Local frag sellers have aptasia

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So all my local shops, small and large, I've spotted aptasia in their systems. Some worse than others. Should I take the risk, buy local frags, dip, remove plugs, and qt and watch for aptasia? Or do I order online? If so who do you recommend?

 

[GSPClown94]

Many online vendors also have aiptasia just managed by utilitarian fish and other inverts. Not sure if anyone offers a guarantee for no aiptasia. Aiptasia seem to be resistant to dips. Removing frags from the plugs is a good idea. Definitely would recommend quarantine for anything you get regardless of the source.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Many online vendors also have aiptasia just managed by utilitarian fish and other inverts. Not sure if anyone offers a guarantee for no aiptasia. Aiptasia seem to be resistant to dips. Removing frags from the plugs is a good idea. Definitely would recommend quarantine for anything you get regardless of the source.

That was kind of my thought, I know the local frags might have aptasia but I can see their systems look healthy. Who knows what I'm getting from online vendors sight unseen.. unless someone came on here and says "so and so has a pristine system blah blah blah, everyone swears by them" then I'd check them out

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Aiptasia is not the end of the world either... I'm sure many never have it in their tanks, but many more have at one time or another. Just come up with a mitigation strategy and use it as needed :)

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Aiptasia is not the end of the world either... I'm sure many never have it in their tanks, but many more have at one time or another. Just come up with a mitigation strategy and use it as needed :)

That's what I think my plan is. I'll replug my frags, dip, look for aptasia, and superglue and I find. And if I'm forced to buy some peppermint shrimp later on it'll be fine. I plan to qt fallow before they go on my display anyways so should be able to catch any

 

[Tahoe61]

HUGE nope for me, same for Majano. I am not paying for a frag and then keep paying. I don't like Peppermint Shrimp, Nudibrachs don't really live long enough. Pay shipping fees for both if you can not find them locally.
Don't even get me started on Aiptasiax and kalkwasser paste, you just tick them off.
Deal breaker.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

HUGE nope for me, same for Majano. I am not paying for a frag and then keep paying. I don't like Peppermint Shrimp, Nudibrachs don't really live long enough. Pay shipping fees for both if you can not find them locally.
Don't even get me started on Aiptasiax and kalkwasser paste, you just tick them off.
Deal breaker.

Do you have anyone you trust to be "aptasia free"?

 

[mjszos]

You can always cut the frags off of plugs and put them onto your own plugs once in your house.

Most systems have aiptasia, it's not the end of the world. Just be proactive about maintaining the populations at an acceptable level, rather than chasing the improbable.

 

[Tahoe61]

Do you have anyone you trust to be "aptasia free"?

Sure, Boom Corals, Tidal Gardens....
I was Aiptasia free for yrs until I bought from one vendor.
Why should we accept pests? Next are Acropora and Montipora flatworms acceptable. Yeah no.

 

[exnisstech]

My lfs at least scrapes them off if they see them when bagging the coral. This is a clam that I received from reputable online vendor and sponser here.
Not a biggie for me, my peppermints took care of it the first night.

I have purchased from @Tidal Gardens and @Battlecorals and have never seen anything bad. I've seen some of tidal gardens tanks when I picked up an order a while back and they looked pristine.

 

[twentyleagues]

I dont know how you could possibly guarantee no aiptasia ever. If you look hard enough you will find it in most tanks, unless you have a vigorous predator population. Most places are not going to have that and the fish that will eat aiptasia will usually go for the corals you are trying to sell or at least some of the corals.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I dont know how you could possibly guarantee no aiptasia ever. If you look hard enough you will find it in most tanks, unless you have a vigorous predator population. Most places are not going to have that and the fish that will eat aiptasia will usually go for the corals you are trying to sell or at least some of the corals.

It seems like an extremely difficult claim.. must have a ton of tanks and quarantine procedures and must take a long time to add different corals into the rotation. Probably a fair bit of luck as well

 

[Daz_1978]

To date... GoatCorals.com hasn't sent me any unwanted pest.

 

[Tahoe61]

My lfs at least scrapes them off if they see them when bagging the coral. This is a clam that I received from reputable online vendor and sponser here.
Not a biggie for me, my peppermints took care of it the first night.

I have purchased from @Tidal Gardens and @Battlecorals and have never seen anything bad. I've seen some of tidal gardens tanks when I picked up an order a while back and they looked pristine.

