Another aiptasia question

[Reefhaven26]

Ill make this short. Im battling my worst aiptasia outbreak. Trying nudibranches again. How many of you also take apart return pipes and overflow pipes to clean them. If I fail this time, I may restart the tank.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Good question, following....

 

[Waters]

I don't take apart pipes but I do use a UV substrate sweeper on overflows (and anything else that isn't live rock).

 

[EnterName]

I had a really aggressive outbreak once. Judging from the reports on R2R of various people and my own experience, I believe (but obviously don't know) that there are different species or strains involved. Some can be easily dealt with by using the various products to dissolve aiptasia, but others (mine included) just take this as an invitation to spread even more.

I tried peppermint shrimps first. They did only irritate the aiptasia whenever they catched some food, but didn't really eat them. Then I got rid of the peppermint shrimp so I could add Berghia nudis. Unfortunately something else in my tank ate those (I suspect the hermit crabs). In the end my copperband butterflyfish saved the tank. You will probably never get all aiptasia anemones and if you don't want to spread them, I recommend only cleaning things that you can fully take out of the tank and soak in bleach or acid. A little bit of pedal tissue is enough for them to spread.

For the few my copperband can't reach I'm currently using Aip-Away which appears to be far more corrosive than AiptasiaX. After 20minutes I take a small tube and siphon out all residues which reduces the amount of product that is floating through the tank and it might get a few cells that haven't fully dissolved yet. Only then the flow is turned back on.

 

[Evil1]

How old is your tank? Honestly if it is thriving I would not break it down. You are never going to eliminate all of them fully and there is no guarantee even if you restart the tank that in some way shape or form they won’t get reintroduced. Basically I just kill off what I can see and get to via chemical eradication. My copper band helps a little as well but, anything I can’t get to or is not annoying corals is left alone. Every month or so I’ll get my Elmer Fudd hunting equipment out and get them wascally wanbits! lol

 

[ScottJ]

I don't take apart pipes but I do use a UV substrate sweeper on overflows (and anything else that isn't live rock).

You use the Sweeper to kill aiptasia? I never thought of that! How long do you expose the area?

 

[ScottJ]

I had a really aggressive outbreak once. Judging from the reports on R2R of various people and my own experience, I believe (but obviously don't know) that there are different species or strains involved. Some can be easily dealt with by using the various products to dissolve aiptasia, but others (mine included) just take this as an invitation to spread even more.

I tried peppermint shrimps first. They did only irritate the aiptasia whenever they catched some food, but didn't really eat them. Then I got rid of the peppermint shrimp so I could add Berghia nudis. Unfortunately something else in my tank ate those (I suspect the hermit crabs). In the end my copperband butterflyfish saved the tank. You will probably never get all aiptasia anemones and if you don't want to spread them, I recommend only cleaning things that you can fully take out of the tank and soak in bleach or acid. A little bit of pedal tissue is enough for them to spread.

For the few my copperband can't reach I'm currently using Aip-Away which appears to be far more corrosive than AiptasiaX. After 20minutes I take a small tube and siphon out all residues which reduces the amount of product that is floating through the tank and it might get a few cells that haven't fully dissolved yet. Only then the flow is turned back on.

I have always wondered why when a fish, shrimp, nudi eats an aiptasia, the aiptasia doesn't spread like wildfire. But if you use a product to melt/cover them, they will spread. The animal eating them tears them apart and spreads cells around, I'm sure. But I have had very good luck with peppermint shrimp getting rid of aiptasia in the past, and zero luck with kalk paste, covering products.

I wonder the same thing about bubble algae and emerald crabs also.

Maybe it's just that the animals are always in the tank on the lookout for something to eat, and they clean up all the little tiny bits? I don't know.

 

[exnisstech]

CBB in my tank large enough and peppermints in smaller tanks. Always had aiptasia in the return chamber and sump but not in the DT. For me keeping natural predators in the tank is the only method that worked (never tried nudis). Any time I used stuff like aiptasia x or kalk paste they just increased reproduction.

