Aiptasia: Do you ever just leave them alone? What happens if you do?

Have you ever just left aiptasia alone in your tank?

  • Yes and they multiplied beyond control

    Votes: 183 30.2%
  • Yes and they seemed to stay the same

    Votes: 92 15.2%
  • Yes and they started to diminish over time

    Votes: 36 5.9%
  • No, I remove quickly

    Votes: 239 39.4%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 56 9.2%

  • Total voters
    606

Reefvision

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I used peppermint shrimp and file fish together in softy tank ; worked well, but ALWAYS one survivor and if you move that rock to another tank say, bam - also found out my non coral nipper file fish for over a year acquired a taste for hammers , Duncan’s ect. So back to the softy tank and removed the one rock that had one aptasia “survivor and also in softy tank. Haven’t seen any now for 3months .fingers crossed and wood touched lol!!
 

fish farmer

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I remember back in 2008 when my 65 gal FOWLR was covered with them, I had given up on corals in that tank.

They obviously made it into my current tank from that rock and seemed to slowly increase over a few years. I would have peppermints for a bit that would take care of them, then they would eventually pass and they would come back. I'd dose them with whatever chemical to keep them at bay.

One thing I have noticed is the lack of aiptasia growing on the rocks dominated by red and green striped discoma mushrooms. I don't see a single one around the mushrooms. They will pop up around people eater palys and whatever zoas I have. They don't like the stalks of hammers...that's the vermetid's hood.

I had made a decision to try a file fish about two months ago and after a tense couple of weeks with settling in with the sixline wrasse, the file looked to be gaining some weight and eating some aips. Then a week later the filefish was gone.

Now the aips are back to spreading so I'm back to chemical controlling. I didn't like the last peppermint shrimp I had, they seemed to pick at my hammers at night.
 

Sunny in Miami

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I consider myself very fortunate not to have any in my tank. I would have slit my wrists if I did since I already deal with flat worms because I don't want to nuke the tank. I also have some cyano and still refuse to nuke. All in all my tank is doing well as long as I keep the worms and cyano in check by siphoning flat worms and netting the cyano mats.
 

jiffyjhn

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I had a bad infestation in one of my tanks(got some from one coral frag of local reefer which multiplied). I tried aiptasia X but it doesn't completely kill them. My clowns also eat aiptasisa X and I'm not sure if it's good for them so I stoped using it.
I've tried other removal methods, but the best method I found is to use a toothbrush and brush the aiptasia repeatedly and gently. Most of them will unroot itself eventually and then I can just remove with a net. This works best on large aiptasias.
 
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Tbg299

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I have a really large aiptasia anemone in my tank that refuses to die. I have literally given this thing dozens of doses of Aiptasia-X, and it retracts back into its hole only to re-emerge a few days later. I think I will have to take the rock out and remove it with a scalpel. My DT is 65 gallons so Rabbitfish or Butterfly fish is out of the question. The only fish that would work is a filefish but I don't want it nipping on my sps coral.
 

Biokabe

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Copperband Butterfly fish. Does wonders against Aiptasia.

But if anyone is tempted to use a CBB against aiptasia - be aware that CBB are notoriously difficult to acclimate to aquarium life. Once they're settled in and start eating, they're quite hardy and very useful against aiptasia, but from what I've heard it's not at all unusual to lose 3-4 before finally getting one that survives and thrives.
 

Tbg299

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Has anyone used berghia nudibranchs? I have been researching them and they seem to be reef safe, but are very difficult to find for sale. My only question is what do you feed them when there is no aiptasia left to eat?
 

Treefer32

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I have pictures of before and after of Aiptasia. Me leaving them alone, did not solve anything. This is about 6 months of aiptasia taking over my tank. tens of thousands of them covering my sand bed, all my rocks, surrounding my corals.. They were even growing on my glass running out of places for them to grow. This is just one part of my 340 gallon tank. Every rock was like this! (And yes, I still have that plate coral, it's about double in size now! )
Before Copperband.jpg


This is after I got a Copperband Butterfly (roughly from January to May is the time it took to clean it all up.. He ate it like it was candy! ) Same spot, no aiptasia!