You can knock Aiptasia down, but if Peppermint Shrimp or Nudibrach leave enough cells the anemone regenerates.
Back in the early 90's you didn't accept Aiptasia as an acceptable risk when buying corals or rock.
It's like saying, ok here is a WD Tenius Acrpora. You pay 150.00 for that frag and if it comes with Acropora Eating Flatworms, oh well it's now the risk you take because vendors can't be expected to provide pest free products.

 

[ninjamyst]

I am in Orlando and local to some of the biggest LFS in the country and have seen aiptasia at each one at some point or another, most recently this weekend when picking up a frag and saw a few aiptasia in one of their displays. These stores are probably more well ran than 90% of the stores in the country and they are not pest free. Even if you claim you haven't gotten pests from X vendor, it's still a game of statistics. All vendors import tons of corals and they can't put them for months in quarantine. They need to sell sell sell.

 

[Tahoe61]

I am in Orlando and local to some of the biggest LFS in the country and have seen aiptasia at each one at some point or another, most recently this weekend when picking up a frag and saw a few aiptasia in one of their displays. These stores are probably more well ran than 90% of the stores in the country and they are not pest free. Even if you claim you haven't gotten pests from X vendor, it's still a game of statistics. All vendors import tons of corals and they can't put them for months in quarantine. They need to sell sell sell.

It's not about maricultured corals.
I used to be an avid scuba diver, Aiptasia are not coming from collection.
It's about a vendor knowing they have a pest problem and putting a shrimp/fish/nudibrach bandaid on it and the consumer accepting the products and risk. The pest made it to the vendor, the vendor should then resolve the issue, not the consumer.

 

[ninjamyst]

It's not about maricultured corals.
I used to be an avid scuba diver, Aiptasia are not coming from collection.
It's about a vendor knowing they have a pest problem and putting a shrimp/fish/nudibrach bandaid on it and the consumer accepting the products and risk. The pest made it to the vendor, the vendor should then resolve the issue, not the consumer.

The problem is that there's no way a vendor can guarantee it. They received corals from their suppliers and those corals may already have tiny aiptasia hidden inside the corals. The vendor can put in all the shrimp/fish/nudibranch they want but it's impossible to guarantee that those aiptasia will not be transferred to your tank when you buy their frags. I am not talking about visible aiptasia on the frags. Tiny baby aiptasia can be hiding in coral tiny cracks on the frag plug or even within skeletal structure of corals. They may take 1-3 weeks to become visible. How is vendor suppose to catch those besides quarantining their shipments for months? Some vendors are better than others at catching them / aquaculturing their own frags but aiptasia is very hard to completely eliminate. They can latch on inside pipes, overflows, sumps, etc where copperband, nudibranch, peppermint shrimp can't reach.

All I am saying is expecting 100% guarantee that your frag from a vendor is aiptasia free is not realistic.

 

[Jmp998]

Aiptasia are in many-probably most-vendor systems now, to varying degrees.

Yes you should dip your corals for other pests, but don’t expect it to do anything to aiptasia.

 

[everpresentnoob]

I found my first aptaisia in my 75 gallon DT yesterday. it was on a small rock so I just pulled the roock out....

 

[Tahoe61]

The problem is that there's no way a vendor can guarantee it. They received corals from their suppliers and those corals may already have tiny aiptasia hidden inside the corals. The vendor can put in all the shrimp/fish/nudibranch they want but it's impossible to guarantee that those aiptasia will not be transferred to your tank when you buy their frags. I am not talking about visible aiptasia on the frags. Tiny baby aiptasia can be hiding in coral tiny cracks on the frag plug or even within skeletal structure of corals. They may take 1-3 weeks to become visible. How is vendor suppose to catch those besides quarantining their shipments for months? Some vendors are better than others at catching them / aquaculturing their own frags but aiptasia is very hard to completely eliminate. They can latch on inside pipes, overflows, sumps, etc where copperband, nudibranch, peppermint shrimp can't reach.

All I am saying is expecting 100% guarantee that your frag from a vendor is aiptasia free is not realistic.

What about other pest. The same exact thing can be said about FW pest, Sea Spiders...
No one is realistically asking for 100% guarantee, but you know they can do better.
You're paying top dollar and you're fine with "well it happens"?
Why are you defending potential vendors that potentially sell you a product with pest?
Do you do the same with food products for your pets?