Aiptasia starting to take over HELP!!

[enrik_from_vallejo]

Aiptasia is growing rapidly. What’s the best way to get rid of them? I’ve read that cooper butterfly fish eat them but they also eat anemones and I have a couple of those I don’t want to sacrifice. There’s also removing them manually with injecting them with sodium hydrochloride. I get nervous using chemicals and don’t want to throw off my parameters. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks reef community

 

[Spare time]

Bergia nudibranchs

 

[Merge_595]

Aiptasia is growing rapidly. What’s the best way to get rid of them? I’ve read that cooper butterfly fish eat them but they also eat anemones and I have a couple of those I don’t want to sacrifice. There’s also removing them manually with injecting them with sodium hydrochloride. I get nervous using chemicals and don’t want to throw off my parameters. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks reef community

I was able to completely get rid of them with a combination of F Aptasia first to reduce the population(the one's i could reach) & 6 Berghia Nudibranch(didn't have any wrasse). Aptasia x just makes them come back 5x worse.

Berghia Nudibranch​

 

[subodhs]

Peppermint Shrimp. Get a couple of them if you do not have any wrasses (or things that would eat them). Wait about a week and you should be Aiptasia free. The chemicals just spread them in my experience.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Aiptasia is growing rapidly. What’s the best way to get rid of them? I’ve read that cooper butterfly fish eat them but they also eat anemones and I have a couple of those I don’t want to sacrifice. There’s also removing them manually with injecting them with sodium hydrochloride. I get nervous using chemicals and don’t want to throw off my parameters. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks reef community

For Aptasia- You cant beat a Kleini Butterfly BUT must be the bluehead- NOT the yellow version. The yellow will go after coral too but bluehead as pictured will eat aptasia like candy, then eat all dry and frozen food offered, colorful, friendly and stays small. I will note that a couple of persons who got the blue had their kleini nip zoa. if so- easy sell, or place in sump as aptasia have likely made it down there already

 

[Doctorgori]

I don’t frequent these aptasia threads enough…

…just adding to the above, I would strongly suggest going “dry” on ALL plumbing and overflows in addition to all the above….
( basically shutting off the return for 24hrs or however long enough to dry out all the lil boogers …
at the very least scope out the overflow with a flashlight !!!!
..again, if this is at all feasible, practical, possible…do it ..
VERY often aptasia hide in overflow boxes away from the shrimp and syringes…
…I got experience here LOL

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

use racoon butterflys

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I don’t frequent these aptasia threads enough…

…just adding to the above, I would strongly suggest going “dry” on ALL plumbing and overflows in addition to all the above….
( basically shutting off the return for 24hrs or however long enough to dry out all the lil boogers …
at the very least scope out the overflow with a flashlight !!!!
..again, if this is at all feasible, practical, possible…do it ..
VERY often aptasia hide in overflow boxes away from the shrimp and syringes…
…I got experience here LOL

I’ve found them in algae scrubbers, cryptic reactors, etc.

I’ve heard you should do an interceptor treatment prior to letting berghia loose in your tank. I watched Than (Sp?) explain that amphipods eat Nudis. I had never heard that before.

 

[davidm777]

I get nervous using chemicals and don’t want to throw off my parameters.

Hope this helps you.
https://www.reefjar.com/aiptasia/

Aptasia x just makes them come back 5x worse.

I heard a mexican berghia nudibranch farmer say he needs aptasia for his little guys and actually uses Aptasia X to propagate them! I have no experience on this but is funny to read you mention it.

 

[ScottF]

Hope this helps you.
https://www.reefjar.com/aiptasia/

I heard a mexican berghia nudibranch farmer say he needs aptasia for his little guys and actually uses Aptasia X to propagate them! I have no experience on this but is funny to read you mention it.

Speaking from experience, Aiptasia X is aiptasia (and Majano) fertilizer. I recommend putting on some Barry White to get them in the mood to reproduce before using it.

Never had luck with peppermint shrimp. Did have a filefish that did a pretty good job.

 

[ReefEngineer]

I breed and sell Berghia Nudibranchs I would recommend that for aiptasia removal since that is their natural diet. They also will not affect anything else in your reef tank. If you would like to purchase any, I can also ship directly to your home.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I breed and sell Berghia Nudibranchs I would recommend that for aiptasia removal since that is their natural diet. They also will not affect anything else in your reef tank. If you would like to purchase any, I can also ship directly to your home.

@TKCorals do amphipods eat nudis?

 

[ReefEngineer]

@TKCorals do amphipods eat nudis?

No they won't.

 

[Daphne's_Reef]

No they won't.

How much do you charge for the nudis+shipping? Might need to wait because I think some stuff around me is still out from Milton, but I have been looking for some for a while now.

 

[Ziggy17]

No they won't.

But wrasse do. So if the OP has a wrasse, Nudis are not the option.

 

[ReefStable]

Here are some ways to handle aiptasia.

Personally, I find if you have the money, a reasonable number of Berghia Nudibranch are the most thorough. But peppermint shrimp, Damsels, wrasse, etc all eat them. Amphipods tend to eat the eggs so you may not see a lot of reproduction unless you breed them in another tank.

My backup is peppermint shrimp.

F Aiptasia works well if you have a LOT of aiptasia and it grows faster than things eat them.

Best of luck!

https://reefstable.com/solutions/pests/aiptasia

 

[BetteMidler]

Any pictures?

 

[ReefEngineer]

But wrasse do. So if the OP has a wrasse, Nudis are not the option

Not necessarily true, I would say 75% of the customers have wrasses in their tank and still have success with berghia.

With Wrasses it is important to place the berghia's at night when the wrasses are sleeping. Also with the correct amount of berghia's in a tank it will help them reproduce and tackle the aiptasia issue faster.

 

[TomTheSeagull]

My experience with peppermint shrimp has been good. I was going to try the F-Aiptasia route but with a flashlight noticed the little buggers stuck down in all kinds of places in the rock work that I would never be able to reach. So I got 3 peppermint shrimp. I started seeing some apitasia gone after about 2 weeks and I'd say it took almost 2 months before all the aiptasia was gone. I have a melanurus wrasse that likes to eat my snails and crabs but he has not touched the shrimp.

 

[Ziggy17]

Not necessarily true, I would say 75% of the customers have wrasses in their tank and still have success with berghia.

With Wrasses it is important to place the berghia's at night when the wrasses are sleeping. Also with the correct amount of berghia's in a tank it will help them reproduce and tackle the aiptasia issue faster.

It won’t post the laughing historically emoji…..