Trick to kill the aiptasia?

webbl19 · Sep 7, 2017

I have these dang aiptasia that keep popping up. I think i get them, and then a couple weeks pass and bam. Right back in the same spot!!
Ive been using Aiptasia-X. I watch them kinda do that pop twitch thing and then i move on to the next one.

Are there better methods to get rid of them? Any kind of critters that are reef safe that will eat them? I have somewhat agressive fish, so i cant have no sissies in there. The last 2 are couple big ons'.

nautical_nathaniel · Sep 7, 2017

You could try a Aiptasia eating filefish, but there's not guarantee that they would eat them. My preferred method is peppermint shrimp but like you said, no sissies in your tank. I've also taken epoxy stick and buried those suckers under it and that's worked very well for me.

webbl19 · Sep 7, 2017

pensacola-aquarist said:
You could try a Aiptasia eating filefish, but there's not guarantee that they would eat them. My preferred method is peppermint shrimp but like you said, no sissies in your tank. I've also taken epoxy stick and buried those suckers under it and that's worked very well for me.

Hmmm... Peppermint shrimp you say?? I do have one of those in my 20 gallon. I have 2 cleaner shimp in there already, but they dont do anything. I might have to see if the peppermint will do the trick.

Will a peppermint and cleaner shimps together be ok? I dont think my fish will eat him, they might, but they have been living along side these other guys for a couple years now.

nautical_nathaniel · Sep 7, 2017

I've had peppermint and cleaners together with no issues. If anything the skunk cleaner shrimp was a bit of a bully since he was the bigger shrimp.

Add the peppermints to the tank at night so your fish won't act aggressively to them thinking they are food. I would say get at least three or four. They do well in groups.

webbl19 · Sep 7, 2017

pensacola-aquarist said:
I've had peppermint and cleaners together with no issues. If anything the skunk cleaner shrimp was a bit of a bully since he was the bigger shrimp.

Add the peppermints to the tank at night so your fish won't act aggressively to them thinking they are food. I would say get at least three or four. They do well in groups.

Cool thanks. I could probably pick up a couple more. I only have 1. My DT is only 55g's, so i dont know how many shrimps will stay alive.

Tbabcock · Sep 7, 2017

Copperband butterfly will clean them out also

Michael Cronmiller · Sep 8, 2017

Berghia nudibranches

DSC reef · Sep 8, 2017

The best method is manual removal, out of the tank. It's not always possible so next I'd go with natural predators like berghia nudibranchs, peppermint shrimp, file fish (tomentous), CB butterfly. Copperband were always a challenge for me though. I stopped injecting aptaisia due to them always spreading. Most of the time people will say aptaisia X, lemon juice, kalk paste worked great but ask them how it worked a month later. Not saying there isn't success stories but most end up causing outbreaks in the tank unfortunately.

webbl19 · Sep 8, 2017

Thanos guys. I will have to look around for these things.

Grey Guy · Sep 8, 2017

pensacola-aquarist said:
You could try a Aiptasia eating filefish, but there's not guarantee that they would eat them. My preferred method is peppermint shrimp but like you said, no sissies in your tank. I've also taken epoxy stick and buried those suckers under it and that's worked very well for me.

Show no mercy. Think I'll try it.

nautical_nathaniel · Sep 8, 2017

Grey Guy said:
Show no mercy. Think I'll try it.

Go for it! Just poke em with a stick and let them fully deflate, or cower in fear really, and then cover em up and pack it in!

thunderdood · Sep 8, 2017

This is what I did several years ago and haven't seen any since with the 2 step process since I didn't want to take the trouble of adding additional livestock:

1. Hit them with Apitasia X or Joe's Juice and let it sit for 10-15 minutes

2a. Take the rock out and use tweezers to remove that last nub to completely remove the Apitasia
2b. Take the rock out and use a lighter to burn off the last of the Apitasia
2c. If the Apitasia retreats into a hole, remove the rock and glue the hole shut

Whipples · Sep 8, 2017

Be very careful with types of peppermint shrimp! I came across a few threads here on R2R and other places documenting which peppermint shrimp from which regions were the aptasia killers so if you do go the shrimp route make sure beforehand! I went with the berghia nudibranches and have not seen a single aptasia in the tank since. A bit more costly up front but the nudibranches can get into the crevices that the other methods cannot.

thunderdood · Sep 8, 2017

Whipples said:
Be very careful with types of peppermint shrimp! I came across a few threads here on R2R and other places documenting which peppermint shrimp from which regions were the aptasia killers so if you do go the shrimp route make sure beforehand! I went with the berghia nudibranches and have not seen a single aptasia in the tank since. A bit more costly up front but the nudibranches can get into the crevices that the other methods cannot.

+1
If removing rocks are not an option, Berghia's do the job.

webbl19 · Sep 8, 2017

I cant remove any of the rocks they are on. I guess i could, but it would make a huge mess of things. Coral would be mad at me. Some of them arenin some tricky spots also. I can get them with the Aiptasia-X and could probably put some epoxy on them.

Checking out these nudi's right quick. Never had a nudi. I take that back, i did have one long ago that came with a CUC pack. No idea what kind it was though and i havent seen that thing in forever.

Grey Guy · Sep 8, 2017

Had a mushroom rock plagued by aptasia . Now they are all buried under epoxy. They pulled down deep in to little holes. So much the better.

webbl19 · Sep 8, 2017

Just left a LFS. They had 1 of those nudi's you guys are talking about, it was like a spec. Are they that small? Like i mean like 2mm kinda small. I could barely see it. Wanted $16 for it. I said nah.
They had 1 peppermint shrimp, but then i started looking at the coral....

So i ended up leaving the store with only 2 zoa rocks lol. Im going to move over my peppermint shrimp tonight once lights go out. If i need to ill get another one.

Whipples · Sep 8, 2017

When mine came from Reef Town they were about 2-3mm wide and maybe 11-14mm long. They are fairly small so they can get deep into the rocks.

webbl19 · Sep 8, 2017

Whipples said:
When mine came from Reef Town they were about 2-3mm wide and maybe 11-14mm long. They are fairly small so they can get deep into the rocks.

Ok. This thing was way smaller than that. Good thing i didnt get it. It was like 2mm total all around. Almost the size of one biopellet, the little white ones, if that even.