Aiptasia: Prevention and Correction

john.m.cole3 · Jan 17, 2017

I'm infested and working on it now for about 2 months. I've killed hundreds of em using a syringe and kalk paste. A friend told me that every time I kill one that way, all their spores are released and more babies pop up. He suggested to tag @twilliard in this thread because he (Todd) has talked about getting a separate tank like a QT for your rock set up, bringing the temp up to 90 degrees, and then the aiptasia fall off. @twilliard could you explain this method in more detail please?

Then on the flip side, How do we prevent these pest anemones from getting in our tanks in the first place?

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 17, 2017

john.m.cole3 said:
How do we prevent these pest anemones from getting in our tanks in the first place?

QT, and pull scrape and poison them. before they hit the display.
Bergia nudis would be the next suggestion. but get more than one.
Curiously in my 55, I have one only aiptasia. I killed off a few, but really there should be more. But I do have a pygmy angel fish in there. My small 30g, has many aiptasia, and it should be noted both tanks got the appies from the same coral.
How about an elegance coral?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm

jsker · Jan 17, 2017

Hey man, I had the very same thing going on about a year and a half ago. Tried the paste and remover way, and yes the aiptasia just spread even more. Bought a couple of peppermint shrimp and and the shrimp enjoyed the frozen food but not the aiptasia. Then I bought Matt, a matted filefish from my LFS and with end 4 week no more aiptasia. Matt decided to make a tank break and I replaced Matt with Hunter, and when a aiptasia pops up it gone within a day.
The matted filefish are really cool to watch in the system, only took a week for Hunter to attack the Nori

twilliard · Jan 17, 2017

john.m.cole3 said:
I'm infested and working on it now for about 2 months. I've killed hundreds of em using a syringe and kalk paste. A friend told me that every time I kill one that way, all their spores are released and more babies pop up. He suggested to tag @twilliard in this thread because he (Todd) has talked about getting a separate tank like a QT for your rock set up, bringing the temp up to 90 degrees, and then the aiptasia fall off. @twilliard could you explain this method in more detail please?

Then on the flip side, How do we prevent these pest anemones from getting in our tanks in the first place?

I sure can! This was found on accident one day when a heater failed. No you guys know me, I was growing them for a study I wanted to do. Well the heater failed water was at 94 degrees and all these guys just started floating around. Poor things, back to square 1. I was testing this theroy in a 10g tank and I found right at the point of 90 degrees these guys start to roll up. In about 4 days raising the water 1 degree a day they would release from the their foot. Well I started another colony of these guys when I had my frag tank this last summer. Well dang it ANOTHER heater failure! Temp in this one was 96 degrees and sure enough they were floating in the water. Small round blobs. They HATE hot water.
No I am out of aiptasia

So slowly raising the temp to above 90 degrees will catch these guys. Caution though as they end up in the filtration.

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 17, 2017

twilliard said:
I sure can! This was found on accident one day when a heater failed. No you guys know me, I was growing them for a study I wanted to do. Well the heater failed water was at 94 degrees and all these guys just started floating around. Poor things, back to square 1. I was testing this theroy in a 10g tank and I found right at the point of 90 degrees these guys start to roll up. In about 4 days raising the water 1 degree a day they would release from the their foot. Well I started another colony of these guys when I had my frag tank this last summer. Well dang it ANOTHER heater failure! Temp in this one was 96 degrees and sure enough they were floating in the water. Small round blobs. They HATE hot water.
No I am out of aiptasia
So slowly raising the temp to above 90 degrees will catch these guys. Caution though as they end up in the filtration.

VERY interesting. I happen to have some Appies in the qt right now.
Hot Tub time Boys!

twilliard · Jan 17, 2017

It is cool to watch. Also I have had only a few ( I think 2) coral losses in my frag tank from the heat.
When the heater broke the first time I didn't lose a single coral.

tankstudy · Jan 17, 2017

I've actually not had aptasia for about 5 years.

Using dry rock vs. live rock is a definite must. Or if you buy live rock, make sure its from someone who does it from dry rock in a quarantined environment with no introduction of outside live rock, ever.

QT of 6-8 weeks is a must.

