The BEST eradicator of the evil Aiptasia Anemone!

THE MOST successful way to eradicate aiptasia anemones?

  • Aiptasia X

    Votes: 89 11.2%
  • Peppermint Shrimp

    Votes: 161 20.2%
  • Hand Removal

    Votes: 16 2.0%
  • Laser

    Votes: 12 1.5%
  • Superglue

    Votes: 25 3.1%
  • Berghia Nudibranch

    Votes: 143 17.9%
  • Rock Removal and clean

    Votes: 17 2.1%
  • Lemon Juice

    Votes: 12 1.5%
  • F-Aiptasia

    Votes: 64 8.0%
  • Kalk Injection

    Votes: 32 4.0%
  • Filefish

    Votes: 68 8.5%
  • Copperband Butterfly Fish

    Votes: 64 8.0%
  • Other Livestock (please explain in a post)

    Votes: 16 2.0%
  • Other Product (please explain in the thread)

    Votes: 12 1.5%
  • I've had no success

    Votes: 67 8.4%

  • Total voters
    798

David S

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Fortunately for me, I identified them at an early stage.
At first I tried Kalk paste which got rid of a few.
The added benefit was that it killed off the xenia that was growing like a weed, without harming the rest of my corals.
When some Aiptasia returned, I bought a Majano Wand and injected them and I haven't seen any since. That was years ago.
In order to keep them from returning, I should inspect any newly introduced frags, more carefully, in the future.
Now, if they could only create something to knock of those infernal Vermetid snails.
 

Tmtdvm

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I've hear differing opinions -- can Berhia handle high (SPS-level) flow?

(obviously CBB and Filefish don't have this problem, but there are other reasons you might not want them or not be advanced/dedicated enough hobbyist for them)
Yes, Salty Underground has Berghia that are acclimated to high flow tanks. I recently added ~20 to my 120g tank. Had a crazy outbreak recently
 

Seascapes

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We've talked many times about how to kill, eradicate aiptasia anemones in our reef tanks. They seem to appear from nowhere and reproduce at a rapid rate so knowing how to get rid of them quickly is pretty crucial. I've put together a list, from a previous thread, and I would like for you to vote for your chosen method that is PROVEN to work for you!

1. In your experience what is the number one, best way, to get rid of aiptasia anemones?

2. What preventive measures do you take to make sure that you don't introduce aiptasia to your tank?


Untitled-1.jpg

I voted other. I used nudis at first. They were really small and I thought my fish and shrimp ate them. Then low and behold I saw one crawling on the rocks. I also have a laser, enjoyed watching them melt (hee, hee). I also used this: Molly Miller - Scartella cristata ***Aiptasia Eater***. He loved eating the small ones. I also have a giant peppermint shrimp which grew from a baby. Lastly I used aiptasia X on the large ones. I now screen everything I put in my tank for aiptasia and vertimid snails. Lost my mollie during the power outage from a snow storm in TX, of all places, The peppermint shrimp is still going strong. Still aiptasia free almost a year now.

20200928_184449.jpg
 
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anemoneanatomy

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The easiest way to to deal with Aiptasia is to prevent an outbreak to begin with. Inspect all liverock + frag plugs for hitchhikers and deal with them before they go in the tank. Don't allow water from another system into your own to minimize the chance of free-swimming aiptasia sneaking in. Also, spend time with your tank every day! Look at the live rock and make sure you aren't growing any of the little monsters. Make sure your tank design allows you to see the back of your live rock, for instance, and ensure that all pieces of liverock are removable (irritating to remove is fine imo, while "superglued such that it's impossible to take out" is not).

I had an aiptasia "outbreak" once when I missed a tiny one on a frag plug but my outbreak was about 7 anemones about 1/4 the size of a fingernail. Superglue took care of those easily enough, and I've never seen any since.
 

pache11

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Use care when using peppermint shrimp. They will shred other anemones, especially rock anemones, they rip the oral disk out.
 

Tuan Black

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Loved the Nudibranch but when the aiptasia is all gone have to give them away to someone to keep feeding them or they will die. Have had good luck with the copperband butterfly keeping everything at check. Just hard to find a good healthy copperband.
 

Kaiser

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I had an outbreak in my coral QT, but then I stopped buying coral for a bit and bought fish, converted the coral qt to a fish qt, dosed copper to treat the fish and kept the lights off for a while. I forgot I even had them until this post popped up lol
 

Peace River

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I struggled with Aiptasia for many years until I found F-Aiptasia which has worked well for me. Nudibranchs are probably the most effective option but I haven't figured out how to get them out once they have done their job.
 

