Aiptasia, how to kill it and only it.

mvan14

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Hello reefing community. I have quite the outbreak of Aiptasia and haven’t been able to control it with much luck yet. I’ve scoured the forms and haven’t seen an answer to my question yet. If this has already been answered on another post please let me know.

I have a decent outbreak of aiptasia. Largest one is just shy of a quarter in diameter. There’s about a dozen heads, maybe more. So far I’ve added two peppermint shrimp but I fear I’m too late there and the outbreak is beyond their control. I’m debating on adding a file fish but I’d rather not. My tank is a 25 lagoon so my fish space is limited. Im not completely against it but am looking for other options too.

My idea is to start using f-aiptasia or something similar. My main concern is if I use a product like this will it hurt my anemone or or other corals? I’ve read horror stories of people losing their prized anemones by using one of these products but I haven’t seen anything concrete.

I appreciate any help.
 

BirdFish5000

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Those products ultimately just spread aiptasia. I've had incredible luck with ORA peppermint shrimp. Highly recommended. Algae Barn has them. They come in <small>, so add them well after dark so your fish don't make them expensive snacks.
 
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mvan14

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Those products ultimately just spread aiptasia. I've had incredible luck with ORA peppermint shrimp. Highly recommended. Algae Barn has them. They come in <small>, so add them well after dark so your fish don't make them expensive snacks.
I have two already. Think I need more?
 

Reefing.with.Rich

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Hello reefing community. I have quite the outbreak of Aiptasia and haven’t been able to control it with much luck yet. I’ve scoured the forms and haven’t seen an answer to my question yet. If this has already been answered on another post please let me know.

I have a decent outbreak of aiptasia. Largest one is just shy of a quarter in diameter. There’s about a dozen heads, maybe more. So far I’ve added two peppermint shrimp but I fear I’m too late there and the outbreak is beyond their control. I’m debating on adding a file fish but I’d rather not. My tank is a 25 lagoon so my fish space is limited. Im not completely against it but am looking for other options too.

My idea is to start using f-aiptasia or something similar. My main concern is if I use a product like this will it hurt my anemone or or other corals? I’ve read horror stories of people losing their prized anemones by using one of these products but I haven’t seen anything concrete.

I appreciate any help.
Absolute 100% best way to kill it without adding chemicals/glues is get a cup of water and throw it in the microwave and get it to boiling point. Then take a syringe and fill it with the boiling water and get it into the tank and squirt it directly to the mouth aof the aptasia and watch it die quick and never come back
 

kingfisherfleshy

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How long has it been so adding the peppermints?

I have used them in the past, and currently have a 6g tank with two in there.

Its been maybe a month, and there is still at least one that I know of. They have to find them, and with the smaller ones, they wont attack big polyps.

Id kill any that are noticeable size wise...Even if they make more thats okay, the peppermints will get the small ones as they pop up. Like everything else in this hobby, consistent elbow grease and patience. GL!
 

anthonygf

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Fine micro-bubbles at night works for me. I have tried everything, they just spread. When my skimmer's micro-bubbles was bypassing the foam barriers I was in no hurry to fix it because I only run my skimmer when lights out. I was wondering why the aiptasia population is decreasing without using my last bottle of F-aiptasia after 6 months. I still have them but they are not exploding out of control, my File Fish was not able to keep up with them. My bottle of F-Aiptasia has dried out from lack of use.

You should try it, get an air pump and a wooden air diffuser not a stone, you get finer bubbles with wood. Use it only at night time when your lights are off. I have all the parts for this because I have a fresh water tank also, so I set up my pump, wooden air diffuser and placed it just under the return pump. I want to see if I increase the amount of bubbles I can get the ones in hard to reach areas that my File Fish cannot get to.
 

anthonygf

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Laser light and a 12 pack....good times
I have the laser. It is fun, you can hear them pop like popcorn. But it very difficult for me to hold it steady long enough to get very many of them. So I don't use it any more, it is hard if you have arthritis.
 

vetteguy53081

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Hello reefing community. I have quite the outbreak of Aiptasia and haven’t been able to control it with much luck yet. I’ve scoured the forms and haven’t seen an answer to my question yet. If this has already been answered on another post please let me know.

I have a decent outbreak of aiptasia. Largest one is just shy of a quarter in diameter. There’s about a dozen heads, maybe more. So far I’ve added two peppermint shrimp but I fear I’m too late there and the outbreak is beyond their control. I’m debating on adding a file fish but I’d rather not. My tank is a 25 lagoon so my fish space is limited. Im not completely against it but am looking for other options too.

My idea is to start using f-aiptasia or something similar. My main concern is if I use a product like this will it hurt my anemone or or other corals? I’ve read horror stories of people losing their prized anemones by using one of these products but I haven’t seen anything concrete.

I appreciate any help.
F-aptasia wont but for a dozen, keep it simple. Using syringe, inject either lemon juice or better yet. . kalkwasser powder mixed with tank water into a paste the consistency of toothpaste and inject into the very center core and it will melt away
 

anthonygf

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F-aptasia wont but for a dozen, keep it simple. Using syringe, inject either lemon juice or better yet. . kalkwasser powder mixed with tank water into a paste the consistency of toothpaste and inject into the very center core and it will melt away
That method is fine if you can hold your hand steady enough.
 

Spicy Reef

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For me Faiptasia works great if they are on the top of a flat surface, i recently used it to manage the spread of xenia my hands are too shaky little droplets floated all over the place and annoyed some other corals, nothing died but...
 

vetteguy53081

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That method is fine if you can hold your hand steady enough.
I better know how after working many years in trauma and inserting IV's. You can also use a pipette and smother their crown
 

TalkinTangie

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Lots of good information here. My personal experience having tried multiple things, is to use the Berghia nudibranches. I was unfamiliar with them, but am now 100% an advocate of them being natural and super effective!

I just sold around thirty of them to other reefers here because they cleared my tank of all of my aiptasia and they bred too!

They take a little time to see the change but they will wipe out any aiptasia in your tank. They literally only eat aiptasia. Good luck! I know the other tactics and techniques work, this was the easiest, not cheapest, way for me to deal with tons of aiptasia and not having to think about it in the process.
 

DHill6

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I’ve tried the lemon juice, tried the hot water, tried peppermint shrimp which went after my scoly, rehomed the shrimp, aistapia X and f astapia. Reef Delete second version can burn a black hole into the rock where the pest was. I had tried berghia also but they were small and a goby ate them. After rehoming the goby I ordered large berghia and that solved the problem, wiped them out. This was in a 34g with Tonga rock, full of hiding spots, I used 6 large berghia. If I end up with an infestation again that’s the route I’m taking. I’ve had one pop up and I burned it into a black hole with the Reef Delete. Came on a scoly purchase.
 
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mvan14

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How long has it been so adding the peppermints?

I have used them in the past, and currently have a 6g tank with two in there.

Its been maybe a month, and there is still at least one that I know of. They have to find them, and with the smaller ones, they wont attack big polyps.

Id kill any that are noticeable size wise...Even if they make more thats okay, the peppermints will get the small ones as they pop up. Like everything else in this hobby, consistent elbow grease and patience. GL!
It’s been about 2 weeks now
 

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