G8trBait16 · Jan 17, 2017

Well I had like 5 Aiptasia, thought I killed them all with the kalk paste, then 5 more popped up. I then though I killed them with Aiptasia X, now there is about 25. So bought 10 nudi's (8 medium and 2 large), they will be delivered on Thursday, so will see how they do for a few weeks. If they don't work, what else could I try, rocks have sps frags glued to them. Is a matted filefish the way to go.

pickupman66 · Jan 17, 2017

the only success I have had came with a CBB who decimated them in my 180. I moved a portion of the rock to my current 66 when I broke the 180 down and for a time, while I had that cbb still, he kept them gone. However, now that he is gone (sold of because he was BIG) I am seeing a return of them. I aptasia x those that i can get to easily.

jsker · Jan 17, 2017

G8trBait16 said:
Well I had like 5 Aiptasia, thought I killed them all with the kalk paste, then 5 more popped up. I then though I killed them with Aiptasia X, now there is about 25. So bought 10 nudi's (8 medium and 2 large), they will be delivered on Thursday, so will see how they do for a few weeks. If they don't work, what else could I try, rocks have sps frags glued to them. Is a matted filefish the way to go.

That is what I found out going through the process of elimination

some members have had limited success with foxface's.

11f150 · Jan 17, 2017

Anyone know at what temperature beneficial bacteria would start dying? It would be nice to throw aiptasia infested rock into a 90 degree QT and then put it back in your tank after all the aiptasia fall off.

Sabellafella · Jan 17, 2017

john.m.cole3 said:
I'm infested and working on it now for about 2 months. I've killed hundreds of em using a syringe and kalk paste. A friend told me that every time I kill one that way, all their spores are released and more babies pop up. He suggested to tag @twilliard in this thread because he (Todd) has talked about getting a separate tank like a QT for your rock set up, bringing the temp up to 90 degrees, and then the aiptasia fall off. @twilliard could you explain this method in more detail please?

Then on the flip side, How do we prevent these pest anemones from getting in our tanks in the first place?

Alright let me say my opinion considering i breed berghia nudibranchs exclusively for my lfs, so i can have free everything that i need for my tanks =). When you touch an aiptasia, the white string that emerge from its disk, will actually all windup as babys (thats if the strings detach). Personally, i feel like once you get a small infestation, theyll always be lingering around unless you have a predator. Up to you to decide if you want a fish, or nudibranch, but kalk paste/lemonjuice/glue/boiling vinegar and ro water will only just kill off what your eyes can see. Ive grown aiptasia in my backyard, in a bucket with no light, no flow, freezing water, 100° water, and all theyve done was reproduce more then when i kept the bucket in my garage. They have died for me in peroxide ridden water though.

ahiggins · Jan 17, 2017

as far as prevention...qt frags is really the only thing you can do. It will be impossible to catch them on LR unless theyre big enough to visibly see. You would need a light on a qt tank. Ive never heard of bumping temp up to 90 though...wonder how much good bacteria that would kill off LR.
Ive had amazing luck with peppermint shrimp. Ive always wanted a cute little filefish though...but would be afraid he would starve.

john.m.cole3 · Jan 17, 2017

G8trBait16 said:
Well I had like 5 Aiptasia, thought I killed them all with the kalk paste, then 5 more popped up. I then though I killed them with Aiptasia X, now there is about 25. So bought 10 nudi's (8 medium and 2 large), they will be delivered on Thursday, so will see how they do for a few weeks. If they don't work, what else could I try, rocks have sps frags glued to them. Is a matted filefish the way to go.

How much do the berghia nudis go for and is there a chance of toxicity in the tank when they die?

ahiggins · Jan 17, 2017

Ive never heard of berghia toxicity (like the lettuce nudi) but last I looked they were $6 each. Ive heard mixed reviews about them.

drawman · Jan 17, 2017

For me an aiptasia eating filefish from Biota aquaculture worked well. I've always hated the injection method I would rather spend that time doing other things with my tank. I still have them in the overflow and don't expect to get completely rid of them in the tank. I've used berghia in the past and they take out 99.9% of them...sadly they end up coming back though

Davies13 · Jan 17, 2017

I introduced a peppermint shrimp and never saw aiptasia again.

john.m.cole3 · Jan 18, 2017

A friend of mine suggested setting up a siphon attached to a filter sock in the sump. He siphons where the aiptasia is first then immediately applies super glue to the mouth. He said the aiptasia stay extended after siphoning and that the filter sock catches all the spores. Interesting how many approaches there are to warding off these annoying pests.