Aptasia Control without predators

hawkinsrgk · Dec 8, 2010

I have been in an uphill battle with Aptasia and I think the Aptasia is winning the fight.

Tank is 180G, I started out with 4 peppermint shrimp. That did not help. Then I got a copperband butterfly fish, it died in under 48 hours so now I am trying Aptasia X.

Last night I finished the second treatment using Aptasia X. I killed somewhere around 40-50 Aptasia.

So with that being said, has anybody been able to eradicate Aptasia without the use of predators?

Thanks
Randy

MoneyPit · Dec 8, 2010

I have been using Joes Juice to kill mine, but I also didn't even have as many total as you have already killed. I tried using berghia twice and they worked as a spot treatment, but they would never move to different colonies off aptasia. The best method I have heard of is to boil or dry the rock, it will kill them for sure. That is pretty unrealistic though when you could be talking about hundreds of pounds of rock. Good luck though.

hawkinsrgk · Dec 8, 2010

Thanks, boiling the rock would be very difficult. That would be a project when the wife goes out of town.

Im just trying to see if anybody has solved an Aptasia issue with chemicals alone.

Der ABT · Dec 8, 2010

try a file fish, ive seen them do wonders in tanks, they are my next move as soon as my lfs gets one in for me.
Ive done aiptx and peppermints to no avail, my tank is being taken over by them (last time i reuse old rock).......I just was give a berghai nudi from someone and have only one so im hoping some of the eggs hatch.

But ive seen a filefish take a 220 frag display with aiptasia on every cm of the tank and have it completely cleared....because of their jaw structure they cant get into some of the smaller crevices and aipt x might work to kill the ones he cant reach. Not the prettiest fish but definately cool looking. And one can always move the fish on to the next tank to do the same......thats my 2 cents at least, one day i will win this battle, either with a new tank/rock or the filefish/nudi combo....i hope

Murfman · Dec 8, 2010

I wouldn't worry about boiling the rock, just throw it out side for a week or so. I throw mine in the snow to kill of Palys and nasties. To kill Aptasia, now, I use an Aptasia burner I bought. If you have overflows and a sump, you will have Aptasia. They are not a bad thing, as long as they are not in your display.

EVReef3 · Dec 8, 2010

i electrocute aptasia in my tank. seems to work very well and is also safe.
bought this probe thing a member made, very accurate.

kellyjn · Dec 8, 2010

I've fought this battle before. Had them about as bad as you are describing. Peppermint shrimp were the only thing that worked. You will need more than 4 in a 180 though. I have a 4ft 120gal and used around 10-12 shrimp. Month later and the aiptasia were gone. That was about a year ago, no aiptasia today and still have one or two of the shrimp remaining in the tank still today. I tried the chemicals and they didn't work well. Stuff would stun them real bad, but they'd always come back, sometimes worse it seemed. Good luck and keep the fight going!

beaslbob · Dec 8, 2010

hawkinsrgk said:
I have been in an uphill battle with Aptasia and I think the Aptasia is winning the fight.

Tank is 180G, I started out with 4 peppermint shrimp. That did not help. Then I got a copperband butterfly fish, it died in under 48 hours so now I am trying Aptasia X.

Last night I finished the second treatment using Aptasia X. I killed somewhere around 40-50 Aptasia.

So with that being said, has anybody been able to eradicate Aptasia without the use of predators?

Thanks
Randy

I cut down my lighting and reduced feeding and the aptasia population started to decline. Over months I got down to just a few.

I before that I used a kalk paste which bumped up calcium, killed some aptasia but they came back.

my .02

Murfman · Dec 8, 2010

beaslbob said:
I cut down my lighting and reduced feeding and the aptasia population started to decline. Over months I got down to just a few.

I before that I used a kalk paste which bumped up calcium, killed some aptasia but they came back.

my .02

Aptasia live without light. I cooked rock for 8 weeks with no light at all and that is how I got them.

Peps will eat it but I have a Fuzzy Dwarf Lion so they don't last long in my tank. Kellyjn is correct, you need probably 20 in a 180.

Wy Renegade · Dec 8, 2010

Agree that aiptasia will live without lights - they also survive without nutrients. I have a 30gal high tank that is full of them, The light is down to single PC 10,000K that is over 2 years old, and I haven't fed the tank anything in over two years - they are still going strong. They also survive extended periods out of water if not exposed to extreme high or low temps.

I've battled them successfully with Kalk paste in other tanks, but not in the numbers that are being indicated.

Sea MunnKey · Dec 8, 2010

To be precise .... Bristle-Tail Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus) & Berghia nudibranch ... great natural aiptasia exterminator!!

HTH,
Paul

Reefers Cove · Dec 8, 2010

i got this last week, i actually didnt have any aptasia when i got it because my copperband butterfly eat them all but i tried on a friends tank and it worked.
My problem is all the mushrooms that are on my base rock that are spreading way to fast, and i wanted to try it on them... seems like is working for mushrooms as well, mushrooms shrunk and are not opening big as they were before this.... i'll keep trying til' they disappear.

Killing Aiptasia With Electricity

Jorge

Paul_N · Dec 8, 2010

Sea MunnKey said:
To be precise .... Bristle-Tail Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus) & Berghia nudibranch ... great natural aiptasia exterminator!!

HTH,
Paul

I had a major outbreak a year ago like 100+ ( I gave up counting) in a 75 gallon tank. I tried everything listed above and the only thing that worked was the filefish. It decimated 99% of them in 2 weeks. I had a couple left behind my overflow. It then turned to my acans and that's when I sold it. Actually an easy fish to catch. My suggestion is get one then sell it off when you have the population down to a couple. I now maintain them with kalk paste. If they are big enough pep shrimp will not touch them.
I left a small rock with about 8 or 9 on it in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket in the garage for 3 weeks. I went back and wanted to use the rock and soaked rinsed it in ro/di water a few times then was going to let it sit in some tank water until I was ready. Two days later 7 aiptasia popped up again. I threw the rock over the hill.