Aiptasia: Prevention and Correction

[cnseekatz]

I started with one or two in my sump. I ignored them because they were in my fuge, and because I'm dumb. Next thing I knew, there were thousands in my sump... then in my display, in my overflow in my protein skimmer ***. I tried Joe's Juice, I tried Kalk paste, I tried glue, I tried everything shy of the $400 laser that some people have used. For every one I killed, 10 more popped up.

So I went to my favorite solution to all reef-related problems... biological warfare. I bought a matted filefish on a whim. He didn't do crap. I still have him, I call him Derp. He just derps around my tank all day long. I like him now in the way that you like the dumb guy in a movie. I root for him, but he doesn't eat aiptasia. From there I went to peppermint shrimp. I've had great success with Pepps in the past, but they are hit or miss. I bought 6 for my 50 gallon setup, and they ate some of aips in my display, but when I tried to move them into my fuge, which is ground zero, they all disappeared (still have no idea where they went)... maybe the big aiptasia ate them? How would that be for poetic justice. When the shrimp left in my display started eating my acans and leathers, I had to trap them and evict them.

Finally, I found someone on my local board who was selling Berghia Nudibranches. I had avoided buying them in the first place, because my trio of leopard wrasses would never let anything even remotely slug shaped live in my tank. But I thought they might be helpful in my fuge. So I bought 6 of the biggest ones he had. They were not cheap. I think I spent $75 for them. But they WORKED! I put them in my fuge and they were ghosts from then out. I never saw one of them, but over the course of the next month or two, they eradicated every single solitary aiptasia in my sump. Not just the fuge chamber either, they migrated to the other two chambers and demoed the aiptasia. I don't know if they died after that, or if they're still cruising around in there, but my tank is free from these jerks now, and I won't hesitate to go nuclear on one if I see it pop up.

Hope this was helpful!

 

[john.m.cole3]

I don't keep SPS so my flow isn't an issue. Here's my plan as of now. While I'm still selling off corals and setting up my frag tank, I'll do the siphon and superglue approach. If a file fish becomes available, I'll toss him in there if I'm not making progress with the siphoning but only after all coral is out. If I still can't get this issue under control, I'll remove my longnose hawkfish and throw several peppermint shrimp in there. Berghia Nudis will be my last resort bc they're so dang expensive.

 

[drawman]

FWIW Biota Aquaculture aiptasia eating filefish are supposedly raised on eating aiptasia so they should be trained (hopefully) to eat them and may be more successful than other sources of aiptasia eating filefish (ie ORA, wild caught, etc.). I bought mine originally from the Diver's Den when they were selling them but now they have switched to ORA from what I've seen so I'm not sure where to source them at the moment. When dealing with non obligate consumers (peppermints, filefish) training may be needed for some individuals to be successful.

 

[shornik]

So I started a thread last week on my battle with aptasia. I'm going the Bergia nudi route and you can read about it here - the comments from the other R2R'ers are great. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/berghia-nudis-to-the-rescue.283343/page-2#post-3452550

All I can say is that so far I've noticed some apis are gone, but still a long way to go, but so far so good.

 

[drawman]

So I started a thread last week on my battle with aptasia. I'm going the Bergia nudi route and you can read about it here - the comments from the other R2R'ers are great. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/berghia-nudis-to-the-rescue.283343/page-2#post-3452550

All I can say is that so far I've noticed some apis are gone, but still a long way to go, but so far so good.

Once they start breeding you will get a population explosion and aiptasia will be reduced quickly. Sometimes it takes a couple of months for that to happen.

 

[SteveSTL]

I tried the bergia twice but no success. Got the peppermints and the guy said the secret is to "starve" the tank so the aiptasia are the only thing to eat. I fed a few pellets at a time to the fish slowly enough that the shrimp couldn't get them. After about 2 weeks, the aiptasia were gone. Have been gone for at least 2 months and there are still at least 8 shrimp in the tank. I'm going to pass most of them on to someone else when I get my algae under control.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Berghia Nudis will be my last resort bc they're so dang expensive.

