Dealing with large Aiptasia

[Smarkow]

I've been fighting an aiptasia outbreak for 3 months now, and full disclosure, I'm nearing my wits end. They've killed one of my favorite LPS pieces (meteor shower cyphastrea) and encroached on some of my SPS.

Thus far I have tried:
Aiptasia-X (utter fail, I think caused them to multiply).
Majano wand - seems to work in short term
25 1/4 inch nudibranchs - they went into the rock work and were never seen again. I suspect they became prey for peppermints or a dotty back? I have no wrasse.. Have also read that my extensive pod population might have taken their eggs out. (see pics)
One large copper band from LFS (Never ate, I had to put him in sump for a while because my Desjardinii Tang was a psychopath towards him).
4 peppermints (yes, I'm sure they were peppermints) did not touch the aiptasia

So I have a 210 and I am NOT taking this thing down for another 2.5 years (at which point I will be switching jobs and moving).

So here are the options I am considering:
1) Rebuy nudibranchs, but get larger ones and feed them up after arrival in a separate tank before introducing them
2) Re-attempt copper bands, but this time get 2-3 smaller ones so that any aggression to new arrivals is defused. 2-3 small should be fine in a 210 gallon tank with plans to rehome to a larger tank in a few years? Looking for input
3) Get "aiptasia eating" filefish - have not tried these yet, although I do have a gorgeous retail filefish. (wonder if he ate the nudis?). Anybody know if filefish can coexist in a 210 tank or if they have a rep for going after nudibranchs? I am hesitant here because while I wouldn't mind the useless peppermints becoming filefish-food I do also have ornamental cleaner shrimp I would hate to lose.

All advice appreciated.
Stephen

 

[Smarkow]

For clarity, the last copperband didn’t make it. I do have a mixed reef with RBTA and sps, softies, lps, but no clams.

 

[MaiReef]

I would definitely get Peppermint Shrimp and train them. They seem to get eaten in my tank, but the Aiptasia X works 90% of the time when I let them eat it vs. just putting it on them.

 

[Smarkow]

3x post omg...

 

[Smarkow]

2x post sry

 

[cracker]

Please explain apastia "eaating" Apastia X and training pepermint shrimp to eat apaastia . Thanks !

 

[Smarkow]

So my understanding of proper aiptasia x usage is that you squirt a dollop into the aiptasia's mouth, it eats it, and then the (I believe) alkaline kalk paste kills the anemone without it being able to release planulae... It seems like a solid concept, but I haven't had decent results with it yet, and TBH I wonder if I should just make some kalk paste myself?

For training the peppermints, I am thinking of setting them up an isolated tank and putting live rock with aiptasia on them in with the new peppermints without other food. When a piece of live rock has been scoured I would return it to the display. Then, when the shrimps have "a taste" for aiptasia I would add them to the display and break down the separate tank.

I'm super desperate and basically willing to try anything to fix this issue, but feasibly cannot take this tank down until I move in ~2.5 years

 

[cracker]

@Smarkow Thanks !

 

[Mical]

I voted filefish. Reason: they worked for me. I have two tanks and both had aiptasia, one a fair amount the second was infested and they were getting huge. I put a pair of filefish in my 65 gal (infested tank) and it took about 10 days for them to mow down every aiptasia in sight. I bought another pair for my 60gal and they took about a week. One observation, during the day they wouldn't even look at aiptasia. In the morning I started noticing patches of them missing. Both pairs are model citizens and haven't bothered any corals. I actually give them a treat now and then with some aiptasia from my sumps and they go after it like sharks. They eat pellets and mysis when aiptasia is not on the menu. BTW these are from Live Aquaria - ORA raised filefish.

 

[Smarkow]

Just out of curiosity, did your filefish go after really big aiptasia, little ones, or everything in between? I think I have heard that berghia might ignore big ones

 

[Mical]

They ate Everything! I was told they wouldn't touch large ones, but internet advice was wrong. Folks at ORA said once they get a taste - it's history for aiptasia.

 

[Ubergroover]

+1 on the pepermint shrimp! Solved my issue when I had it.
In my experiences mother nature has a solution which works best. As illustrated by my mass invasion of aptasia cause by aptasia X. The pepermint shrimp was fat and happy for some time....LOL

 

[Mical]

+1 on the pepermint shrimp! Solved my issue when I had it.
In my experiences mother nature has a solution which works best. As illustrated by my mass invasion of aptasia cause by aptasia X. The pepermint shrimp was fat and happy for some time....LOL

Aiptasia are a form of anemone and as anemone do when irritated, they split. I've found when I used AiptasiaX, a majano wand, kalk or even a laser they would multiply usually into dozens. The only solution I've had work are the ORA aiptasia eating filefish. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/3555/?pcatid=3555

 

[jda]

Peppermints from the Florida Keys. The ones that I get from ReefTopia crush the aips. I usually raise them in a fuge for a few weeks until they molt once and grow up a bit. There are peppermints from all around the gulf, but some areas are not as good as others at eating aips - Florida keys variety Wurdmundi (or something like that) are the best, so order them yourself to be sure. The ORA ones are really good eaters too.

The will not always tackle the huge ones. You have to get these with kalk or AipX. They will clean up the rest once you knock it back a bit. You cannot really blame them - the aip can eat them if it is large enough.

For me, the shrimp only seem to live about 3 years once I get them. When you see the aips start to come back in a few years, get an order coming and the replacements ready.

Edit: also, they will eat the ones in seclusion long before they will venture out into the open. It can take a few weeks before you start to see any of the ones that you hate disappear. Again, can you blame them for not wanting to wander out into the open if there is food behind and in the rocks?

 

[WorldsSexiestGranny]

get a scat. completely reef safe. i had thousands of aiptasia in my tank, i killed most with kalk paste, then the scat ate the rest and any that pop up. i know i still have aiptasia cause i see them in my sump, but i havent seen one in display in months.

 

[fishybizzness]

What is a scat?

 

[Mical]

What is a scat?

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile56.html

 

[fishybizzness]

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile56.html

Cool! Never heard of it.

 

[Smarkow]

get a scat. completely reef safe. i had thousands of aiptasia in my tank, i killed most with kalk paste, then the scat ate the rest and any that pop up. i know i still have aiptasia cause i see them in my sump, but i havent seen one in display in months.

Wow love this idea. So do you need to get an adult for it to be marine safe, or are the juvenilles marine safe but just naturally hide in brackish/mangrove waters?

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Filefish are my go-to.

I haven’t even thought about Aiptasias in years