a losing battle with the anemone scourge, before you give up...F-Aiptasia! Just about anyone with a reef tank has battled the age-old foe Aipstasia, commonly known as Glass Anemones, and if you have you'll understand the reason for this product's name. They can sneak in...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[AKL1950]

You will love this stuff.

F-Aiptasia - Reef Safe Aiptasia Fix

If you're done fighting a losing battle with the anemone scourge, before you give up...F-Aiptasia! Just about anyone with a reef tank has battled the age-old foe Aipstasia, commonly known as Glass Anemones, and if you have you'll understand the reason for this product's name. They can sneak in...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Great. I’ll hip pocket this stuff and go ahead with the Nudi’s. I know there are probably a lot of Aiptasia I can’t find or see. Hopefully these guys will find them are starting munching.

 

[Morpheosz]

Great. I’ll hip pocket this stuff and go ahead with the Nudi’s. I know there are probably a lot of Aiptasia I can’t find or see. Hopefully these guys will find them are starting munching.

I've been using F-Aiptasia for awhile and can agree it works well but you are spot on - the ones you can't find make this a not fun path of weekly hunt and shoot. It's also hard to hit ones on the sides of rocks or undersides of ledges. Also as my tank has filled in with coral, it's getting increasingly hard to hit the aiptasia and not have collateral damage on coral. I am also looking for a more permanent solution!

 

[Bucs20fan]

I've been using F-Aiptasia for awhile and can agree it works well but you are spot on - the ones you can't find make this a not fun path of weekly hunt and shoot. It's also hard to hit ones on the sides of rocks or undersides of ledges. Also as my tank has filled in with coral, it's getting increasingly hard to hit the aiptasia and not have collateral damage on coral. I am also looking for a more permanent solution!

Hunting aiptasia is part of my weekly tank maintenance anyway honestly. I zap 4 or 5 a week or when I see them. It makes no sense for me personally to buy berghias because my hogfish would just eat them anyway lol. I keep them off of my corals and kill the ones that I see and thats good enough for me. Even if they will always be there.

 

[Dburr1014]

Tank is about 9 months along and I guess with the addition of corals, I’ve gotten some undesirables. Specifically Aiptasia. I’ve tried to control it with Red Sea Aiptasia-x, but they are reproducing faster than I can find them.

I‘m thinking of going to live control and getting some Berghia Nudibranches. My thoughts are that they would be better than peppermint shrimp it Copper banded Butterfly fish. I’ve never had them before and am looking for thoughts from those who have. I realize if they do a good job, they will die when their food supply is exhausted, but they seem to be the best answer to get this pest under control.

Any thoughts on them and where might be the best place to get some?

Jetson

Berghia work if you have a lot of aptaisia. If you have a few here and there they won't find them all and die.
They are spreading, Imo, because aptaisia x, and the like aren't 100%. If you don't get them just right, they release there gammets. (white like stringy things out of the mouth) That will produce 100's and if you don't get it completly, 1 cell missed can produce 1 aptasia.

F-aptaisia works for the ones you can get. If the aptaisia is upside down or on a face, good luck. You won't be killing that one.

Shrimp work if you get the right ones. If you run out of aptaisia, they may go after acans or other lps.

Berghia are best introduced at night near aptaisia, not on. If you have wrasse, they sleep at night, berghia sleep during the day. I have done berghia twice in my current setup with wrasse and have had positive results.
Do not do 2 means of eradication at the same time. Peppermint eat aptaisia and berghia will taste like aptaisia when they are brown. (means they ate one) using Kalk paste and F-aptaisia may also kill a berghia.

Berghia will need time to work to build up numbers. Don't expect it to work in a week or a month. It could be 4 to 6 months before you see noticeable results.

I found you would need a minimum of 10 medium size berghia. They are egg laying that size and they hunt in a pack. Websites have minimums for tank sizes but really you just need 1 hunting pack to make it work. It may take longer but it will happen. Quicker results need more berghia, it's all up to you.

As I said, I have done this 2x in my setup. 1st time I didn't have a lot of pests and it was good for a couple of years. In that time, if one aptaisia popped up I used Kalk paste or F-aptaisia. After a while my tank had 100's.
It's been about 3 years since my last round. I have seen 5 aptaisia in my tank in that time. 1 I got out using lemon juice. 100% worked but you need a ton of patience. 1 was on my clam shell. It got cover in GHA and disappeared. (so did the hair) Not sure what happened. The other 3 were a small cluster I zapped heavily with Kalk paste. I don't currently see any in my tank.

HTH

 

[AKL1950]

I've been using F-Aiptasia for awhile and can agree it works well but you are spot on - the ones you can't find make this a not fun path of weekly hunt and shoot. It's also hard to hit ones on the sides of rocks or undersides of ledges. Also as my tank has filled in with coral, it's getting increasingly hard to hit the aiptasia and not have collateral damage on coral. I am also looking for a more permanent solution!

I got the nudi’s. Put them in and they all went and hid in the rocks. It’s been about 10 days now and just about all the Aiptasia I could see before are gone. Even ones that were a long way away from where I put the Nudi’s. These little guys are great, and my understanding is they reproduce like rabbits. I’m sold on them.

I know there are a couple of downsides, but for right now, they are doing the job.