Hmmm, too bad we don't know anyone who breeds them

 

[ReeferNoob77]

I added peppermint shrimp and they ate all of it in no time. I did have a couple that liked my coral too though.

 

[runzwithscissors]

I've always had good luck with aptasia X, but for a few months they just kept re appearing.
Couldn't understand why as I was addressing them rather quickly. Fast forward a few more weeks and while cleaning the back glass I spotted a huge one on the live rock right next to the back glass that couldn't be seen from anywhere except the top while all the pumps were off. Pretty much eliminated after taking down the big 'un.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Hmmm, too bad we don't know anyone who breeds them

I'm sensing a wee bit of sarcasm here... I can'y think of who you're talking about.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'm sensing a wee bit of sarcasm here... I can'y think of who you're talking about.

lol
I did score a 14 out of 4 on snark and sarcasm on the roster stats.

 

[john.m.cole3]

you're still not gonna tell me?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

you're still not gonna tell me?

nope

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.

 

[Hyde2406]

I bought 15 peppermint shrimp and they took care of it years ago hasn't been a problem since. I always feed lightly though like 3 times a week

 

[john.m.cole3]

Sometimes the details just slip by...

 

[Sabellafella]

I started with one or two in my sump. I ignored them because they were in my fuge, and because I'm dumb. Next thing I knew, there were thousands in my sump... then in my display, in my overflow in my protein skimmer ***. I tried Joe's Juice, I tried Kalk paste, I tried glue, I tried everything shy of the $400 laser that some people have used. For every one I killed, 10 more popped up.

So I went to my favorite solution to all reef-related problems... biological warfare. I bought a matted filefish on a whim. He didn't do ****. I still have him, I call him Derp. He just derps around my tank all day long. I like him now in the way that you like the dumb guy in a movie. I root for him, but he doesn't eat aiptasia. From there I went to peppermint shrimp. I've had great success with Pepps in the past, but they are hit or miss. I bought 6 for my 50 gallon setup, and they ate some of aips in my display, but when I tried to move them into my fuge, which is ground zero, they all disappeared (still have no idea where they went)... maybe the big aiptasia ate them? How would that be for poetic justice. When the shrimp left in my display started eating my acans and leathers, I had to trap them and evict them.

Finally, I found someone on my local board who was selling Berghia Nudibranches. I had avoided buying them in the first place, because my trio of leopard wrasses would never let anything even remotely slug shaped live in my tank. But I thought they might be helpful in my fuge. So I bought 6 of the biggest ones he had. They were not cheap. I think I spent $75 for them. But they WORKED! I put them in my fuge and they were ghosts from then out. I never saw one of them, but over the course of the next month or two, they eradicated every single solitary aiptasia in my sump. Not just the fuge chamber either, they migrated to the other two chambers and demoed the aiptasia. I don't know if they died after that, or if they're still cruising around in there, but my tank is free from these ******** now, and I won't hesitate to go nuclear on one if I see it pop up.

Hope this was helpful!

I was in the same situation as you but with a six line and 2 mandarins. 20 dollars a piece is tuff especially if your tank is larger. I cant even explain the amount of aiptasia i had in my tank at the time. I bought 9 berghia, once all the aiptasia where gone, i pulled out well over 100 of them to sell for store credit. (and kept a few).Took them about 3 months to take down all the aiptasia i had, so now i keep a nice brood stock on hand.

 

[Sabellafella]

It takes no effort to breed them, growing the aiptasia is the hard part. All i do is a cup a week water changes, and once a week throw a few aiptasia in its container. Once they lay a few ribbons of eggs, ill switch the nudies into a new container.
They just sit on a shelf in my sump, with the cap half off.

 

[Nathan0369]

I have used Red Sea Aiptasia X as well as a majano wand from Marine Depot, but they suck back into the hole in the rock and they hide. I then bought 3 peppermint shrimp and they didn't eat any of what I could see. I just ordered a filefish that is arriving at the fish store in Hammond tomorrow.

 

[11f150]

I had a local guy test the 90 degree temp out on aiptasias. He put a rock with them on it in a small QT and raised the temp. He said right around 90 they released and were floating in the water. Good technique imo if you need to clean a rock off that's in your tank.