Aiptasia Squad - Here's my plan!

[Gill the 3rd]

My shrimp were a expensive snack.

Yea same issue here. I would use shrimp, but my puffers and eel would make quick work of them.

 

[afrokobe]

My shrimp were a expensive snack.

same, im struggling to come up with a solution now. any berghia or shrimp that go into the tank become a snack. I have a lot of lps, so I haven't gone the butterfly option

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

same, im struggling to come up with a solution now. any berghia or shrimp that go into the tank become a snack. I have a lot of lps, so I haven't gone the butterfly option

I went nuclear as everything else was a bust. I was a few hundred bucks in between berghia which was 5 for 75$, peppermints were 2 for 15$ and said screw it and tried another Klein. Klein 1.0 did the job but begin to eat my more pricier zoa's and LPS. Klein 2.0 seems to be nipping less (the good zoa's died from being smothered or were eaten previously). The heinochus was a pleasant surprise as it munches on aiptasia without the excessive nipping like the Klein.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Just gonna put this out there... my engineer goby wiped most of my aips out by burying them. Your milage may vary and he took out a rock flower as a collateral.

 

[Gtinnel]

I’ve been in the same situation with a huge aiptasia infestation in my 125g tank. I tried peppermint shrimp and I’ve never seen my wrasse so happy to eat something. I ended up using a copperband and it finally started eating them and cleared mine up.

I would personally recommend against using multiple fish at the same time because most fish that eat aiptasia are also a risk to eat coral and you may be increasing the odds of removing the aiptasia but your also increasing the odds that your corals will be on the menu.

 

[Gtinnel]

Just gonna put this out there... my engineer goby wiped most of my aips out by burying them. Your milage may vary and he took out a rock flower as a collateral.

Were all of your aiptasia on the bottom of your rockwork or did your gobies bury most of your rockwork? I’ve lost quite a few corals to my engineer gobies but it never made any significant difference to my aiptasia.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Were all of your aiptasia on the bottom of your rockwork or did your gobies bury most of your rockwork? I’ve lost quite a few corals to my engineer gobies but it never made any significant difference to my aiptasia.

Buried a lot of my rocks and unearthed a lot more. There's a huge mound of sand in the back where the aip garden used to be.

 

[jhadaway]

Salty Underground is doing a presale of Bergia that were less expensive than most. I get them in a few weeks. I have a Molly Miller Blenny that is the most spastic fish I've ever had. I love the fish but I don't think it ever touched one of my Aiptasia. I put three ORA peppermints in my WB 100.3 and I can't see any difference yet, but they may be keeping the small ones in check. I put one of those peppermints in my 5.5 gallon pico and today I only see one. There were dozens in there of all sizes, some huge. I steered clear of the filefish because of my heavy flow and a derasa clam.
Good Luck!

 

[MnFish1]

1. Nice tank!
2. Manual removal of aiptasia is commonly used depending on the number you see - however its a process that likely needs to be repeated over and over - as even leaving a small part of one - will allow it to reproduce. Also if you can see 1, there are probably more.
3. I would only buy a fish/invert to treat this based on the fact that it's a fish you want in your tank - as compared to which one is likely to work.
4. I had an extreme aiptasia situation after being gone on a trip. I tried one thing after another - finally added Berghia nudibranchs and over a couple weeks perhaps 100 aiptasia were gone. none of the fish or peppermint shrimp, etc ever touched thm
5. Many shrimp called 'peppermint shrimp' are actually a type that do not affect aiptasia.

So - in the end - I would consider berghia - and dosed with the appropriate number per the site you order from - don't skimp. If one of the fish you mentioned is one you like, etc - I would add it after using the quarantine protocol you or your store usually uses. Hope this helps!

 

[MnFish1]

if you get uro the entire tank has to be taken down and sterilized

Assuming 'uro' means uronema, this is incorrect. Uronema can often be found naturally in a tank. https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/

Aiptasia often grows in areas that are not visible - and Its clear that in larger tanks, it's nearly impossible not to use some kind of control method besides manual removal.

There are also multiple threads on R2R and elsewhere - where someone tried manual removal and ended up with 10 x the original amount of aiptasia.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

...There are also multiple threads on R2R and elsewhere - where someone tried manual removal and ended up with 10 x the original amount of aiptasia.

This. I tried all the manual methods (aiptasia x, joes juice, kalk paste, f aiptasia, majano wand & laser).

In the end they would disappear and come back with a even worse vengeance.

The Klein is a OK utility fish, which I can tolerate, same with the filefish in my other tank. The heinochus is a plus, my 1st one ever to keep. I didn't know they would eat aiptasia until I watched it do so and it actively hunts them out.

 

[Gtinnel]

This. I tried all the manual methods (aiptasia x, joes juice, kalk paste, f aiptasia, majano wand & laser).

Same here. I only had a few so I decided to kill them before it became a problem so I used a diy kalk/lye paste that I saw recommended. It caused them to spread horribly. The only way I would ever use a chemical treatment now was if I was just trying to kill bigger aiptasia so something could eat the smaller ones that replaced it.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

i had a decent infestation of aptasia. I got a copperband and they were gone in weeks. I know the OP said no copperband, but should give it a try unless OP has personal hatred against copperbands.

 

[Enrique7]

I added about 15 peppermint shrimps and added 10 med-large berghias about 7 weeks ago. I have not seen the berghias again and I have not seen a reduction in Aiptasia near the shrimps.
I also bought the majano wand, which I am still testing, but I have a feeling it may trigger spreading of Aiptasia.
Fish I hace not tried because I am worried of coral nipping

 

[littlefoxx]

I heard Kliens Blue Head Butterfly is the aptaisa king.

Butterflyfish : Klein's Blue Head Butterfly

Buy Online saltwater fish. healthy hand selected Quarantined saltwater fish, Quality UPS shipping. Buy Now Sale.

www.marinefishez.com

Agree 100% mine eliminated aptasia and snacks on it if it returns. Love this fish

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

I got 2 "real" peppermint shrimp and my aptasia was totally gone in 24 hours. That was 6 months ago haven't seen any since and my peppermint is alive and well. This was in my 40 gallon mixed reef tank.

 

[legionofdoon]

I have a silver scat and a Klein's not sure which one actually did the deed but no aiptasia left and I had a horrible infestation. Berghias did nothing at all. Saw them one time and never again. Zoa's are definitely on one of those two fishes menu but haven't actually seen one picking at them.

 

[PhilT]

I heard Kliens Blue Head Butterfly is the aptaisa king.

Butterflyfish : Klein's Blue Head Butterfly

Buy Online saltwater fish. healthy hand selected Quarantined saltwater fish, Quality UPS shipping. Buy Now Sale.

www.marinefishez.com

Beware if you have coral. I’ve never had a copperband or filefish eat apitasia for me

a raccoon butterfly cleaned out majanos for me, don’t know about apitasia. It also cleaned out my zoas too.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Berghia is too expensive.

File fish will go after coral after.

The Copperband will DECIMATE every aiptasia . I love my guy !!

There is nothing like watching your Copperband tear pieces or aiptasia apart while you drink your coffee admiring your tank lol …

 

[MnFish1]

Berghia is too expensive.

File fish will go after coral after.

The Copperband will DECIMATE every aiptasia . I love my guy !!

There is nothing like watching your Copperband tear pieces or aiptasia apart while you drink your coffee admiring your tank lol …

True - I wish I had a copprband that did that.