How can I get my aptasia to come out?

[Jesse Sunday]

Now... if I could just find something to eat the Majano Anemone in my 32g!

I believe if you get real peppermint shrimp, this is the case for most people.

I just have one question for you, did you have any cleaner shrimp in the tank with them?

This was a good "control" since it was a brand new tank... no life in it other than what came on the LFS live rock. I only added Peppermint, no cleaner shrimp in that tank.

I have a 32g that does have Peppermint / Camel / and a Blood Red Cleaner. They all get along just fine.

 

[Jesse Sunday]

Now... if I could just find something to eat the Majano Anemone in my 32g!

 

[WalkerLoves_TheOcean]

Now... if I could just find something to eat the Majano Anemone in my 32g!

That tank has some peps in it, right?

It says that peps will eat Mejano, but I don't know how accurate that is...

 

[Jesse Sunday]

Yes, that tank has two or three peppermint and even a Filefish that's supposedly known to eat Majano... I've not see any indication that the Majano has been reduced. They keep spreading.

 

[WalkerLoves_TheOcean]

Yes, that tank has two or three peppermint and even a Filefish that's supposedly known to eat Majano... I've not see any indication that the Majano has been reduced. They keep spreading.

Hmm, that's weird. I don't know then, lol. Best of luck for whatever you do next to try to get rid of it.

 

[KrisReef]

Maybe I got off easy... but I just set up my 90g and got live rock from my LFS that had Aptasia on a few rocks. 5-10 that I could easily see.

I'm sure there were more. A week later, I added three peppermint shrimp, and within a week, all the Aptasia that I could see disappeared.

My experience is that once the peppermint shrimp live out there lives the Aptasia will return from whereever they have been hiding. In theory they might be eliminated but it seems more likely that they are under control and kept in check by the scavenging shrimps.

 

[Jesse Sunday]

My experience is that once the peppermint shrimp live out there lives the Aptasia will return from whereever they have been hiding. In theory they might be eliminated but it seems more likely that they are under control and kept in check by the scavenging shrimps.

I think I'll always have peppermints in my tank as part of my CUC so that likely won't be a problem. BUT, when the day comes that they pass I might leave them out for a while as a test.

However, I'm kinda with @gbroadbridge thinking they serve a role, if kept in check.

Then again, I have some REALLY big bristle worms in my 32g that some would consider a pest.

​

 

[KrisReef]

I think I'll always have peppermints in my tank as part of my CUC so that likely won't be a problem. BUT, when the day comes that they pass I might leave them out for a while as a test.

However, I'm kinda with @gbroadbridge thinking they serve a role, if kept in check.

Then again, I have some REALLY big bristle worms in my 32g that some would consider a pest.

​

There role is to sting coral and steal drifting food from corals and fishes.

 

[Bhuddafunk]

I find that peppermint shrimp work good for Aptasia as long as Aptasia is the only thing around for them to eat. If there is an easier meal the peppermint will choose it over Aptasia, IMO.

 

[Lavey29]

Only half joking

They're a natural part of the reef ecosystem and they're filter feeders.
I leave them alone in my tank - a couple have grown pretty huge but they don't spread unless I provoke them by trying to kill them.

Let's just say we've made a deal, I leave them alone and they stick to one spot.

Deals with the devil always turn out great huh?

 

[Jesse Sunday]

I find that peppermint shrimp work good for Aptasia as long as Aptasia is the only thing around for them to eat. If there is an easier meal the peppermint will choose it over Aptasia, IMO.

That could be the reason for my success... for about a week, there was nothing in the tank other than the aptasia and the peppermints. Now that I've added fish (4 Chromis) and am feeding, I'll keep an eye out for their reappearance.

 

[pezgal]

That's what I thought. I was honestly concerned for @gbroadbridge when he said that... Sure hope he was joking.