 

[commod0re]

So many fish stores and coral vendors have aiptasia in their systems, that anyone getting it in theirs is practically inevitable. Dips don’t do jack to aiptasia. Better to just be prepared for it with natural predators imo

I have had some luck with berghia. A lot of people who try them out don’t get enough nudis to start and they get picked off before they can reproduce, which is what you need for them to be effective. Rarely will the first generation of berghia in your tank put even a noticeable dent in the aiptasia population, it can happen but it’s way more likely to be noticeable after a generation or two when they have some actual numbers

I have a peppermint shrimp in my tank currently who I try to feed minimally, he does a pretty good job of patrolling the tank and aside from a small one on the sand bed which has since disappeared shortly after I first saw it, I’ve yet to see any aiptasia in this tank, Prawn Swanson seemingly won’t allow them to get a foothold

I have always wondered why when a fish, shrimp, nudi eats an aiptasia, the aiptasia doesn't spread like wildfire.

The answer I was told, is that they eat the aiptasia starting from the foot, so it can’t reproduce while they eat it. For the larger predators like CBB I imagine it’s more like a two-bite brownie, meal’s done before the nem can react

 

[EnterName]

I had a really aggressive outbreak once. Judging from the reports on R2R of various people and my own experience, I believe (but obviously don't know) that there are different species or strains involved. Some can be easily dealt with by using the various products to dissolve aiptasia, but others (mine included) just take this as an invitation to spread even more.

I tried peppermint shrimps first. They did only irritate the aiptasia whenever they catched some food, but didn't really eat them. Then I got rid of the peppermint shrimp so I could add Berghia nudis. Unfortunately something else in my tank ate those (I suspect the hermit crabs). In the end my copperband butterflyfish saved the tank. You will probably never get all aiptasia anemones and if you don't want to spread them, I recommend only cleaning things that you can fully take out of the tank and soak in bleach or acid. A little bit of pedal tissue is enough for them to spread.

For the few my copperband can't reach I'm currently using Aip-Away which appears to be far more corrosive than AiptasiaX. After 20minutes I take a small tube and siphon out all residues which reduces the amount of product that is floating through the tank and it might get a few cells that haven't fully dissolved yet. Only then the flow is turned back on.

I have always wondered why when a fish, shrimp, nudi eats an aiptasia, the aiptasia doesn't spread like wildfire. But if you use a product to melt/cover them, they will spread. The animal eating them tears them apart and spreads cells around, I'm sure. But I have had very good luck with peppermint shrimp getting rid of aiptasia in the past, and zero luck with kalk paste, covering products.

I wonder the same thing about bubble algae and emerald crabs also.

Maybe it's just that the animals are always in the tank on the lookout for something to eat, and they clean up all the little tiny bits? I don't know.

(Ex)aiptasia spread by releasing planula larvae and by splitting pedal tissue (a process called pedal laceration, afaik). This happens in all cases regardless of an animal eating them or a chemical dissolving them. The issue is that you have to keep treating the offspring yourself, while animals that eat (Ex)aiptasia will constantly keep the population under control. Small berghia nudis might also be more thorough and can get rid of small enough residues so the anemones can't fully recover, but I doubt there is scientific literature on the size these pedal fragments need to have to regrow, the "single cell"-thing seems to be a myth though. The only source I found said that fragments measuring 250 - 500μm consistently regenerated into full feeding polyps. (Presnell et al. 2022)

Shreds and planula larvae that fly off can end up in filters or the skimmer where they will be removed an no longer spread throughout the system, so the chance is a bit smaller for them to make it, but it explains how they end up in the sump. Both reproduction processes are well documented in scientific literature (see sources below).

Either way, once you have (Ex)aiptasia in your system it's about control, because there will very likely always some present somewhere, even if you don't see them. It's just like algae, having a CUC is far more effective than removing it by hand all the time.

Sources (for Aiptasia and Exaiptasia):

• Morphological revision of the genus Aiptasia and the family Aiptasiidae (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Metridioidea) (Grajales et al. 2014)
• The Rapid Regenerative Response of a Model Sea Anemone Species Exaiptasia pallida Is Characterised by Tissue Plasticity and Highly Coordinated Cell Communication (Van der Burg et al. 2020)
• The Tentacular Spectacular: Evolution of Regeneration in Sea Anemones (Van der Burg et al. 2021)
• A predatory gastrula leads to symbiosis-independent settlement in Aiptasia (Hogan et al. 2023) - I love this source, they have really cool videos of planula larvae hunting Tisbe nauplii.
• Tentacle patterning during Exaiptasia diaphana pedal lacerate development differs between symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals (Presnell et al. 2022)

Regarding bubble algae: There are various genera that have bubble algae (Boergesenia sp., Derbesia sp. (Halycistis), Dictyosphaeria sp., Valonia sp., Ventricaria sp.) and there isn't too research available regarding their regenerative capabilities (or I have missed it). We know that Derbesia sp. can reproduce by fragmentation in it's asexual phase, but I have not found any info if this applies to it's gametophyte phase where it appears as bubble algae.

