What does it take to kill Aiptasia

[tehmadreefer]

Here was my infested tank back in Dec or Jan.
Also have a cbb ond an ora filefish that neither touch aiptasia.

Now after 20 nudi's it's almost clear 5 months later. So like everything in this hobby. Patience...

 

[bluprntguy]

I think your plan to bleach the rocks should work for the rocks, but they can't go back into an aquarium that remains wet with salt water. You need to transfer all your livestock over to temporary housing. Bleach and dry every piece of equipment, rock, and sand in your display tank before your re-assemble it all. Corals need to be removed from any mounts and moved to a clean holding area for quarantine.

That leaves snails and hermits as possible carriers. Frankly, I'd give them away to someone that doesn't care and then start fresh. Purchase snails and inverts from reliable sources. Almost every LFS in my area has aiptasia in their invert tanks and they either don't care or can't be bothered to clean them out. I purchase all my inverts from AlgaeBarn now and I quarantine them for a few weeks to make sure nothing rides in on them.

 

[Bob Weigant]

The A Bomb. Could't say it any better

 

[Bob Weigant]

another great one

 

[Holy_makerel]

I've had about a dozen or so hitchhike in on frags over the last few years. Kalk paste has always worked 100% for me. If I can remove the substrate it's on I will but otherwise I kill the flow and apply it with a syringe. I entomb the nasties. Let the kalk sit a few minutes before resuming flow. It will gel up and dissolve the aptasia without it being able to spread spores.

If you've got a huge infestation then this may not be the best route since you can only hit so many of them before you spike your alk.

 

[kirbuno]

I had success with the nudi's on my first tank but not with my second tank. Tried a file fish but he wasn't interested at all. Tried peppermint with no luck in the main tank but a couple got in the upper sump, and they wiped them out there, so put them in the bottom sump and they wiped them out there as well. I suspect because there wasn't much else to eat. I finally got a copperband that picked on everything except my corals and finally got rid of them in the DT. AptasiaX just spread them around.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

I have tried Berghia 3 times to no avail. I even saw one of the Berghia still alive the other day but it wasn't touching the aiptasia and who knows where the other 15 medium and 5 large Berghia I put in with him have gone. I don't have anything that would pester or eat the Berghia, they just disappear but the aiptasia don't.

 

[tehmadreefer]

I have tried Berghia 3 times to no avail. I even saw one of the Berghia still alive the other day but it wasn't touching the aiptasia and who knows where the other 15 medium and 5 large Berghia I put in with him have gone. I don't have anything that would pester or eat the Berghia, they just disappear but the aiptasia don't.

When did you add them? I didn't see mine for about 2-3 months and then you will only see them in the dark. They don't wipe out aiptasia in a few days it takes a months. I would highly suggest reading about how they actually eat aiptasia and they need to breed, etc before you see a major reduction.


https://saltyunderground.com/category/berghia-nudibranch-the-natural-choice-for-aiptasia-control


Nothing happens fast in this hobby, except bad stuff.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Sure be nice if we could use some gamma rays to wipe them out, but knowing my luck it will modify them into something like the Incredible Hulk.

 

[MissyTwitch]

Never had luck with nudi's nor file fish. I had two Copperbands that did a really good job until they died. Then I got aptasia again. Have had hard time re-introducing copper bands in my system due to aggressive fish. So I now use aptasia X and deal with it.

 

[Sketta]

I put 10 nudibranchs in my 60 gallon reef two weeks ago and still nothing about how long does it take?

 

[tehmadreefer]

I put 10 nudibranchs in my 60 gallon reef two weeks ago and still nothing about how long did it take?

Depends on how much aiptasia you have but it takes months not weeks.

 

[Nanorock1970]

I used peppermint shrimp and it worked for me. It took a bit for them to get all of it but patients paid well. None back at all.
Your removal of rock does not get them all out of the tank. Your only killing what’s on the rock removed along with good stuff on the rock.
I find it hard to believe that nothing has worked. Maybe you have not waited long enough for the peppermint shrimp or Nudies to hunt them down.

 

[Mical]

These work. It takes a little over a week but you'll be aiptasia free - https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3352+6697+3555&pcatid=3555

 

[Sketta]

Thanks Mical: Reading some of the other responses it looks like it could take months.

 

[Sketta]

Depends on how much aiptasia you have but it takes months not weeks.

Thanks for the info I just thought I'd see at least one gone but maybe there working on the unseen ones.

 

[Bubba002]

Did lots of aptisia x in the tank then removed the rock while the white was still there and dug out that spot deep and filled with crazy glue. GONE. Did it one time in the middle of a zoa colony and they grew over the crazy glue.

 

[tehmadreefer]

These work. It takes a little over a week but you'll be aiptasia free - https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3352+6697+3555&pcatid=3555

Mine doesnt touch aiptaisa. They do not 100% eat them.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Thanks for the info I just thought I'd see at least one gone but maybe there working on the unseen ones.

Right they go in the tiny holes and eat those in the rock first before tackling the bigger ones we see.

 

[Huge49erfan]

Filefish worked for me. Took about a month to clear all of them. I didn’t notice a difference till about week 3 and then all of a sudden they were all gone. But be careful. After the Aiptasia is gone, they will eat the polyps off of your coral. Caught mine eating acans, favia, elegance, and my duncan. After removal of the filefish all my coral are coming back.