Need advice for natural Aiptasia control in a reef aquarium with desirable anemones?

[VegasReefer]

Hello, I hope everyone is recovering nicely from the holiday weekend!
I'm looking for some experienced advice around using one of the "natural" methods for controlling Aiptasia in a reef aquarium with desirable anemones (rfa, maxi mini, bta)? Copperband is out, but what about the shrimps, nudi, and filefish methods?

 

[James M]

berghia is your best choice to eradicate them

 

[Spicy Reef]

My experience with

filefish - took care of visible aiptasia also gorgonians then started on zoa's... I rehomed it after 1 year and aiptasia came back.

nudi's - 2 in my 10 gallon worked amazing. took 4 months. 1 in my 150 gallon not so much lol, but I have a wrasse in there and did not want to risk more.

so I added 6 peppermint shrimp. All aiptasia gone, I only sighted one peppermint in the 5 months that have gone by. but no aiptasia. I hear peppermint have an apatite for some corals as well. Either I've been lucky or peppermint did not survive?

 

[FishTruck]

berghia and patience. It will take 6 to 12 months with the nudis... but one day, they are just gone.

 

[PandorasChalk]

I recently put 3 berghia nudis in my 40 gallon breeder and they've already started to make some of the larger ones vanish. It's very slow going, but it's working.

 

[OrionN]

CBB works well for me. He does not bother my other corals, anemones or clams

 

[MyFirstCar]

Peppermints worked great for me, but 4 months after my aptasia was gone they decided to go on a feast through my hammers. Id get a couple, then sell/trade them after they've done your job.

I and couple reefers and I have a roving band of shrimp that we cycle through our tanks

 

[Troylee]

Hit up Steve for some berhgia he’s selling them locally all the time.

 

[52728299]

Peppermint shrimps been working for me. Small tank but I'd say 80% gone after 1 month. In a big tank you would want quite a few I'd imagine.

 

[diablolx]

Peppermint shrimp here too, but like others have mentioned keep an eye out. I’ve had my tank for 11yrs and every so often I get an Aiptasia outbreak and peppermints have always taken care of it. Never did they ever touched my corals, but this most recent batch ate my clam while on Vacay. Came back to a clean out clam shell!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Berghia nudibranch is my go to

 

[Rtaylor]

My cbb doesn’t bother my anemones and destroys aptasia

 

[VegasReefer]

Thank you for the replies. I've tried berghia before, but I think my emerald crab took them out. I'll have to track that critter down and relocate him, then see if I can find a local nudi supplier like @Troylee mentioned.

 

[52728299]

Gl

 

[OrionN]

Berghia are really tasty food for a lot of the wrasses and angels. If you have these in your tank, likely the Berghia won't survive long.

 

[VegasReefer]

Berghia are really tasty food for a lot of the wrasses and angels. If you have these in your tank, likely the Berghia won't survive long.

and expensive...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Berghia are best as most others that address aptasia may address your anemones

 

[VegasReefer]

Berghia are best as most others that address aptasia may address your anemones

I was kind of thinking the same thing and why I was looking for some experienced advice. Nexus, widows, and flame tips aren't cheap and with my luck a $15 "fix" will end up costing me $$$$

 

[kevgib67]

Always had success with Berghias!