Edit: Added the sources I got all this info from, because I don't like making completely empty claims.

 

[BryanM]

Ill make this short. Im battling my worst aiptasia outbreak. Trying nudibranches again. How many of you also take apart return pipes and overflow pipes to clean them. If I fail this time, I may restart the tank.

Well, if the outbreak is bad, I would certainly get a flashlight and look down the return. If there are any, you've got your answer.

How bad is it? Pics?

I have successfully (seemingly) removed all aiptasia from my system with periodic use of Joe's Juice.. Haven't seen one for at least two months now.

 

[Waters]

You use the Sweeper to kill aiptasia? I never thought of that! How long do you expose the area?

I do....along with bubble algae and coralline...or whatever else builds up on the overflows lol. I just leave it on for about 10 seconds on whatever I am trying to kill. Coralline turns white and dies overnight while things like aptasia shrivel up and die almost immediately.

 

[ScottJ]

(Ex)aiptasia spread by releasing planula larvae and by splitting pedal tissue (a process called pedal laceration, afaik). This happens in all cases regardless of an animal eating them or a chemical dissolving them. The issue is that you have to keep treating the offspring yourself, while animals that eat (Ex)aiptasia will constantly keep the population under control. Small berghia nudis might also be more thorough and can get rid of small enough residues so the anemones can't fully recover, but I doubt there is scientific literature on the size these pedal fragments need to have to regrow, the "single cell"-thing seems to be a myth though. The only source I found said that fragments measuring 250 - 500μm consistently regenerated into full feeding polyps. (Presnell et al. 2022)

Shreds and planula larvae that fly off can end up in filters or the skimmer where they will be removed an no longer spread throughout the system, so the chance is a bit smaller for them to make it, but it explains how they end up in the sump. Both reproduction processes are well documented in scientific literature (see sources below).

Either way, once you have (Ex)aiptasia in your system it's about control, because there will very likely always some present somewhere, even if you don't see them. It's just like algae, having a CUC is far more effective than removing it by hand all the time.

Sources (for Aiptasia and Exaiptasia):

• Morphological revision of the genus Aiptasia and the family Aiptasiidae (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Metridioidea) (Grajales et al. 2014)
• The Rapid Regenerative Response of a Model Sea Anemone Species Exaiptasia pallida Is Characterised by Tissue Plasticity and Highly Coordinated Cell Communication (Van der Burg et al. 2020)
• The Tentacular Spectacular: Evolution of Regeneration in Sea Anemones (Van der Burg et al. 2021)
• A predatory gastrula leads to symbiosis-independent settlement in Aiptasia (Hogan et al. 2023) - I love this source, they have really cool videos of planula larvae hunting Tisbe nauplii.
• Tentacle patterning during Exaiptasia diaphana pedal lacerate development differs between symbiotic and aposymbiotic animals (Presnell et al. 2022)

Regarding bubble algae: There are various genera that have bubble algae (Boergesenia sp., Derbesia sp. (Halycistis), Dictyosphaeria sp., Valonia sp., Ventricaria sp.) and there isn't too research available regarding their regenerative capabilities (or I have missed it). We know that Derbesia sp. can reproduce by fragmentation in it's asexual phase, but I have not found any info if this applies to it's gametophyte phase where it appears as bubble algae.

Edit: Added the sources I got all this info from, because I don't like making completely empty claims.

Interesting, thank you!

I do....along with bubble algae and coralline...or whatever else builds up on the overflows lol. I just leave it on for about 10 seconds on whatever I am trying to kill. Coralline turns white and dies overnight while things like aptasia shrivel up and die almost immediately.

I'll have to try that!

The answer I was told, is that they eat the aiptasia starting from the foot, so it can’t reproduce while they eat it. For the larger predators like CBB I imagine it’s more like a two-bite brownie, meal’s done before the nem can react

Makes sense

 

[Reefhaven26]

Here are some pics. There are more than meets the eye. Also side question anyone have to dose the tank with antibiotics with nudibranches in there? Wondering if that would kill them or not.

 

[EnterName]

Here are some pics. There are more than meets the eye. Also side question anyone have to dose the tank with antibiotics with nudibranches in there? Wondering if that would kill them or not.

What antibiotics are you talking about?
If you know the name it might be possible to check if there are any reported issues with nudibranchs.