Aiptasia weed and clams

[BobFageUK]

I am fighting an on going battle with Aiptasia. I had a trade back my Candy Cane hog recently as it would eat the peppermint shrimps 7 today. I have again 4 of them (if they are still alive) and a very small file fish on a watch list as he tried to chew on a Goniapora and one of my soft corals. I have tried to remove him with a trap and net with no luck but he has stayed high up near my Stag Horns and birds nest corals where he sits on top of a half dozen small Aptasia which he shows no interest in. However I mentioned the word Clams.

Recently I have found a couple Aptasia growing from the shell of both my claims. I have used NTLabs Marine Anti-Aiptasia in small dose to kill them off as I am worried that the clams will react. A while back my large clam 5" had an Aiptasia growing from his foot. I did use the NTLabs on it and the clam was one unhappy baby for about a week. Any one with advice? or how they have tackled this problem. (I cannot use Berghia as I have a 6 bar wrasse in residence)

 

[WIReefer]

Have you tried a filefish?

 

[CCauthers]

Have you tried a filefish?

OP said he has a filefish in his post

 

[WIReefer]

OP said he has a filefish in his post

I must have missed that I’m sorry.

 

[WIReefer]

Could you possibly move the wrasse for the time being and use Nudibranch?

 

[BobFageUK]

Have you tried a filefish?

Yes I had a loan file fish from thee local fish shop and he tucked in to the Aiptasia.. great then he joined in feeding with the other tank mates. after about 3 weeks he found my Duncans and did some real damage in 24 hours so I caught him and returned him to the shop. I have a very small one at the moment which ignores the Aiptasia, he has tried the Gonipora - trying the catch hime with no luck yet.

 

[ge4rhead]

copperband butterfly did the trick for me. my copperband loves hikari freeze dried brine shrimp and hikari freeze dried krill. he likes eating out of my hand. pretty cool little guy. once the copperband seen the aiptasia in my zoas and palys he chewed them right up. he doesnt bother any of my coral. duncan, blasto, zoas and palys, monti, favia, bird nest, gorgonians, and much more. just gotta keep him well fed

 

[BobFageUK]

Thanks for the suggestion.. now to do some research.. again thanks ..appricated

 

[BobFageUK]

I have reserved a copper band to collect tomorrow (our fish shop have deliveries on a Friday and they had 3 come in but they do not sell until the Saturday)

 

[ge4rhead]

awesome! just a heads up though if you havent had a copperband before. they are very hard to keep. so people say anyway. just make sure no other fish will bother the copperband. i had a clown tang when i got my first copperband and he messed with the copperband so much that the copperband didnt eat. sad to say i lost the copperband. so i was determined to have a copperband. i got rid of my 7 inch long clown tang for free so i could get another one. second copperband was awesome. started eating the first day. if you have a pod population thats even better. they love pods. if you dont have a pod population and want a copperband now, have the LFS try and feed the copperbands when you are there. see if any will eat food. pick whichever one eats and looks good.

 

[Mike N]

Copperbands can be extremely finicky in new environments, sometimes they never eat and just waste away.
Make sure you have plenty of food options for him and I wish you good luck!

 

[BobFageUK]

Copperbands can be extremely finicky in new environments, sometimes they never eat and just waste away.
Make sure you have plenty of food options for him and I wish you good luck!

yes I have a varied diet for my fish, They get a mix of various frozen foods and also pellets and flakes put through a grinder to get a reasonable size. I have a rock beanie that follows my screen flipper and he darts over to it as soon as I move it getting ready to eat what is scrapped off. He still eats at the other 3 feed times, butt he loves this suff that comes off the glass. I try and find what different fish prefer. Some love the mysis shrimp and others do not yet they all seem to like the frozen cubes with garlic.

 

[ge4rhead]

i literally have over 20 different types of food lol.. 10 different types of frozen and 10+ dry foods. not including all the different coral foods. always good for variety.

 

[BobFageUK]

I only have 3 frozen and Ocean flakes and seaweed flakes and a couple of different pellets not a lot more choice in the fish shop. I also have a mix of lots of different types of food in a big slab I break up - use some for the corals and also Reef Roids.

 

[BobFageUK]

whatever I feed them with it is all goes very fast

 

[ge4rhead]

i dont have any aiptasia in my display tank anymore but i do have some in my sump and my return section. i thought about putting bergia in those areas but havnt pulled the trigger on that yet.

 

[BobFageUK]

I had berg, but my 6 bar wrasse had them for supper. 3 made no indent on the issue. I hate Aiptasia with a vengeance. As soon as we have removed some using NTLabs Marine Anti-Aiptasia it pops up in other places and must be in the back of the rocks we cannot get to any more, so we hope the peppermint shrimps and the Copperband works as just about run out of ideas.

 

[glendale789]

15 minutes ago, I literally looked over at my tank and saw my Melanurus wrasse eat an aptasia off of a temp probe! I have never seen that before! I took out six of the little buggers over the weekend with F-Aptasia - but there are always twice as many as you think you have I'll do another round of extermination on the four (or eight) I have left this weekend.

 

[glendale789]

...and I need to find a new home for both of my wrasses so that I can have nudis and shrimps.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I am fighting an on going battle with Aiptasia. I had a trade back my Candy Cane hog recently as it would eat the peppermint shrimps 7 today. I have again 4 of them (if they are still alive) and a very small file fish on a watch list as he tried to chew on a Goniapora and one of my soft corals. I have tried to remove him with a trap and net with no luck but he has stayed high up near my Stag Horns and birds nest corals where he sits on top of a half dozen small Aptasia which he shows no interest in. However I mentioned the word Clams.

Recently I have found a couple Aptasia growing from the shell of both my claims. I have used NTLabs Marine Anti-Aiptasia in small dose to kill them off as I am worried that the clams will react. A while back my large clam 5" had an Aiptasia growing from his foot. I did use the NTLabs on it and the clam was one unhappy baby for about a week. Any one with advice? or how they have tackled this problem. (I cannot use Berghia as I have a 6 bar wrasse in residence)

Get a file fish