Best Aptasia Options

dkelley

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Good morning!

I have aptasia like many others and I'm really struggling to figure out what to do for the solution. I haven't done anything yet because I can't decide. My tank is 140G display. Current inhabitants include: Sailfin Tang, Foxface, keyhole angel, melanurus wrasse, lawnmower blenny, mandarin, two mocha clowns. Four emerald crabs, numerous snails, one fire shrimp. Softies and LPS coral all over the place along with two BT anemones.

OPTIONS I KNOW ABOUT:

I think Aptasia X would be decent for smaller tanks. With the rock in mine I just don't see it as something I could use regularly on my tank without spending hours attempting to get it right. So I'm kind of checking that off the list.

File fish, not all of these eat aptasia and even though I have plenty for one to eat, there isn't a guarantee it'll work. Also, I have little interest in owning a file fish.

Peppermint Shrimp is a serious possibility. I would be tempted to get a couple of these for sure. I do worry about snails and such but probably would be worth it if it was guaranteed to eliminate the issue.

Copperbanded Butterfly is an awesome choice and I would love to add one to my tank. I just don't think my Sailfin would be very accepting and with them having issues feeding to begin with I get nervous adding that stress to a CB in hopes it would survive. Would totally love this addition if I thought it would work but I doubt it would.

Bergia nudis would be great but my wrasse would likely take those guys out before they had a chance to polish off the aptasia.

So that's my run down, curious what people think on what I should go with for success.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
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BZOFIQ

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I've tried everything. File fish proved to be 100% effective in the end. Petco gets aquacultured specimens at very fair prices.
 
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dkelley

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Thanks, not sure I want a filefish, also my Sailfin might object as well. I think I'll go to the LFS and give 2-3 peppermints a shot.
 

BZOFIQ

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Thanks, not sure I want a filefish, also my Sailfin might object as well. I think I'll go to the LFS and give 2-3 peppermints a shot.

Sailfin objecting to a small file fish - did you ask? :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 

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I've had great success with a syringe and distilled vinegar. Inject in center and they shrivel up never to be seen again. Like you most other options weren't practical in my tank.
 

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I've had good luck with peppermint shrimp in the past. Will be adding some soon to my newly setup 150 gallon since I too have some aptasia. No matter how hard one tries, these pests sneak into our tanks at one point or another.
 

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my go to has always been CBB. I think sourcing of the CBB is key. Some online vendors promise a CBB that eats frozen brine.

Also, IME, i have not seen a CBB get bullied by any other fish. Angels, Tangs just left them alone. My purple tang terrorized my Angels and had no issues with the CBB.
 
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dkelley

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my go to has always been CBB. I think sourcing of the CBB is key. Some online vendors promise a CBB that eats frozen brine.

Also, IME, i have not seen a CBB get bullied by any other fish. Angels, Tangs just left them alone. My purple tang terrorized my Angels and had no issues with the CBB.

This is super reassuring. I would love to get one. I know of a LFS that always has them and they eat before you purchase. I might give it a shot regardless of aptasia or not.
 

Sleepingtiger

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This is super reassuring. I would love to get one. I know of a LFS that always has them and they eat before you purchase. I might give it a shot regardless of aptasia or not.
Here is a bonus, my tank had a outbreak of ich and velvet. CBB was a champ through it all and was the last fish standing.
 
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dkelley

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Here is a bonus, my tank had a outbreak of ich and velvet. CBB was a champ through it all and was the last fish standing.
My Sailfin is one mean fish. Always picking on the foxface. The angel picks on the fox face as well but it's not nearly as bad. Maybe the fox face is just a wuss. We named the fish Megan, Megan Foxface.
 

reeftivo

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Good morning!

I have aptasia like many others and I'm really struggling to figure out what to do for the solution. I haven't done anything yet because I can't decide. My tank is 140G display. Current inhabitants include: Sailfin Tang, Foxface, keyhole angel, melanurus wrasse, lawnmower blenny, mandarin, two mocha clowns. Four emerald crabs, numerous snails, one fire shrimp. Softies and LPS coral all over the place along with two BT anemones.

OPTIONS I KNOW ABOUT:

I think Aptasia X would be decent for smaller tanks. With the rock in mine I just don't see it as something I could use regularly on my tank without spending hours attempting to get it right. So I'm kind of checking that off the list.

File fish, not all of these eat aptasia and even though I have plenty for one to eat, there isn't a guarantee it'll work. Also, I have little interest in owning a file fish.

Peppermint Shrimp is a serious possibility. I would be tempted to get a couple of these for sure. I do worry about snails and such but probably would be worth it if it was guaranteed to eliminate the issue.

Copperbanded Butterfly is an awesome choice and I would love to add one to my tank. I just don't think my Sailfin would be very accepting and with them having issues feeding to begin with I get nervous adding that stress to a CB in hopes it would survive. Would totally love this addition if I thought it would work but I doubt it would.

Bergia nudis would be great but my wrasse would likely take those guys out before they had a chance to polish off the aptasia.

