Aiptasia

[Tsev03]

I’ve got a bad out break of Aiptasia. Has anyone tried a black out for them? Thinking about taking most of my live rock that doesn’t have coral on it and putting it in a barrel with heater and powerhead for a weeks maybe? Buying some nudi’s for the display but can’t do that till next month. I took down 2 small tanks and I’m upgrading to a bigger display soon so I have lots of rock I want to keep alive for the up grade but don’t want to bring the Aiptasia with it.

 

[Tahoe61]

They do not rely on light, I am not even sure they are photosynthetic. I would try peppermint shrimp is they are that bad, or the nudibranch.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I'm fairly certain that a blackout will not do anything to rid you of the aiptaisia.

Outside of the normal control procedures using specific livestock such as nudi's or peppermint shrimp, there are plenty of other treatment options people have tried. I've heard of people using lasers to fry them and some people remove the rock and boil them with hot water. Personally, I just mix up a really concentrated solution of kalk with a very little bit of tank water and use a syringe to suck it up and target each one (with the pumps off). The limewater is extremely caustic (so don't be putting it on corals), so I think it essentially chemically burns the aiptasia tissue and kills it. I doubt this solution will completely eradicate your problem, but it can cut the numbers down to a manageable level over time. Of course, there's commercial products out there, but I'm not sure how much better they may or may not be.

 

[Tahoe61]

I have used the kalk paste method and it's effective if you administer directly into the aiptasia, kalk paste was my treatment choice but you have to treat small areas because too much kalk will effect pH, and calcium. You have to use it sparingly.

Once you get a large outbreak of aiptasia it's difficult to fully eradicate them. Even if you leave a microscopic piece of tissue the aiptasia will regenerate.

File fish might be a good option.

 

[nhlives]

They put them in blackout to force them to spread where they raise berghi I read somewhere. Anyway there is probably no way to completely eradicate them once you have them. Learn to live with them and control them. That means do not try any of the chemical methods to kill them which will cause them to multiply.

Hard answer but I think you will find that true. Even if you find a predator, they will persist.

Use Berghia Nudibranchs to cut back an infestation. Some use peppermint shrimps but research these guys before introducing them. A couple of fish predators already mentioned.

I find if I leave them alone they tend to not spread.

 

[Pet Detective]

Matted File Fish will eradicate them if you are not too impatient, mine nipped a few LPS in the beginning but doesn't touch the coral anymore, it eats whatever I feed the tank.
Some will say they are hit & miss but the very first one I bought ate every single one of the aiptasia.....almost a thousand, I would estimate, so to me it was the LEAST hit & miss method that I tried, and believe you me, I tried everything, in fact EVERY other method is far more hit & miss, including Berghia which are expensive and delicate, if you can colonize them outside the DT and insert adult nudi's you will have better luck, mine never could finish off all the aiptasia before they disappeared.
Good luck, it's a tough job, I almost broke my tank down but "Matty" saved the day....if you do try a file fish, give it time, not like some of the I phone, instant gratification seeking generation, that give up after 24 hrs..... :]

 

[Tsev03]

They put them in blackout to force them to spread where they raise berghi I read somewhere. Anyway there is probably no way to completely eradicate them once you have them. Learn to live with them and control them. That means do not try any of the chemical methods to kill them which will cause them to multiply.

Hard answer but I think you will find that true. Even if you find a predator, they will persist.

Use Berghia Nudibranchs to cut back an infestation. Some use peppermint shrimps but research these guys before introducing them. A couple of fish predators already mentioned.

I find if I leave them alone they tend to not spread.

I had 2 or 3 they were close to coral so I used joe’s juice. Then I had 6 or 7 I used the kall paste. Then I went out of town and missed a water change and come home to find them everywhere. I wish I had just left them alone like u said.

Thanks everyone I’ll try the shrimp and nudi’s and maybe a file fish.

 

[nhlives]

Some of the animal solutions are incompatible. Peppermint shrimp will eat the berghia so research first. Filefish might eat the shrimp.

I had one close to a Torch. The Torch prevailed as the aiptasia moved or was killed.

if you use berghia, wait about six weeks after you last messed with chemicals before introducing them. Give the aiptasia a chance to grow.

 

[mostlysticks]

They'll laugh at a blackout. I was successful eliminating a nightmarish outbreak with Berghia, but it was slow.

 

[nhlives]

Good source to buy and learn about aiptasia: https://reeftown.com/

"...Aiptasia reproduce through the process known as pedal laceration which occurs when baby anemones develop from small bits of tissue left behind as the anemone wanders around but can also reproduce by emitting planulae larvae into the water column. This is usually in response to an eminent threat of eradication, such as when attacked by an angry aquarist or “shot up” with a caustic chemical..."

The problem with berghia is that they die out when the aiptasia are eliminated. But like any good predator, they don't usually get them all. About eight months after initial success I see a couple. I may try an ORA Filefish. But berghia do work under the right conditions.