He's right in a manner of speaking, they only thrive when there's an excess of food in your tank, so they are doing a job of sorts. They seem to eat just about anything they can get they're mitts on and I've given up hope of ever getting rid of them all. AptasiaX burns them up good but they can regenerate from having their face burnt off and I've experienced them spreading all over my tank in an effort to survive because I went on a majano killing spree. I've learned my lesson, I will always have a couple in areas where uneaten foods tend to drop and if I let them occupy those spaces they won't cover every rock in my tank and irritate all my corals by looking for new territory to stake out.

 

[Planted Reef]

I had good results using Aptasia F. I was using Aptasia X for like a year and they would always come back. Aptasia F if used properly will harden and encase them. I now only see a couple popup here and there which is way more manageable than the dozens I would see after a couple weeks using Aptasia X. Give it a try if you can get them to show themselves. Maybe put some type of coral food in the water column to dirty it up a bit would work.

 

[pezgal]

That tank has some peps in it, right?

It says that peps will eat Mejano, but I don't know how accurate that is...

Peps tend to eat all the stuff the majanos want/need so they end up starving out. I don't think peps actually eat much of any glass anemone, majano or aiptasia. If you have a breeding pair you can maybe treat your tank with a feast of freshly hatched pep babies. Everyone, even the peps themselves, loves a good hatching. Never had any babies survive in my reef, survival rate of anything is not great where a bunch of eager and open mouths await you in your first moments of life.

 

[AKReefing]

2 options. 1:

Hello everyone.

One of my rocks in my fish tank is infested with aptasia, so I am trying to remove it. I have a separate bowl of saltwater, with the rock inside. The aptasia won't come out, and I am sure any time I try to remove one, all of them will retract, and hide for a while. Got any ideas on how can get them to come out?

2 options: 1. An aiptasia call is available on BRS for $20 plus shipping. 2. soak the rock in distilled vinegar for a day or two. You'll have to soak it in clean water a couple times to get the vinegar out.

 

[pezgal]

Young I never had issues. Had several of what are commonly called Peppermints over the years. All turned into coral munchers. Usually LPS and seemed to prefer acans.

I have thought of putting a few super aggressive big momma's in my sump when they start getting real aggressive while feeding. But they're so darn charming I've never followed through on any of my threats so far. My biggest problem is that mature egg-bearers (gender being a fairly fluid thing for shrimps) steal food out of the mouths of slower feeders and get so bold that they are not easily deterred from their mission.

 

[The_Paradox]

. My biggest problem is that mature egg-bearers (gender being a fairly fluid thing for shrimps) steal food out of the mouths of slower feeders and get so bold that they are not easily deterred from their mission.

Not to worry. Soon they will just stay on your corals eating your most prized piece along with any small children or animals that fall in. I hear they also eat souls but I always handle them before it comes to that.

 

[Sealion]

I have not been able to manually remove them. I am now leaning towards getting a pep, but my only worry is that they will eat my lps.

Never had a problem with the right peppermint shrimp, the ate the aptasias and no corals

 

[KenBabich]

If your rock does not have coral, and you are okay with killing off all bacteria, try soaking the rock in 90 % rubbing alcohol. I've had success with that method. I have also at times been able to when taking the rock out, the aptaisia goes limp (does not retract as likely no sensing imminent danger) to which end I have syringe filled with alcohol and first impale and scrape the base of it off, then rinse the small area and inject the hole with the alcohol. I position the rock upside down or in such a way the alcohol does not spread elsewhere but onto towel or below. I repeat the spot injections/spraying then rinse the area with saltwater. To me, success is defined as it did not grow back , and many months go by before seeing other outbreak. Impossible to eradicate, only manage. However, i have 3 x in 2 years purchased medium size berghia nudibranch and those critters wiped out all aptaisia I could see.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

If you only have a 15g cube why wouldn't you just get 2 berghias and be done with it ? No worries about coral munching no worries about spore spreading. Only down side to them is they will die off once the aiptasia is gone