So that's my run down, curious what people think on what I should go with for success.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Maybe more will chime in on the CBB, but i feel the CBB would most likely knock them all down and get along with the sailfin. I've had two CBB (one on loan and the other i bought) and they knocked out my glass nem issues quickly in two separate tanks. My maroon clown bullies any new addition which is why i have not added anything recently, but when i added my CBB it tried bullying for about 15 minutes and the CBB raised those dorsal spines and the clown never bothered it again and they would actually swim together like bros. Very peaceful beautiful fish with loads of personality!! Nice thing too is that long skinny snout that gets the tiny nems in the crevices.

mine took a week or so before i actually saw them hittiing the nems, but i did notice some prominent nems missing after day two with my first CBB
 
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dkelley

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Maybe more will chime in on the CBB, but i feel the CBB would most likely knock them all down and get along with the sailfin. I've had two CBB (one on loan and the other i bought) and they knocked out my glass nem issues quickly in two separate tanks. My maroon clown bullies any new addition which is why i have not added anything recently, but when i added my CBB it tried bullying for about 15 minutes and the CBB raised those dorsal spines and the clown never bothered it again and they would actually swim together like bros. Very peaceful beautiful fish with loads of personality!! Nice thing too is that long skinny snout that gets the tiny nems in the crevices.

mine took a week or so before i actually saw them hittiing the nems, but i did notice some prominent nems missing after day two with my first CBB
You guys are definitely convincing me and honestly I've wanted a CBB regardless of its usefulness so it would be a super welcome addition. I'll call an LFS a little further away and see if they have one that's eating. The always have a couple, really nice shop that's a little further away.
 

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I had kinda forgotten about vinegar. Thanks for the reminder as I had done that in the past. Recently I did kalkwasser paste and that helped along with peppermint shrimp.
 

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for a few, I use syringe, and inject either lemon juice or better yet. . kalkwasser powder mixed with tank water into a paste the consistency of toothpaste and inject into the very center core and it will melt away

For infestation, You cant beat a Kleini Butterfly BUT must be the bluehead- NOT the yellow version. The yellow will go after coral too but bluehead as pictured will eat aptasia like candy, then eat all dry and frozen food offered, colorful, friendly and stays small.

1669774874713.png
 

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I am on board with peppermint shrimp I noticed a small aptasia growing on my glass and I was going to take a photo of it and I was trying to get a good shot but in the blink of an eye it was gone and one of the shrimp was below it I also whiteness a shrimp devour an aptasia that was on the rock.
 

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dkelley

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I called the one LFS that normally has CBB's and they were out of them. I went to the closest one which is also very nice and to my surprise they had 3. I only went there to potentially get a few peppermint shrimp but then I left with nothing. The CBB they have were only there since Wednesday so one day and they couldn't say if they were eating yet or not so that was a no go. Also, this particular store has a couple of systems going depending on coral, inverts, fish, etc. So the fish system has copper in it at 2.5ppm which is one of the reasons I like buying from this store. They see it as a money saver for them because they have a lower mortality rate. The 3 CBB they had were in coral tanks, the people at the store said the CBB don't do well in copper so I'm going to do a little research on that. I prefer QT although I don't know how important it is in that particular store compared to others because they run copper. With the CBB not being in copper it makes me wonder if I still need a comprehensive at home QT or not.

With all of that said I'm still considering a peppermint shrimp or two to go with the CBB anyway. Once I know if these CBB will eat I will give one a shot. They are relatively small compared to the sailfin it'll go up against but maybe the sailfin won't care to much due to the size difference? Still nervous about that.
 

reeftivo

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I called the one LFS that normally has CBB's and they were out of them. I went to the closest one which is also very nice and to my surprise they had 3. I only went there to potentially get a few peppermint shrimp but then I left with nothing. The CBB they have were only there since Wednesday so one day and they couldn't say if they were eating yet or not so that was a no go. Also, this particular store has a couple of systems going depending on coral, inverts, fish, etc. So the fish system has copper in it at 2.5ppm which is one of the reasons I like buying from this store. They see it as a money saver for them because they have a lower mortality rate. The 3 CBB they had were in coral tanks, the people at the store said the CBB don't do well in copper so I'm going to do a little research on that. I prefer QT although I don't know how important it is in that particular store compared to others because they run copper. With the CBB not being in copper it makes me wonder if I still need a comprehensive at home QT or not.

With all of that said I'm still considering a peppermint shrimp or two to go with the CBB anyway. Once I know if these CBB will eat I will give one a shot. They are relatively small compared to the sailfin it'll go up against but maybe the sailfin won't care to much due to the size difference? Still nervous about that.
CBBs are pretty great at evading hits from other fish from what i've seen. When my 4" gold stripe maroon clown went after my last CBB i was amazed at how the CBB was like a matador and would actually roll upside down and everywhich way to expose those poisonous spines. like i mentioned, once it exposed those spines the maroon clown mellowed out and never bothered it again. My CBBs never swam away, they would just out maneuver the other fish in a centralized location almost like playing with them (not really playing).
 
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dkelley

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Ok all, I've got my CBB. I picked it up last night. The CBB is in my QT tank at the moment to make sure it is eating and ready to compete for food in the display. The store said it was eating mysis shrimp so I bought the same brand. They did try and show me but a crowd ensued and the copper band hid in a corner before they even put any in the tank. Before the crowd I was just kneeling in front of the tank and watching it swim around and peck at rocks and such it didn't seem scared until multiple people come about. I know pecking at rocks does not equal "eating" so I was still concerned.

It didn't eat for me last night which wasn't a surprise. I did feed it a good mix this morning and it wasn't interested. This was LRS, blood worms, and some of the mysis. Next feeding I'll just try the mysis they were using. I also dropped a half clam in there from the bagged fish store type. I might need to hit the supermarket for fresher stuff today if the CBB doesn't touch the clam.

I did put a few cycled rocks in the tank that I know house a little aptasia so hopefully he sees that and grabs it. Fingers crossed I get this guy eating. I can grab clams or muscles from the store and I'm thinking of ordering mastic if I need to. Amazon can get it here tomorrow.
 

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