Aiptasia

[chevegan]

I borrowed a copperbanded butterfly when I had them years ago. Finished off the pests in about a month and I passed him on to someone else who needed him. I tried growing aptasia in the sump to keep him fed but they would proliferate fast enough. Guess they do better in the main display stinging your corals

 

[jd371]

It was the Aptasia-X that caused them to spread in my tank. It worked fine on the big ones that were on top of the rock but the smaller ones in the holes and crevices all it did was make them retract and come back days later with some friends. I've tried to use Peppermint but they didn't last with my Melanurus around. I believe my CBB might have been eating them at first but has stopped. It's gotten really bad now and they're everywhere.
I added some Berghia to my tank a couple of weeks ago but I'm not noticing anything happening yet. I'm going to give it another week or two and if there is still no change I'm thinking of placing another order for some more Berghia with more adults this time.

 

[Jesterrace]

It was the Aptasia-X that caused them to spread in my tank. It worked fine on the big ones that were on top of the rock but the smaller ones in the holes and crevices all it did was make them retract and come back days later with some friends. I've tried to use Peppermint but they didn't last with my Melanurus around. I believe my CBB might have been eating them at first but has stopped. It's gotten really bad now and they're everywhere.
I added some Berghia to my tank a couple of weeks ago but I'm not noticing anything happening yet. I'm going to give it another week or two and if there is still no change I'm thinking of placing another order for some more Berghia with more adults this time.

I guess I lucked out. My single aiptasia hitchhiked on a coral frag, and so after hitting it with aiptasia X, I popped off and removed the coral frag.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I did find some success with a Pepermint Shrimp, but as someone noted, something like a M. Wrasse will just snack on your shrimp. More to the point, when I got a Matted Filefish (which sometimes is sold under the name “Aiptasia Eating Filefish”), BAM! Goodbye every last aiptasia.

 

[Jeff Murray]

I live in the Florida Keys and have a reef tank and a Bay tank. Bay tank is whatever I can collect along the shore here. I have ten large aiptasias that I collected and they are beautiful to see and in 5 months I only see one small patch of new ones growing. However I had 2 atlantic butterfly fish that I collected on the reef and I put them in a 50g tank with ocean water and sand. Didn't want them in the reef tank as I hear they can eat corals. I put a rock with algae in with them and didn't notice the aiptasia attached. Both fish ate the aiptasia within minutes of being introduced. I ended up gathering aiptasia on rocks along the bay shore and that's all the butterflies would eat. Ravished them immediately. I didn't want to collect aiptasia every day so put them back in the ocean. They sure did love the aiptasia.

 

[mmw64]

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.

I like aiptasia killer from Frank's Tanks. Be careful though as some of my corals didn't act too happy for a time after using

 

[Emma01]

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.

This is an absolute constant battle for me also.
Nudibranch will work BUT bare in mind that they will starve to death once they’ve eaten all the aptasia (as that’s all they will eat and don’t except other foods). So, with that in mind you’d probably need a QT tank deliberately to grow aptasia to keep your Nudibranch in until you may need them again in your display. They’ve quite an appetite, so would go through the aptasia pretty quickly!
Emma xx

 

[Captain Quint]

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

^^^The only truly proven method for sure.

 

[Injoynit]

This is an absolute constant battle for me also.
Nudibranch will work BUT bare in mind that they will starve to death once they’ve eaten all the aptasia (as that’s all they will eat and don’t except other foods). So, with that in mind you’d probably need a QT tank deliberately to grow aptasia to keep your Nudibranch in until you may need them again in your display. They’ve quite an appetite, so would go through the aptasia pretty quickly!
Emma xx

I myself have added nudi's twice the first time no success. The second time was with adult nudi's in which they got all but the biggest ones. I have about 3 large apts's left but will not try and erradicate those until I can get more nudi's. Then before the nudi's are added, about a week before i buy, I will kill the 3 apt's. This will multiply the apt's but they will be small for the nudi's to get.

I have not tried a file fish as I've heard they eat coral but continuing to use the nudi's will make me get a second job!

Good Luck!