 

[lapin]

My thoughts. Your best solution is to get new rock and coral. But thats prob not a good solution for you, as would be bleaching everything. So.... berghia will eat them, it will take a long time and a lot of money as they are not cheap. Fish and shrimp will eat berghia. I have never had any luck with the file fish option. One type of pepperment shrimp eats them the other types do not. You will need quite a few shrimp for a major outbreak. They, like the berghia, eat the smaller ones first. You may have to paste the larger ones. A quick needle full of hot limewater paste down the mouth should give them a fit. Trade the shrimp in when they are done. If you wanted to grow aiptasia you take one, toss it in a blender and dump the goo in your tank. I think they will even live in fresh water.

 

[mostlysticks]

I bred the Bergia in a 10g tank under the stand with just an airpump. You have a huge supply of food which is the only hard part of raising them. Just rotate an aiptasia rock into the Beghia tank. When it's eaten move it back to the main tank and swap it with another infested rock. Pull out Berghia and consistently put them into the main tank. It is a lot easier than it sounds and I got total eradication doing this.

 

[mmw64]

Matted File Fish will eradicate them if you are not too impatient, mine nipped a few LPS in the beginning but doesn't touch the coral anymore, it eats whatever I feed the tank.
Some will say they are hit & miss but the very first one I bought ate every single one of the aiptasia.....almost a thousand, I would estimate, so to me it was the LEAST hit & miss method that I tried, and believe you me, I tried everything, in fact EVERY other method is far more hit & miss, including Berghia which are expensive and delicate, if you can colonize them outside the DT and insert adult nudi's you will have better luck, mine never could finish off all the aiptasia before they disappeared.
Good luck, it's a tough job, I almost broke my tank down but "Matty" saved the day....if you do try a file fish, give it time, not like some of the I phone, instant gratification seeking generation, that give up after 24 hrs..... :]

Just purchased a file fish, what a cute fish! He moves around really slowly so it will take time for him eat all the aiptasia in my tank. I tend to agree, the more you fight them the quicker they seem to spread. Hope this little guy will do the trick.

 

[Pet Detective]

Just purchased a file fish, what a cute fish! He moves around really slowly so it will take time for him eat all the aiptasia in my tank. I tend to agree, the more you fight them the quicker they seem to spread. Hope this little guy will do the trick.

It may move slowly but it does so with a purpose, mine began hunting them down within a week, after it became comfortable and acclimated. There are several types of file fish, it's the Matted File Fish that is most consistent with eating aiptasia, so make sure you purchase that particular species of file fish and I'm quite certain you will have success.

 

[Billdogg]

I have always used a syringe and boiling water. This allows you to cook the little buggers right where they sit without adding any chemicals or single purpose creatures to your tank. I have found this method to be 100% effective, although it can take awhile to get them all if there are a lot of them.

 

[Jesterrace]

Aiptasia X is good for small and early outbreaks, but I agree once it is wide spread a Matte Fish is probably the most effective with the least amount of harm to your other life. Peppermint shrimp are hit and miss and can bother your corals.

 

[jsker]

I had the best success with a matted filefish. The filefish will not eat shrimp, corals if feed meaty food. I have been aiptasia free now for over two years, when one does pop up, it magically disappears just as fast as it pops up.

The key is once you have aiptasia, and thinking aiptasia is gone is fooling yourself. As stated above, once disturbed aiptasia spread and spread fast. Aiptasia also lay dormant and just pop up, or can come back as a hitchhiker from a coral purchases.

 

[mmw64]

Matted File Fish will eradicate them if you are not too impatient, mine nipped a few LPS in the beginning but doesn't touch the coral anymore, it eats whatever I feed the tank.
Some will say they are hit & miss but the very first one I bought ate every single one of the aiptasia.....almost a thousand, I would estimate, so to me it was the LEAST hit & miss method that I tried, and believe you me, I tried everything, in fact EVERY other method is far more hit & miss, including Berghia which are expensive and delicate, if you can colonize them outside the DT and insert adult nudi's you will have better luck, mine never could finish off all the aiptasia before they disappeared.
Good luck, it's a tough job, I almost broke my tank down but "Matty" saved the day....if you do try a file fish, give it time, not like some of the I phone, instant gratification seeking generation, that give up after 24 hrs..... :]

How long did it take for Matty to kill the aiptasia?

 

[Pet Detective]

How long did it take for Matty to kill the aiptasia?

Honestly about 4-6 weeks before I could not see ANYMORE aiptasia, it took 2 weeks to start to notice a difference as well.
Good luck to you and for what it's worth, Matty is now a valued member of my fish community, I'd never set up another reef without one, very cool personality traits.

 

[mmw64]

Honestly about 4-6 weeks before I could not see ANYMORE aiptasia, it took 2 weeks to start to notice a difference as well.
Good luck to you and for what it's worth, Matty is now a valued member of my fish community, I'd never set up another reef without one, very cool personality traits.

Thanks. I love my little guy too!