Aiptasia treatment success or failure.... A poll

What has worked in your tank to remove aiptasia?

  • What is aiptasia?

    Votes: 10 2.4%
  • Berghia Nudibranch

    Votes: 107 25.7%
  • Copperband butterfly

    Votes: 31 7.4%
  • Filefish

    Votes: 42 10.1%
  • Boiling water injection

    Votes: 3 0.7%
  • Kalk Injection

    Votes: 32 7.7%
  • Electrical application (wand)

    Votes: 4 1.0%
  • Something else - please describe

    Votes: 52 12.5%
  • Chemical Methods

    Votes: 50 12.0%
  • Peppermint Shrimp

    Votes: 86 20.6%

  • Total voters
    417

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,829
Reaction score
21,964
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
SO - somehow - no clue how - I ended up with some aiptasia anemones. I just tried to kill them with 'removal' - and a month later - I had 50. They weren't spreading - and I personally don't mind them - they didnt seem to hurt anything - when it increased to more than that - I thought - hmmm. I should do something. I did something that I thought would never work - but - they are disappearing - day by day. So - thus the Poll - when everyone has answered - I'll give 'my experience'.
 

BighohoReef

A reefer in need is a friend indeed!
View Badges
Joined
Apr 14, 2020
Messages
3,997
Reaction score
11,346
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just did a stupid thing where I was cleaning off a new piece and accidentally put the scraped bits of aptaisa on my glove into my DT sump... anyways couple things missing from your list are aptasia eating peppermint shrimp and chemical treatments. Also if they continue to propagate they can sting corals... just something to keep in mind. Glad yours are disappearing :)

 

TriggerFinger

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 12, 2018
Messages
4,509
Reaction score
16,108
Location
St. Louis
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The last two days I did aiptasia control. I had 6, I’ve successfully covered 3 with superglue, epoxy and rubble in that order. The other three disappeared into the rock...I’m coming for them too.
 
OP
OP
MnFish1

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,829
Reaction score
21,964
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I just did a stupid thing where I was cleaning off a new piece and accidentally put the scraped bits of aptaisa on my glove into my DT sump... anyways couple things missing from your list are aptasia eating peppermint shrimp and chemical treatments. Also if they continue to propagate they can sting corals... just something to keep in mind. Glad yours are disappearing :)


Yep - sorry I meant to add chemical treatments - after 'boiling water'. as well as peppermint shrimp
 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,522
Reaction score
164,638
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Over the years I have tried nearly every solution listed in the poll as well as Aiptasia X, lemon juice, super glue, and more. Most of those solutions just annoy the aiptasia enough that they reproduce rapidly and a few have knocked the aiptasia crop back but never really eliminated it. The only thing that has worked for me is F-Aiptasia Killer by @Frank's Tanks.
 
OP
OP
MnFish1

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,829
Reaction score
21,964
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
The thing I found is (to me) - no affiliation with the company - a miracle cure
I just did a stupid thing where I was cleaning off a new piece and accidentally put the scraped bits of aptaisa on my glove into my DT sump... anyways couple things missing from your list are aptasia eating peppermint shrimp and chemical treatments. Also if they continue to propagate they can sting corals... just something to keep in mind. Glad yours are disappearing :)


I think they have been added
 

Darren in Tacoma

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Messages
401
Reaction score
624
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I bought a used tank with a massive outbreak, probably hundreds. The thing that worked was Aiptasia X. It required very careful injection of the chemical and daily application, while also rotating rock into place so the aiptasia were accessible. Afterward I threw a 1/2 dozen Peps in the tank and that was all she wrote. I sometimes wonder why people have such a hard time eradicating them when I had so many to kill and it really wasn't that hard.
 

Nick Steele

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
2,499
Reaction score
2,541
Location
Port St. Lucie
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Voted other

I’ve only seen 3 total since I got my tank.

1 on a zoa frag plug which I simply just moved the frag to a different plug.

2 popped up randomly and in easy spots away from coral so I just superglued over them.

Haven’t seen any since so I believe I’ve kept them out of my tank so far!
 

Sleeping Giant

Proud Canadian Reefer
View Badges
Joined
May 22, 2020
Messages
5,851
Reaction score
14,981
Location
Northern Ontario, Canada
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
SO - somehow - no clue how - I ended up with some aiptasia anemones. I just tried to kill them with 'removal' - and a month later - I had 50. They weren't spreading - and I personally don't mind them - they didnt seem to hurt anything - when it increased to more than that - I thought - hmmm. I should do something. I did something that I thought would never work - but - they are disappearing - day by day. So - thus the Poll - when everyone has answered - I'll give 'my experience'.
What's your experience?
 

SMSREEF

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 27, 2016
Messages
2,048
Reaction score
4,302
Location
Miami
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I used other products that just spread the little “guys”. But they just spread.
F-aiptasia worked for me.

At least I think so at this point but I think these guys may have some way of spontaneous generation in our tanks.

EDIT Nov 2020: They grew back and spread. I changed my vote because berghia got rid of them (for now). Will update if they come back.
 
Last edited:

SPitts6654

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Messages
92
Reaction score
91
Location
Oviedo, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’ve used several and they have all been temporary fixes because there is always one more hiding somewhere that the nudis didn’t get before they died or you can’t get with one of the various chemicals used to kill the. I think the only 100% fix is to teardown the tank let the rock dry out for a long period of time or chemically cure it.
 

KingTideCorals

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 18, 2020
Messages
2,713
Reaction score
6,699
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just did a stupid thing where I was cleaning off a new piece and accidentally put the scraped bits of aptaisa on my glove into my DT sump... anyways couple things missing from your list are aptasia eating peppermint shrimp and chemical treatments. Also if they continue to propagate they can sting corals... just something to keep in mind. Glad yours are disappearing :)


Following into his trap I am grabbing a couple peppermints from @BighohoReef .. I have a couple aptasia in the mangrove system I run, and have not tried to do anything in hopes I do not grow out any more.

As of now I see 4, as they move and attach to rubble in the tank I easily pull them out. Of course, when I had a bigger problem I had genuine success with Aptasia X

giphy.gif
 

Fishurama

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Messages
716
Reaction score
1,284
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Berghia are the best hands down, but they are also the most expensive option. I also feel bad letting them starve to death afterwards and try to rehome them.
 

Creating a strong bulwark: Did you consider floor support for your reef tank?

  • I put a major focus on floor support.

    Votes: 60 38.2%
  • I put minimal focus on floor support.

    Votes: 35 22.3%
  • I put no focus on floor support.

    Votes: 56 35.7%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 3.8%
Back
Top