Best way to kill aiptasia

[Travis Stewart]

So aiptasia x just made everything way worse. Spreads them all over the tank. I even turned off pumps and siphoned them out during a water change. I have two peppermint shrimp that aren’t touching them. I’ve heard boiling hot water works in the mouth and of course the other types like nudibranch and file fish. Anyone else have any special methods for removal!

 

[EmdeReef]

So aiptasia x just made everything way worse. Spreads them all over the tank. I even turned off pumps and siphoned them out during a water change. I have two peppermint shrimp that aren’t touching them. I’ve heard boiling hot water works in the mouth and of course the other types like nudibranch and file fish. Anyone else have any special methods for removal!

How big is your tank? My Tahitian butterfly loves aiptasia more than my copper band. However it also likes lps and softies so I pretty much don't keep any. Copperband is another option is you have a suitable tank. That said make sure to get one that eats prepared foods as they can be impossible to feed.

In terms of chemical solutions, whatever you use make sure you "carpet bomb" the area where it grows. Don;t go for precision IME. Can be tricky to do but I've had good luck with Aiptasia X only after turning the whole portion of a rock white. Also, the shrimp and fish are much more likely to eat smaller aiptasia than large stuff so killing the large ones manually may improve your odds.

All that said and now I have both my CBB and Tahitian in the tank, when I ran it fallow, aiptasia came back so I'm sure it's hiding somewhere in the rocks or my overflow. Berghia perhaps may be the only viable biological solution although not foolproof and takes a while.

 

[NickC]

A paste made from Kalkwasser works great. Add enough ro/di to the kalk in a small mixing container so that it’s thick, but not too thick to suck up with a large syringe. I use a 15ml syringe, with a short piece of airline tubing as a “needle”. Turn the flow off, smother the aiptasia. You can turn the pumps back on almost immediately after the application, the kalk will harden and kill with its very high ph.

That being said, if you have a major outbreak I’d recommend doing it in sections over the course of a week or two; as to not add too much kalk all in one go. Minor outbreak is fine to get em all at once.

Works great if you can acces the pest manually.

 

[hbrochs]

+1 Kalkpaste

I think they’re easier to see at night.
Turn the pumps off and go hunting

 

[road_runner]

Nothing like a good peppermint shrimp, the trick is if you have aggressive wrapped they will not come out and eat the litil buggers.
All chmichal solutions I tried in the past actually increase the problem in the long run...

 

[vetteguy53081]

I use kalkpaste or lemon juice via a syringe aimed into center core of aptasia and watch them melt

 

[Travis Stewart]

How big is your tank? My Tahitian butterfly loves aiptasia more than my copper band. However it also likes lps and softies so I pretty much don't keep any. Copperband is another option is you have a suitable tank. That said make sure to get one that eats prepared foods as they can be impossible to feed.

In terms of chemical solutions, whatever you use make sure you "carpet bomb" the area where it grows. Don;t go for precision IME. Can be tricky to do but I've had good luck with Aiptasia X only after turning the whole portion of a rock white. Also, the shrimp and fish are much more likely to eat smaller aiptasia than large stuff so killing the large ones manually may improve your odds.

All that said and now I have both my CBB and Tahitian in the tank, when I ran it fallow, aiptasia came back so I'm sure it's hiding somewhere in the rocks or my overflow. Berghia perhaps may be the only viable biological solution although not foolproof and takes a while.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I do have a ton of Lps!

 

[Travis Stewart]

A paste made from Kalkwasser works great. Add enough ro/di to the kalk in a small mixing container so that it’s thick, but not too thick to suck up with a large syringe. I use a 15ml syringe, with a short piece of airline tubing as a “needle”. Turn the flow off, smother the aiptasia. You can turn the pumps back on almost immediately after the application, the kalk will harden and kill with its very high ph.

That being said, if you have a major outbreak I’d recommend doing it in sections over the course of a week or two; as to not add too much kalk all in one go. Minor outbreak is fine to get em all at once.

Works great if you can acces the pest manually.

Have you noticed if this will adjust your alk or cal levels? Does this method spread them? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Travis Stewart]

I use kalkpaste or lemon juice via a syringe aimed into center core of aptasia and watch them melt

When are you going to invite me back to your office. Last time I had to no call show up!!!

 

[Travis Stewart]

Nothing like a good peppermint shrimp, the trick is if you have aggressive wrapped they will not come out and eat the litil buggers.
All chmichal solutions I tried in the past actually increase the problem in the long run...

Currently have two in there with about 20 aiptasia and no luck after two weeks

 

[DSC reef]

Unfortunately injecting anything into an aptasia, no matter what it is can cause this issue. This is why I recommend removing a rock if possible and deal with the pest out of the tank. If you don't have any predators to them, berghia work very well.

 

[Subsea]

Hydrogen peroxide is an indiscriminate oxidizer. If you have an injection needle and can hit them, they will melt in front of your eyes. My most effective tool is a toothbrush dipped in peroxide than brushed across pest. This works great with other pest including algae. Renew toothbrush in peroxide every 60 seconds.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Unfortunately injecting anything into an aptasia, no matter what it is can cause this issue. This is why I recommend removing a rock if possible and deal with the pest out of the tank. If you don't have any predators to them, berghia work very well.

So you think that kalk paste will spread them?

 

[DSC reef]

So you think that kalk paste will spread them?

That's basically aptasia X. Kalk paste, IME will do the same thing. After a while it becomes aptasia management and not eradication

 

[DSC reef]

FWIW, we've poured peroxide directly onto aptasia, out of the tank of course, vinegar, lemon juice, boiling water, all manufactured remedies and nothing worked completely. Not saying it hasn't for others, just giving our experience with that pest. They even survived 8 hours out of water.

 

[Travis Stewart]

M

FWIW, we've poured peroxide directly onto aptasia, out of the tank of course, vinegar, lemon juice, boiling water, all manufactured remedies and nothing worked completely. Not saying it hasn't for others, just giving our experience with that pest. They even survived 8 hours out of water.

Seems like a berghia is my best choice

 

[DSC reef]

I swear aptasia can survive a nuclear blast;Hilarious;Hilarious I'm by no means saying others ideas won't or don't work, just sharing our experience with those little demons.

 

[Travis Stewart]

I swear aptasia can survive a nuclear blast;Hilarious;Hilarious I'm by no means saying others ideas won't or don't work, just sharing our experience with those little demons.

I think I might test kalk on one and see. Just don’t want to get a Swing out of Thisbe experiment

 

[Special K]

hear good things about file fish. I am about to go this route

 

[Travis Stewart]

+1 Kalkpaste

I think they’re easier to see at night.
Turn the pumps off and go hunting

Have you had any issues with them spreading after kalk?