Aptasia outbreak

[ahiggins]

You posted that before and I saved that link :) but get rid of them now, they spread like fleas.

awww but I dont want to have to order multiple batches of nudis...ya know?

 

[ahiggins]

The key is a multi prong approach. Get something that will help control them but also do manual removal. Manual removal is a huge pain but will give you the best results.

Ive tried boiling DI water but they wilted and came right back. Theyre in the rockwork so some I cant get to.

 

[WetWhistle]

They suck to get rid of these big time. I find the red sea option works best. I actually do my full tank each time and wait till the next day to do a water change. Just in case of and die off or product build up. Boiling water never worked for me. Kalk paste mixed to a thick paste work ok to. Plus side to the red sea aiptasia X is you can also use it on corals, zoes and mushroom control if they are growing out of control and stinging your SPS.

 

[ahiggins]

They suck to get rid of these big time. I find the red sea option works best. I actually do my full tank each time and wait till the next day to do a water change. Just in case of and die off or product build up. Boiling water never worked for me. Kalk paste mixed to a thick paste work ok to. Plus side to the red sea aiptasia X is you can also use it on corals, zoes and mushroom control if they are growing out of control and stinging your SPS.

Interesting. But aiptasia x has to be injected...correct? about half my population I cant get to.

 

[Chris Adams]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/my-berghia-fluval-5gl.271135/

My little project. Amazing they already cleared a rock in 2 days

 

[WetWhistle]

Interesting. But aiptasia x has to be injected...correct? about half my population I cant get to.

I just place it on top of what I want to get rid of. The paste sticks to tissue quite well. For aiptasia make sure you cover the oral disk and mouth so it can't release daughters from the mouth. The ones that are in holes i just fill the hole.

 

[WetWhistle]

As a precaution for at least the first few times I would test a smaller amount and not do the entire tank. This way you can gauge the amount your system can safely handle and not cause any other issues that are not needed. I have not seen any issue yet even after years of me using it. But I am a cautious reefer and the safe cautious approach is best.

 

[reefwiser]

Joe Juice works good. I have also had luck with true peppermint shrimps. Laser's not too much and Copperband can work sometimes.
The hard part is keeping on the hunt everyday. I look for new victims every day.

 

[Fourstars]

I've tried coppers, peppermint and a filefish. They all ended-up eating either my Acans or Zaos. AiptasiaX and joes juice works well, just think of it as weeding your garden. Right now I'm trying to grow out enough aiptasia that I can breed Berghia. It's funny how hard it is to get enough aiptasia to grow out when you try, I started feeding them BBS And getting better results.

 

[kendavjac]

A couple of cheap and easy solutions: 1. inject them with lemon or lime juice. 2. Put some KALK paste on them. I have used these methods in the past to get rid of aptasia and other nuisance polyps/corals with great success.

 

[sil40sx]

I should also add that my copperband liked my acans...

I know, right?! LOL

 

[MoneyMike1987]

File fish. Mine cleared out my tank in a month. One came in on a frag and survived a dip. Cool fish too

 

[Largeone]

Hello all. My two cents worth is this. Lemon juice and copperbanded butterfly. I had them real bad. REAL BAD. My own fault, I just let they get out of hand. I stayed with the lemon juice over and over. I moved the rocks I could and let the butterfly do the rest. Spend all the money you want on some of that stuff. Nudis just cost too much not to see results. you can get a syringe from the pharmacist. Good luck. Because they drove me crazy. Just stay on them. All done now.

 

[wkscott]

-1 to Copperband. They are beautiful and I love them. However, although many will eat Aiptasia, many will not. If you are able to keep one alive, they can grow to 8 inches or more. A 75g tank is probably not a good fit. Copperbands are pretty shy when first introduced, and you will very likely have problems with your resident yellow tang bullying it so that it never starts feeding.

 

[coralbeauties]

File fish. Mine cleared out my tank in a month. One came in on a frag and survived a dip. Cool fish too

Is there a certain file fish that is best? In an earlier post it was mentioned a aquacultured aiptasia eating filefish is what he used.
I have tried to use peppermint shrimp and they are of little help, kalk paste works but they always come right back within several weeks of use. Would really love to get a copperband but I have 4 larger tangs in my 180 and I dont think one would survive being bullied.
Are the filefish reef safe? I have several acans, some lps and mostly sps and wouldnt want to introduce a fish that is going to eat on my corals.
thanks
Jeff

 

[Dragonreef202]

I've used peppermint shrimp for removal. If possible take rock out tank put some fire to it. I have

 

[Lonely reefer's]

I know it not for everyone,but I just nuke it with this.Once the rocks above the water

 

[mcmunn93]

What is that

 

[Alfrareef]

I don't stress with aptasia and even like to watch them.
I've used several methods to control them:
Peppermint shrimp
Lemon juice shots
Glued some forever while placing corals
Physical extraction with a power drill. Do it outside the tank and reuse the hole for a frag plug...
1 Copper band before I found they are best in the wild.

 

[coralbeauties]

What is that

It is a butane torch.
Jeff