Big Aiptasia

[Fishing Reefer]

I have several very large aiptasia in my 80g and I feel like I have tried everything. I have tried berghia but I have wrasses so they just become a snack. I have peppermint shrimp and they don't eat them. I have kuekenthali shrimp and they have not touched them. My question to all is if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat. When I say big I mean about 2 inches across when open. Will it eat it? I know they are tough as I had one in the past that my ******* tang killed. I will rehome the tang first......

 

[Baldyreef]

@Lasse can hopefully help out, ive personally never had a copperband in a tank with any aptasia and its been a good while since ive owned one so i couldn't really tell you if it would eat it or not

 

[FrozenReefer]

I have the exact same problem, I just put an Australian Stripey in the tank, fingers crossed it does the job. Once it’s been in there a couple days I’ll post an update for you.

 

[mourningsage]

I have the exact same problem, I just put an Australian Stripey in the tank, fingers crossed it does the job. Once it’s been in there a couple days I’ll post an update for you.

These are great as long as you keep them well fed, they quickly turn to corals if you dont provide enough food though.

 

[Subsea]

I have several very large aiptasia in my 80g and I feel like I have tried everything. I have tried berghia but I have wrasses so they just become a snack. I have peppermint shrimp and they don't eat them. I have kuekenthali shrimp and they have not touched them. My question to all is if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat. When I say big I mean about 2 inches across when open. Will it eat it? I know they are tough as I had one in the past that my ******* tang killed. I will rehome the tang first......

“if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat“

@Fishing Reefer
No one can answer that question. Instead get a syringe and inject peroxide into Aptasia body, then use a toothbrush dipped in peroxide and brush it away.

I have used Butterfly Fish to eliminate Aptasia and CBB is no more effective than other species and it is definitely much more finicky with its diet.

 

[Lasse]

I have several very large aiptasia in my 80g and I feel like I have tried everything. I have tried berghia but I have wrasses so they just become a snack. I have peppermint shrimp and they don't eat them. I have kuekenthali shrimp and they have not touched them. My question to all is if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat. When I say big I mean about 2 inches across when open. Will it eat it? I know they are tough as I had one in the past that my ******* tang killed. I will rehome the tang first......

“if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat“

@Fishing Reefer
No one can answer that question. Instead get a syringe and inject peroxide into Aptasia body, then use a toothbrush dipped in peroxide and brush it away.

I have used Butterfly Fish to eliminate Aptasia and CBB is no more effective than other species and it is definitely much more finicky with its diet.

I´m in the same corner as @Subsea here. My experiences is that my copper bands do not touch very large aiptasia - therefore I have don the peroxide treatment as he describe and let my new Copperband deal with the smaller ones and the remaining parts of the large one. I´m also in the same corner that´s there are other butterfly´s that´s more effective - and that Chaetodon kleinii is the most effective. However this fish can sometimes eat some type of the thicker corals species as LPS and soft corals

Sincerely Lasse

 

[KC2020]

When I say big I mean about 2 inches across when open.

I had a tank where Aiptasia just took over in a couple of months because I couldn't reach them under overhanging rock and on the back side of large formations. Several were at least 2". I bought a couple of wild caught, not captive bred, Matted Filefish from Alyssa's Seahorse Savy and they were all gone in 2 weeks. The filefish eat pellets and Mysis all the while they're cleaning up your reef.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

How is the aiptasia battle going?

 

[James CNM]

I used kalk paste laced with a microscopic amount of reefroids. All flow off, smother the aips. After 30mins or so i syphoned over the area that was treated then carried out a water change

 

[X-37B]

I use aptasia eating file fish in all systems I run. All aptasia are found in the overflow area of my systems.
I let my 15g get around 50+ before I dropped a small one in. Only ones left are in the overflow.

 

[BryanM]

I have several very large aiptasia in my 80g and I feel like I have tried everything. I have tried berghia but I have wrasses so they just become a snack. I have peppermint shrimp and they don't eat them. I have kuekenthali shrimp and they have not touched them. My question to all is if I get a Copperband Butterfly how big of an aiptasia will it eat. When I say big I mean about 2 inches across when open. Will it eat it? I know they are tough as I had one in the past that my ******* tang killed. I will rehome the tang first......

I was very successful in eradicating aiptasia with Joe's Juice, even large ones.

Turn off all flow before targeting. Leave off for 15-30min, you don't want to spread anything around the tank while the juice is doing its work.

I only dealt with what one syringe full could get at a time.

I tried all sorts of things prior, but this worked for me, and it is easy to use.

 

[X-37B]

Get this and be aptasia free.
The natural way to rid your system.

 

[BryanM]

My filefish never got a taste for aiptasia unfortunately.

 

[X-37B]

My filefish never got a taste for aiptasia unfortunately.

Get one from Biota, captive bred, Lfs carries them. 6 systems and all tanks have no aptasia except my 10g Mantis tank.
May get some bergies as the Mantis will kill the filefish.
There is at least 40-50 small ones in the Mantis system.

 

[BryanM]

my 10g Mantis tank.

In my recent rescape my last mantis hitchhiker has been vanquished. No my clickity-clacking in my house!

 

[Uncle99]

Copperband will definitely each large Aptasia…..and BTA’s as well…..nem is a nem.

..and clams

 

[James CNM]

My filefish never got a taste for aiptasia unfortunately.

Yeah i tried that yrs ago, he liked a scolly and other appealing things that weren't brown

 

[X-37B]

In my recent rescape my last mantis hitchhiker has been vanquished. No my clickity-clacking in my house!

I have not been able to catch one in my 50 for 2 years now. Has lived with the 4 fish. Cant keep crabs and some snails perish.
Took almost 2 years to catch the one in my 150 which killed several fish, all snails, shrimp, and many snails.