Is an aiptasia free tank just a dream?

[Billyreef-ita]

Hi everybody,
I’m very frustrated, one year ago I moved from my 45G tank to a 75G new tank. In my old one a fought a lot with aiptasia and I managed to control it. Moving at the new one I decided I wanted it to be aiptasia free:
- I bought new sand, new rocks,
- I moved only the corals that had no sign of infestation
- all the corals I bough for the new tank were carefully inspected and dipped before entering the new tank

l do not know how, but after six months the first aiptasia popped out and now the tank is infested. I need to start again with shrimps, filefish, aiptasia x, etc etc.

Now I wonder if an aiptasia free tank is just a dream….if you want be in this hobby you have to Iive with this pest, end of the story.

Waiting for your view…thanks

 

[GSPClown94]

Yeah it's possible but also difficult especially if you are transferring corals from a tank that already has many aiptasia growing in it. The small aiptasia left behind from pedal laceration can be so small and easily missed during inspection. Unfortunately dips don't seem to be effective against aiptasia. Have you considered using berghia nudibranchs?

 

[Billyreef-ita]

Yes I tried but they were killed by my wrasses, I have have been quite successful with filefish in the past

 

[GSPClown94]

Yes I tried but they were killed by my wrasses, I have have been quite successful with filefish in the past

That's unfortunate and I suspect is one of the main reasons some people find berghia to be unsuccessful. I don't have experience with filefish but if it eats aiptasia it might fine for managing the issue but probably not complete eradication. Anywhere the fish can't get to has the potential to continue to grow aiptasia like a sump or refugium.

 

[Billyreef-ita]

Sure, sump and refugium are perfect for berghia

 

[CHSUB]

I never have NOT had aiptasia. Have a few now and started with dry everything and one very little piece of branch live rock.

 

[FrugalReefer]

My first tank in the hobby was a 120 gallon and I had aiptasia all over the place. My current tank is a Waterbox nano that's been running for over 3 years and no aiptasia so far knock on wood. Hope I didn't just jinx myself.

 

[DD Corals]

Set up a QT tank with shrimp or anything that eats Aiptasia. I think that's the only way to not have aiptasia in your tank.

 

[Uncle99]

Hi everybody,
I’m very frustrated, one year ago I moved from my 45G tank to a 75G new tank. In my old one a fought a lot with aiptasia and I managed to control it. Moving at the new one I decided I wanted it to be aiptasia free:
- I bought new sand, new rocks,
- I moved only the corals that had no sign of infestation
- all the corals I bough for the new tank were carefully inspected and dipped before entering the new tank

l do not know how, but after six months the first aiptasia popped out and now the tank is infested. I need to start again with shrimps, filefish, aiptasia x, etc etc.

Now I wonder if an aiptasia free tank is just a dream….if you want be in this hobby you have to Iive with this pest, end of the story.

Waiting for your view…thanks

I struggled for years with this pest.

Last resort was the Copperband.
100% gone in a month at most.

Will also remove anything that remotely resembles an Aptasia so worm stuff, that goes too.

Best fish!

 

[DD Corals]

I struggled for years with this pest.

Last resort was the Copperband.
100% gone in a month at most.

Will also remove anything that remotely resembles an Aptasia so worm stuff, that goes too.

Best fish!

did your copperband ever bite any corals after the Aiptasia disappeared? Just curious because I was thinking of getting one myself

 

[Paul B]

I don't have any now but I have had hundreds over the life of my tank. They just eventually disappeared on their own.

 

[bubbgee]

I struggled for years with this pest.

Last resort was the Copperband.
100% gone in a month at most.

Will also remove anything that remotely resembles an Aptasia so worm stuff, that goes too.

Best fish!

Yes. This. CBB is probably the only solution to aiptasia. Have not seen one after a couple of weeks. Corals have been happier since.

 

[bubbgee]

did your copperband ever bite any corals after the Aiptasia disappeared? Just curious because I was thinking of getting one myself

it picked on my LPS but because it was injured with some flesh out, I put it against a rock and he didnt pick on it again.

 

[jimfish98]

Pipe dream. Across every tank no matter how careful I have tried, ended up with bristle worms and aptasia. As far as I am concerned, its just part of managing the system. For aptasia I just keep a peppermint shrimp per 10g and they clear it up fast and keep it clear. If the aptasia is coming back, then I probably lost a few of them and restock.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Always had an issue util a CBB came along. Sump and overflow are infested but never see one in the main display. Natural continuous predation is the only solution I have seen work completely.

 

[Uncle99]

did your copperband ever bite any corals after the Aiptasia disappeared? Just curious because I was thinking of getting one myself

It’s been 5 months now. He’s never touched nothing, not even the clams, but will take out Christmas tree worms and the like I hear.

Model citizen. It was worth the risk. It took about two weeks before first eating Aptasia, then just gone.

I could pick mine up, watch for a week, fed at store, the transfer was much easier than expected.

Roams the tank, day and night, cleaning rocks and sand.

 

[VintageReefer]

file fish will get rid of them but only those it can get to - so no help for spores under rocks, aiptasia in the overflow or sump, babies deep in rock cracks. When the aiptasia are gone the filefish will most likely start to eat lps. It’s a matter of time. They won’t…until one day they try a bite, and then you can’t stop them. I couldn’t keep acans or euphyllia for years due to a filefish

Berghia are too choice because they will go everywhere. Everywhere. They will leave the display and go in the pipes, they will make their way into the sump, they will go in the tiniest rock cracks. Berghia are pack hunters and need a colony until they are established and multiplying in the tank. You need at least 6 to start for decent size infestation. I have best aiptasia twice in my 75g over the last few years. I buy them 13-14 at a time and make two groups of 6-7 when I put them in.

If you have wrasses then you are at a huge disadvantage. I would suggest getting a breeder tank and making it into a quarantine tank - just to home them for a few months while the berghia do their job. When the aiptasia are gone, the berghia will vanish, and the wrasses can be returned

CBB is an excellent choice also but I know of many people saying they are very difficult to get to start eating in their tank. Some of my friends are on their second or third one hoping to get one that eats. I would suggest looking for a vendor that sells quarantined ones that are adjusted to eating frozen food

 

[johnCrawford]

I almost gave up. I had a beautiful tank but all I could see was the aptasia. I felt like there were hundreds. And some were huge. Close to 2 inches. I bought $200 of berghia‘s they just disappeared in the tank. And never seen them again and. I bought a filefish it wouldn’t touch them. Not even interested. I bought shrimp. Not interested I bought a copperband and within a month he destroyed every aptasia that ever thought about growing in the tank. I feed blood worms just for copperband. I love that fish. He hunts all the time upside down sideways Avery angle imaginable especially as the lights ramp down and the tank goes darker. The intense hunt begins all over again. Whenever it catches one he shakes his head just like a dog. You will absolutely love watching him eat the aptasia one by one. And he is completely peaceful to everything else.
I highly recommend a copperband

 

[ninjamyst]

Dips don't kill aiptasia. You can't inspect every nook of a new frag to see if there's a tiny tiny tiny aiptasia in it. Even QT is hard if you are buying corals often. You can't QT every piece for 2 months.

Best way is to copperband since you have a big enough tank. But know that copperband can't help with aiptasia in sump or pipes. Once aiptasia is in your tank, it's there forever.

 

[Tamberav]

I just kill them with a syringe of boiling water before they can spread.

If you wait till they multiply, then it becomes difficult