Culturing Aiptasia

[dlegare]

Has anyone tried using a blender to break aiptasia into small groups of cells for culturing them?

I’m actually trying to get them to reproduce exponentially

Peeving them off with X-aiptasia works pretty well in my DT but I’m using 2g tanks for culturing.

 

[Peace River]

I realize that Aiptasia multiple by pedal lasceration, but a blender typically turns the Aiptasia to mush. It is worth the experimentation to see if your experience is different than mine. Whether it is cutting or some other approach, Aiptasia will replicate more quickly when they are annoyed and stressed but not killed. Also remember that when feeding nudibranchs, the Aiptasia are a conveyance system (meaning they are the equivalent of a container) so gut load them with what you want to feed the nudibranchs.

 

[William Bruckmann]

I realize that Aiptasia multiple by pedal lasceration, but a blender typically turns the Aiptasia to mush. It is worth the experimentation to see if your experience is different than mine. Whether it is cutting or some other approach, Aiptasia will replicate more quickly when they are annoyed and stressed but not killed. Also remember that when feeding nudibranchs, the Aiptasia are a conveyance system (meaning they are the equivalent of a container) so gut load them with what you want to feed the nudibranchs.

No the blender method will not work. I have cut some in half and sometimes I get 2, and sometimes both die. However, If you cut off a head, the base will grow back, but the head will die. I use this method for feeding though. The head feeds and the base forms a new Aiptasia in about 2 weeks. This way I can feed without ever losing an Aiptasia.