Aiptasia Lasers

I'm wondering what lasers people have used? If you've used on and have had success please let me know the name and possibly a link? Just started to get an aiptasia outbreak and want to cut it off before it's an issue. My wrasse keeps eating the peppermint shrimp Also, I tried gluing over them but they keep popping out of the glue, grrrr

 

I have limited experience but they’re largely useless for anything but a few large ones.

#reefsquad?

 

Get one like this off of eBay and it will work like a charm!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Laser...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

http://www.melevsreef.com/blog/using-a-frikkin-laser-beam

 

You need a class 4.

 

Don't waste you $$$ on lasers (I'll sell you mine cheap). Aiptasia are a form of anemone, you irritate them they split/multiply. Either Nudis or Filefish will rid your tank of the dreaded aiptasia.

 

They appear to work, but more often than not it's a 'don't believe your lying eyes!'

First things first. I helped start this craze years ago at Reef Central. Go check it out. The first post about using a laser on aiptasia was started by me. I got the idea from a local friend who using one so I bought one, and then a stronger one!

If you use one, you have to destroy the entire aiptasia, right down to the last tiny bit of it's foot. Many are in holes that you can't get the straight line laser beam all the way into the hole. You lose and the aiptasia wins as it comes back a week later! Many, many will grow back in a few days to a week. Yes, if they are on the surface of something you can kill them. But in my experience the percentage of REAL success is about 30 to 40%.

Don't waste your money on a laser or a majano-wand. They kind of work, but they are FAR, far from being a serious solution. Sorry I ever got so excited when I was first using a laser!

 

One side note, it is kind of fun frying them with a laser, it sounds like bacon sizzling right through the glass. Yet discouraging when you see their numbers have doubled and more.

 

I got mine from a SciFi laser but don't think they exist anymore. It worked great if and only if you could get a dead on straight shot where the aip couldn't retract out of angle. It was fun for a little while but the novelty quickly wore off and it was pretty worthless for aiptasia control. Sold mine for pennies on the dollar.

 

Im afraid a butterfly will eat my coral. Will my melanurus wrasse eat the nudis? It's ate my peppermint shrimp

 

HERE is a link from one of the YT videos I watched, got a chuckle out of the sizzling bacon sound of the aiptasia melting.
BTW I did find a more powerful one but it's $350+

 

Get the Aiptasia-eating file fish and a Copperband Butterflyfish. Once the aiptasia is gone remove the file fish. (they are slow easy to catch)

 

I utilize copperband butterfly and also a aptasia/mojano wand

 

I have two tanks. The tank with the Copperband has NO aptasia. The other tank is loaded to the point that I will be stripping it down in the coming weeks to remove all of the sand and rock that's in there. I'm just fed up with it and do not want to move my Copperband around from tank to tank. But Copperbands don't always make it. Try and find one that is eating and you should be OK.

 

While cool to kill one with a Laser it is the wrong approach. Getting peppermint shrimps or fish that eat them works best. QT'ing corals that you get at a swap and LFS is even better. As the aptasia is brought into your tank that way.

 

I remember you! I saw your threads and then made this video!

And in the long run yes. it was a bad idea. copperband and peppermint shrimp worked best for me.

 

Peppermint shrimp worked for me! I had my H. Melanurus eat 2/4...the smallest ones. Then it ate the last 2.

After this, I made it a point to only get adults...and I let them float until lights off....and released into the tank after lights out. Within the next few weeks, all of the aiptasia was gone.

 

File fish didnt work for me he was more interested in eating the mysis I was feeding the other fish than the aiptasia.. I tried aiptasia-x it works but you need to find every last aiptasia for it to work it has to be totally Eradication nothing left or they will come back

 

We’ll, I was just about to tell you guys that there was a guy buy the name of @Ron Reefman who knew all about these lasers. He was on RC with me back in 2011 and posted the first thread I can remember about lasers nuking Aiptasia. The thread was called “A real Aiptasia laser.” However, after using the laser for an extended period of time...he concluded that they really don’t work.


Ohh... hi Ron! Lol

 

Lasers really don't work, but if you are bored it's fun.

 

I had an issue like that too and was able to remove a 100-200 or more Aiptasia in a month with two of the Filefish. Once mine got used to the Aiptasia (they have to be a little hungry to start) thats all they wanted and once that was gone they started going after my coral. I eventually had to remove both of the Filefish but kept the Copperband for maintenance. (It's also fun to watch the Filefish sniper the Aiptasia)