Downsides are when the got all the aptasia’s, they will starve and die. Second is at some point I want a fairy wrasse. It will eat the nudi’s.

 

[Dburr1014]

I got the nudi’s. Put them in and they all went and hid in the rocks. It’s been about 10 days now and just about all the Aiptasia I could see before are gone. Even ones that were a long way away from where I put the Nudi’s. These little guys are great, and my understanding is they reproduce like rabbits. I’m sold on them.

I know there are a couple of downsides, but for right now, they are doing the job.

Downsides are when the got all the aptasia’s, they will starve and die. Second is at some point I want a fairy wrasse. It will eat the nudi’s.

Don't worry about the wrasse. They can't /won't find them all.

 

[laezur]

I got the nudi’s. Put them in and they all went and hid in the rocks. It’s been about 10 days now and just about all the Aiptasia I could see before are gone. Even ones that were a long way away from where I put the Nudi’s. These little guys are great, and my understanding is they reproduce like rabbits. I’m sold on them.

I know there are a couple of downsides, but for right now, they are doing the job.

Downsides are when the got all the aptasia’s, they will starve and die. Second is at some point I want a fairy wrasse. It will eat the nudi’s.

If you want to keep the Nudibranchs you could setup a small jar, or small tank and put a piece of rock in there and actually propogate Aiptasia, and then introduce them to the tank slowly as food. I know it seems counter productive, but they're cool creatures. That, or you can sell them on to another reefer in need.

 

[AKL1950]

If you want to keep the Nudibranchs you could setup a small jar, or small tank and put a piece of rock in there and actually propogate Aiptasia, and then introduce them to the tank slowly as food. I know it seems counter productive, but they're cool creatures. That, or you can sell them on to another reefer in need.

Sounds like a great idea. I would love to help others. My biggest problem is just keeping up with my one big tank now. I’m about to enjoy my 73rd birthday cake and not sure I could handle another tank.

 

[laezur]

Sounds like a great idea. I would love to help others. My biggest problem is just keeping up with my one big tank now. I’m about to enjoy my 73rd birthday cake and not sure I could handle another tank.

Jealous of the tank!

Aiptasia will grow anywhere, stick them in a dirty bucket outside and you'll be fine haha.

 

[AKL1950]

Jealous of the tank!

Aiptasia will grow anywhere, stick them in a dirty bucket outside and you'll be fine haha.

Thanks!

Might give it a try. I’ve got a 10 gal tank. Wouldn’t have to keep it clean. Trick will be finding some of the nudi’s to get them in a propagation tank.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Where are y'all sourcing berghia? Filefish was a bust, peppermint shrimp won't last due to multiple halichoeres wrasses & hawkfishes, just got a bluehead Klein butterfly but I want a backup option.

 

[Iyad Aoun]

Tank is about 9 months along and I guess with the addition of corals, I’ve gotten some undesirables. Specifically Aiptasia. I’ve tried to control it with Red Sea Aiptasia-x, but they are reproducing faster than I can find them.

I‘m thinking of going to live control and getting some Berghia Nudibranches. My thoughts are that they would be better than peppermint shrimp it Copper banded Butterfly fish. I’ve never had them before and am looking for thoughts from those who have. I realize if they do a good job, they will die when their food supply is exhausted, but they seem to be the best answer to get this pest under control.

Any thoughts on them and where might be the best place to get some?

Jetson

Hello,
Dont bother with chelmon rostratus,I really dont know who said that but I had at least ten of them,healthy,eating mussels and never ever touched aiptasia.Even when I leave them fasting for 24 hours they never touch.I had once lot of aiptasia,tried everything to destroy them,finally i went to the simplest,which is injecting some drops of vinegar ,quickly while opened,using a seringe with a needle,I never over use but each day i use a little and the next day most of the treated ones disappear.Problem is that you have to treat every single one and if you have a big tank its not funny.
Vinegar at my sense is the safest product unless you use tons of it, its very safe,although its a mild acid,i never had drops of kh and in theory is food for good bacterias to lower po4 and no3

 

[AKL1950]

Where are y'all sourcing berghia? Filefish was a bust, peppermint shrimp won't last due to multiple halichoeres wrasses & hawkfishes, just got a bluehead Klein butterfly but I want a backup option.

I got mine from Reef Town. They are in the Miami area. Little more expensive that others, but all were alive and healthy and laying eggs in the traveling container. I will buy from Jeff again.

 

[AV corals]

Links to the best nudis? I bought some online from a known seller * I wont name names* but cost about $100 for 4 small tiny little guys. 1 seemed DOA and the other three just disappeared into the tank.. never seen them again and my aptasia is literally a wild fire. I dont even think it was worth it.. so I bought two file fish in which 1 eats only the tiny tiny ones and the second is starting to pick as I just got him two days ago. I need reinforcements .

 

[Dburr1014]

Links to the best nudis? I bought some online from a known seller * I wont name names* but cost about $100 for 4 small tiny little guys. 1 seemed DOA and the other three just disappeared into the tank.. never seen them again and my aptasia is literally a wild fire. I dont even think it was worth it.. so I bought two file fish in which 1 eats only the tiny tiny ones and the second is starting to pick as I just got him two days ago. I need reinforcements .

If a file fish eats aptaisia it will eat berghia.
That is fact.
Same goes for any creature that eats aptaisia.