Popkorn0407

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I have succes whit pepermint in my 40g but in my 200g nop cose of my melanaurus warsse chasing shrimp, but o have succes whit a filefish that dont touch my sps and only eat aptasia and fish food
 

Karen00

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I usually type my stories, but pictures are worth a thousand words. I post a before and after copperband. I haven't seen an aiptasia since. These pictures are about 4-6 months a part... It's a picture of the same spot. Just as an FYI, sandbed, rocks, even my glass were covered in so much aiptasia I was to the point of a complete tear down of my 350 gallon display. My CBB a $100 fish, saved me thousands of dollars in starting over..... They just kept appearing hidden in my rocks all over... Until it was too much to control....

My entire 350 gallon display is barren, void of any aiptasia now.. There were most likely in the tens of thousands before the CBB.

Before CBB
Before Copperband.jpg

After CBB:
After Copperband.jpg
O..M..G!!! That has to be the worst invasion I have seen! I think because there were so many in that first pic I didn't even see them at first. Then my eyes focused and that's when I said O..M..G!!
 

BuBBlyFish&Corals

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Aptasia x not only does not work but it is messy. I have spent hundreds trying to get rid of aptasia and even bought an aptasia wand, 4 file fix, lemon juice, peppermint shrimp, hand removal, and even pulled rocks out to clean. The reason the copper band butterflyfish was last on the list is that I thought they would die and also was told by many that they would hurt my corals. Needless to say after 1 week my tank that I was ready to shut down because it was so bad was almost completely rid of aptasia. 3 weeks later they are all gone and my butterflyfish is eating brine shrimp. This was in my 125 mixed reef filled with all Jason Fox, WWC, and That Fish place corals. Cheapest of which is a 100 dollar rose tip bubble anenome.
 

Ligershark

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Smaller tank berghia and peppermints work well. If you have the space/size for filefish and copperbands i've heard they also work wonders. The natural predators seem to be the most effective according to the poll.
 

Kevin_Mac

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Copperband Butterfly. If wild and healthy then it will decimate your Aiptasia in a couple days. 100% Guaranteed!
the Copperband Butterfly is great in tank but my Aiptasia pop up in sump & piping for sump, hard to get at If Copperband Butterfly dies the Aiptasia come back!
 

sfvmarine

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We've talked many times about how to kill, eradicate aiptasia anemones in our reef tanks. They seem to appear from nowhere and reproduce at a rapid rate so knowing how to get rid of them quickly is pretty crucial. I've put together a list, from a previous thread, and I would like for you to vote for your chosen method that is PROVEN to work for you!

1. In your experience what is the number one, best way, to get rid of aiptasia anemones?

2. What preventive measures do you take to make sure that you don't introduce aiptasia to your tank?


Untitled-1.jpg
Shrimp work great. I had a newish tank and once I saw aiptasia lsf gave me 2 shrimp (55 gal tank) next day aiptasia gone. And has not come back.
 

Jeff Jarry reef

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Peppermint shrimp for sure. but you have to get the right ones that hat will do the job. Wurdemanni is the only one that I know of will get it done.
 

Bogeyon181967

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We've talked many times about how to kill, eradicate aiptasia anemones in our reef tanks. They seem to appear from nowhere and reproduce at a rapid rate so knowing how to get rid of them quickly is pretty crucial. I've put together a list, from a previous thread, and I would like for you to vote for your chosen method that is PROVEN to work for you!

1. In your experience what is the number one, best way, to get rid of aiptasia anemones?

2. What preventive measures do you take to make sure that you don't introduce aiptasia to your tank?


Untitled-1.jpg
 

JCOLE

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the Copperband Butterfly is great in tank but my Aiptasia pop up in sump & piping for sump, hard to get at If Copperband Butterfly dies the Aiptasia come back!

This is why I will always keep a CBB because I don't think they will ever go away. Those buggers hide in the smallest places. I can live with them in the Sump, overflow, etc. As long as they aren't a plague and stinging corals in my DT then that is all that matters.
 

McPuff

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I've used peppermint shrimp in the past to great effect. Have also tried the majano wand which seemed work, but it's not always easy to get all of the aiptasia as they go way into little crevaces. Direct removal certainly works! Have a few in my lagoon that I need to get out and direct removal is probably the way I'll go. I may try the nudibranchs as an experiment. There are only a few aiptasia but that could change if I'm not careful...
 
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