Aptasia explosion
- Thread starter cdemoss01
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grumpy-crab
Well-Known Member
Berghia Nudibranch wonder little animals that eat aptasia and only aptasia... only all the aptasia is gone they simpley starve to death. Very small and little to no bio load. Best natural way with no chemicals
BryanM
7500 Club Member
Berghia probably.
For a 65g tank, it's a little tough, and it really depends on how much aiptasia you have and what other inhabitants are in your tank.
For a small infestation: You're the best control. If possible, treat the anemones with any of a number of products. Boiling water, lemon juice, kalk paste, aiptasia X, etc. Myself, I prefer kalk paste - it's cheap, relatively inert, and does a good job of preventing planular larvae release.
For a larger infestation, berghia will knock down most of it, but there are some caveats. First, they're expensive. $12-$20 each depending on how many you buy and where you buy them from. You usually want to get at least 5-6 (more for a larger tank).
Second, they're slow. Almost always, the berghia you buy are not the ones that actually knock down your aiptasia - it's their babies, and the babies of their babies. So expect it to take 3-4 months from time of introduction until the aiptasia are mostly gone.
Third... unless you're very lucky, berghia will only mostly take care of your aiptasia. In almost all cases, they'll eliminate about 95-99% of your aiptasia, and then starve before they can find and consume the last remaining stragglers.
Fourth, berghia and their eggs are prey for certain animals. Halichores wrasses are some of the biggest culprits, but some crabs and shrimp will also eat them, and their eggs can be delicacies for bristle worms and amphipods.
The better long-term control is to get lucky with a fish that will eat them (some butterfly fish, some filefish, purportedly Molly Miller blennies) or a shrimp (peppermint/Kuekenthal's). I had a pyramid butterfly that would eat them, I know copperbands are supposed to be very reliable consumers. Peppermints supposedly will, but I have never had a peppermint even touch an aiptasia.
For a small infestation: You're the best control. If possible, treat the anemones with any of a number of products. Boiling water, lemon juice, kalk paste, aiptasia X, etc. Myself, I prefer kalk paste - it's cheap, relatively inert, and does a good job of preventing planular larvae release.
For a larger infestation, berghia will knock down most of it, but there are some caveats. First, they're expensive. $12-$20 each depending on how many you buy and where you buy them from. You usually want to get at least 5-6 (more for a larger tank).
Second, they're slow. Almost always, the berghia you buy are not the ones that actually knock down your aiptasia - it's their babies, and the babies of their babies. So expect it to take 3-4 months from time of introduction until the aiptasia are mostly gone.
Third... unless you're very lucky, berghia will only mostly take care of your aiptasia. In almost all cases, they'll eliminate about 95-99% of your aiptasia, and then starve before they can find and consume the last remaining stragglers.
Fourth, berghia and their eggs are prey for certain animals. Halichores wrasses are some of the biggest culprits, but some crabs and shrimp will also eat them, and their eggs can be delicacies for bristle worms and amphipods.
The better long-term control is to get lucky with a fish that will eat them (some butterfly fish, some filefish, purportedly Molly Miller blennies) or a shrimp (peppermint/Kuekenthal's). I had a pyramid butterfly that would eat them, I know copperbands are supposed to be very reliable consumers. Peppermints supposedly will, but I have never had a peppermint even touch an aiptasia.
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