If successful... how long did it take for peppermint/filefish to control aiptasia?

[sanzz18]

Like the title, if you had successfully controlled your aiptasia with either of these, how long did it take for you to notice them disappearing?

I am currently battling aiptasia in a 180g display and added a large filefish and numerous peppermint shrimp (true ones). Curious as to what everyones experience was who were successful.

 

[IKD]

Like the title, if you had successfully controlled your aiptasia with either of these, how long did it take for you to notice them disappearing?

I am currently battling aiptasia in a 180g display and added a large filefish and numerous peppermint shrimp (true ones). Curious as to what everyones experience was who were successful.

Filefish worked great for me for a while. He’s full grown now and I don’t see the same vigor in eating them like before. So I would say mixed results..?

another shrimp to consider is this..

Kukhenthal's Aiptasia Eating Shrimp

Lysmata kuekenthali Size: 1.5 inches Diet: Leftover food, Aiptasia Reef Safe: Yes Best Use: Aiptasia control Dr. Mac's Comments: Kukenthal's Cleaner Shrimp eat Aiptasia, just like Peppermint Shrimp but better! They do well in reef aquariums and can be kept in small groups. Click Here for...

pacificeastaquaculture.com

 

[steveschuerger]

Got 3 peppermints for my 30 long. Wiped out all aiptasia in about a week and a half. Voracious consumers of the pests.

 

[sanzz18]

Filefish worked great for me for a while. He’s full grown now and I don’t see the same vigor in eating them like before. So I would say mixed results..?

another shrimp to consider is this..

Kukhenthal's Aiptasia Eating Shrimp

Lysmata kuekenthali Size: 1.5 inches Diet: Leftover food, Aiptasia Reef Safe: Yes Best Use: Aiptasia control Dr. Mac's Comments: Kukenthal's Cleaner Shrimp eat Aiptasia, just like Peppermint Shrimp but better! They do well in reef aquariums and can be kept in small groups. Click Here for...

pacificeastaquaculture.com

Awesome, I will check that shrimp out if I have to do.

Can you tell me how long it took (that you noticed) for your filefish to start tackling the aiptasia problem?

 

[sanzz18]

Got 3 peppermints for my 30 long. Wiped out all aiptasia in about a week and a half. Voracious consumers of the pests.

I need this to happen lol. I bought 9 peppermints from algae barn and they were practically non existent they were so strong. My LFS finally got them in after the shortage from Florida, they were nice and big, I put 6 of those in the tank. Wondering if I need more in a 6x2 ft tank to increase my odds.

 

[IKD]

Awesome, I will check that shrimp out if I have to do.

Can you tell me how long it took (that you noticed) for your filefish to start tackling the aiptasia problem?

It was nearly immediately (days) that I saw him picking at them.

 

[dennis romano]

My shrimp ate about two aiptasia a day until all were gone. None ever came back.

 

[thought]

2 true peppermint shrimp took a couple weeks to handle my 30 gal tank.

However, year later I added a tuxedo urchin for algae control and the bigger shrimp started attacking the urchin right away. I thought it was just cleaning it maybe but after a while urchin was hiding, had a bald spot where a bunch of spines fell off and the peppermint shrimp was still going after it.

Ended up isolating the urchin while trying to catch the shrimp. In the mean time the she started picking at my BTAs. Like it was blood thirsty since getting a taste of urchin.

I caught the shrimp and gave them to the LFS and warned them of the aggression. Never would have thought that would happen.

Algae is gone now but some aptasia are popping back up :/ ugh. Not sure if I wanna risk it was more peppermint shrimp yet.

 

[KrisReef]

@thought 's experience was similar to mine. Once they get started eating the aptasia start dissapearing. WHat are they going to eat then? I always removed my shrimps to avoid unwanted snacking and slowly the aiptasia reappear.

I have had better luck with filefish, IFF they decide they want to eat them. If you keep the shrimp or filefish in the tank I have not had reoccurances of aiptasia. I have traded the fish to someone who needed them and the aiptasia eventually pop up again. Did they hitchhike in or were they hidding under a rock somewhere?

To answer your question, all of these predators are fairly quick once they start eating a 180 might take a week or a month depending on how many pests you start with.

My most recent success was with a rescue copperband butterfly. The LFS gave me the sick fish and about a month later I noticed that the aiptasia were all missing! I have a second tank in the system that I need to move him into. If after a month you don't see any change then you don't have a proper predator for your pest..

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I just added a filefish to my 120g, I'm seeing less aiptasia, 3 days in. The file is a bit weird, it chills in the rock mainly.

 

[mfinn]

Like the title, if you had successfully controlled your aiptasia with either of these, how long did it take for you to notice them disappearing?

I am currently battling aiptasia in a 180g display and added a large filefish and numerous peppermint shrimp (true ones). Curious as to what everyones experience was who were successful.

Back a few years ago I had aiptasias everywhere in my 240. So I started with 6-7 peppermints, and saw no change after a couple weeks. Figured I got sent the non aiptasia eating ones.
So I picked a matted filefish.
After 2-3 weeks pretty much the same thing.
So I picked up 15-16 peppermints from a different source than the first one.
Nothing seemed to happen for a week or so.
Then I suddenly noticed a couple big ones weren't there anymore.
After that they went fast. Probably 2 weeks later, I couldn't find a single one.
Not sure who did the cleanup, but it's been 3-4 years and my tank is aiptasia free. ( my overflow is a aiptasia garden though)

 

[Reefbuds]

Wish my hawkfish didn't eat the peppers I put in. Gunna have to go with nudis

 

[Vagabond]

Got 3 peppermints for my 30 long. Wiped out all aiptasia in about a week and a half. Voracious consumers of the pests.

I also had the same experience on an old 35g. tank I had. In about a week 2 peppermint shirmp did a good job.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Wish my hawkfish didn't eat the peppers I put in. Gunna have to go with nudis

Or the file. I'm in the same boat with too many larger wrasses.

 

[sanzz18]

So to come back to this thread, why would my peppermints tackle the largest Aiptasia in my display over a month or so again (visibly seen them go after it), then nothing really more after that? Lol just want to bang my head against a wall .

 

[KrisReef]

So to come back to this thread, why would my peppermints tackle the largest Aiptasia in my display over a month or so again (visibly seen them go after it), then nothing really more after that? Lol just want to bang my head against a wall .

Post a picture of your aiptasia.

 

[NaCl addict]

Like the title, if you had successfully controlled your aiptasia with either of these, how long did it take for you to notice them disappearing?

I am currently battling aiptasia in a 180g display and added a large filefish and numerous peppermint shrimp (true ones). Curious as to what everyones experience was who were successful.

My peppermint shrimp took less than a week in my tank but I caught it early

 

[sanzz18]

Will post the pics of the aiptasia shortly.

 

[exnisstech]

I use kalk past in my 180 gallon. My copper band controls them in my smaller tank. I have never seen an aiptasia in the display with the CBB even though they are in the overflow and sump. I need to move the CBB to my 180 but it has been doing so well where it is I'm afraid to put it in the 180 with my tangs. Sorry I'm not really sure how long it took to clear any from the display as I wasn't really focused on that.

 

[Slocke]

Like the title, if you had successfully controlled your aiptasia with either of these, how long did it take for you to notice them disappearing?

I am currently battling aiptasia in a 180g display and added a large filefish and numerous peppermint shrimp (true ones). Curious as to what everyones experience was who were successful.

I had a lot of aiptasia in a 45gallon refugium
I got a deal for 3 peppermint shrimp. All the aiptasia was gone within a few hours.