After Copperband.jpg
 

Tbg299

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I have pictures of before and after of Aiptasia. Me leaving them alone, did not solve anything. This is about 6 months of aiptasia taking over my tank. tens of thousands of them covering my sand bed, all my rocks, surrounding my corals.. They were even growing on my glass running out of places for them to grow. This is just one part of my 340 gallon tank. Every rock was like this! (And yes, I still have that plate coral, it's about double in size now! )
Before Copperband.jpg


This is after I got a Copperband Butterfly (roughly from January to May is the time it took to clean it all up.. He ate it like it was candy! ) Same spot, no aiptasia!

After Copperband.jpg
Good gosh that's a lot of aiptasia! That CBB must have a very full belly
 

RUKelly

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I’ve had bad infestations of aiptasias maybe 4 times. Must of hitch-hiked with corals. Nudi bergias worked wonderful but once the aiptasias are gone, they starve….. Couldn’t use peppermint shrimp (or any shrimp for that matter) since my fish would think “Oh….Mom bought us very special yummies… what a treat!”. I did buy an electric shock/burn wand specifically for aiptasia demise; it worked awesome, then I realized that any parts separating/torn off would replicate into a new parasite. I had 100’s of tiny invaders then. I have bought the red sea X solution/glue but haven’t had the courage to use it because I worry I may accidently kill other sealife. Clumsy I am in the tank. The best thing for me was filefish… and big ones cause I have some nasty territorial fish who have killed the smaller ones. I name them all “Freddie” and last one I had was with me for a very long time but recently died. Wasn’t from bullying; the fish accepted him; wasn’t starvation, he loved the fish food; I noticed he first ate all the tiny aiptasias, moved his way up to the bigger ones. I still have a couple of aiptasias that are huge, like anemones and I suspect he tried to take one out but it bested him. Toxins? My theory.
 

DHill6

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I have a fairly new tank and seen a few small ones that went away, and now one large sized one has popped up. I added 5 Berghia's the other night so hopefully they showed up to the party hungry. Anyone know how long they might take to start seeing results? Being so small hard to know if they are even still in there somewhere.
I was informed they work from inside the rock then out. I added 8, high flow size, we’ll see if they survive and do the job. I’ve seen a white once twice now, it’s been 1.5 weeks and they’ve rid the left side of rock. Waiting for them to get the right side. Rock is Tonga branch, it’s full of holes for them to hide in.
 

DHill6

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Has anyone used berghia nudibranchs? I have been researching them and they seem to be reef safe, but are very difficult to find for sale. My only question is what do you feed them when there is no aiptasia left to eat?
Salty underground had them. They die or you pass them to another Reefer that has astapia
 

Mike H2020

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Had a few big ones but I am assuming that the two peppermint shrimp took care of em...I still get a small one or two pop up here and there but they never seem to last long
 

Tbg299

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Had a few big ones but I am assuming that the two peppermint shrimp took care of em...I still get a small one or two pop up here and there but they never seem to last long
I have a small peppermint shrimp but he he is not big enough to eat the larger aiptasia. Should I get a couple more of them?
 

eaze333

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I have always had them in all tanks and could never completely eradicate them. Never to mass proportions but enough to be annoying. Tried chemical approach, laser, aiptasia wand. Pulling rocks out and blasting with a creme brûlée torch. All approaches only ever seem to make it worse. Have tried leaving them alone, growth seemed slower but never stopped. On quite a few occasions have used berghias and they always but but seem to miss always one or two before the beghias vanish. Never had luck with copper bands or filefish and much less with peppermint shrimps. Although this last time I figured I would give peppermint shrimps one last try and they have wiped out all. Every so often one may appear on a new drag and the shrimp get them within a day or 2
 

germo

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I had a few when I first started my tank. Bought a true peppermint shrimp and haven’t seen one since. For me an emerald crab and peppermint shrimp are key to fixing some of my reef headaches. I can say I will never have a tank without the both of them.
 

Rp8

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I found one on the back of a rock that was hidden literally 1.5” wide. For the size it was I never had a problem with an out break. Just one here and there
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 69 37.5%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 62 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.6%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 15.2%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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