reefnoob616
Active Member
What is the best way to kill off this crap? Berghia? Also will these things die off or will they multiply and cause other problems?
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aiptasia: best way to kill them
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TrialandError
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Inject them with lemon juice. Can only do a few at a time though. Or can try peppermint shrimp
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reefnoob616
Active Member
Peperment shrimp eat them? I have a coral banded will that cause problems? Ive used the aiptasia x and it works very well. Only thing is you cant get them all.
reefnoob616
Active Member
How many peperment shrimp should I get for a 75 gallon tank? Should I move my coral banded to my refuge while the others do there work?
Sassy Jenny
Active Member
We added a Copper Banded Butterfly fish to our 180 gal tank. With in one week he cleaned up all the dirty little bugers! He is amazing and he is on the look out for any regrowth. I tried all the above named treatments, but none of them worked for me. This fish rocks!
TrialandError
Well-Known Member
Only problem with a CBB is sometimes they won't eat prepared foods and will starve to death. If you were to go the CBB route QT it first and get it eating prepared foods.
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Majano Wand, AptasiaX.
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ReeferBob
Valuable Member
I've seen a new method of burning them out using a laser through the glass. Check out youtube videos of it. In one video an aiptaisia was pipnpoint burned out in the middle of a zoanthid field. You can get the lasers from ebay. The lasers can be very dangerous however if mishandled.
reefnoob616
Active Member
Well the only problem with the laser is it costs alot and you need direct line of sight. I am looking to eradicate them not just keep killing the ones that I can see. Aiptasiax works great but then again you can only kill the ones you can see.
Liquid360
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I've tried EVERYTHING incl an $800 laser. The best solution, in my expert opinion, has been the electric wand for the big ones combined with peppermint shrimp for the ones you can't see. I had LOTS of them. Now I have none. The wand is a wicked good piece of equipment. For the peppermint shrimp you must be sure to feed your fish only enough pellets so they get them before they hit the bottom so the shrimp are stuck with an all Aptasia diet.
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WesF
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I tried just about everything and the only thing that worked was a CBB. Like someone said they often don't do well in captivity.
A LFS by me had one that ate frozen mysis in the store. He wanted $70 and I happily paid it. Still have the fish to this day. No aiptasia to be found and a beautiful fish that is front and center at feeding time.
A LFS by me had one that ate frozen mysis in the store. He wanted $70 and I happily paid it. Still have the fish to this day. No aiptasia to be found and a beautiful fish that is front and center at feeding time.
navila06
Well-Known Member
remove the coral banded, it will only get real agressive as it grows and buy 3-4 peppermint shrimps to take care of your aptasia problem, that's what I did and I have zero aptasia's I can see. I used to have about 6 that were visible.
jt17
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My coral banded started killing hermits and then moved on to my blood shrimp. I assume it was him because he was the only one with the attitude and ability. I know some haven't had success with berghias but they seem to be doing the trick in my tank. They don't do well with the aptasia in high flow areas but those can usually be manually eradicated. They're expensive and it's not an immediate fix, takes 2-3 months depending on degree of infestation and size of tank and once you introduce them you almost never see them again. The only way I know they are working is in the morning there is no aptasia where there used to be one, and I find 1 or 2 per week in filter socks. I turn the sock inside out and flush them from the sock and return them to the tank near a big ole apt. and in a couple days it is gone. Again, worked for be but not everybody.
Bartmmackey
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Appraisal eating file fish...worked for me. Then I sent him on his way.
Liquid360
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I'd also recommend dosing the tank with a solution of 1/ 2 bleach & 1/2 hydrochloric acid. However, it's possible this solution could carry with it certain side effects. You're either at war with Aptasia or your with them!
cdness
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The following advice is just experiences from myself or other local club members at RRVR...
1. Peppermint Shrimp: These are hit and miss at best. Many stores sell Camel shrimp as peppermints as well so you need to make sure you get the right ones from the start. I wouldn't recommend them unless you like them as tank livestock in case they don't go for the aptasias. If starved I have heard they will become opportunistic and co after LPS and Zoa flesh.
2. Copper Banded Butterfly: These will eat aptasia, but will not always take to frozen food so they can succumb to starvation in captivity. Be ready to give it away to someone who has aptasia so it can be a traveling workhorse for area reefers. There is no guarantee it will get everything though and the process of ripping them apart to eat can actually worsen the situation.
3. Berghia: These things ONLY source of food is Aptasia. They will not eat anything else so when it is gone, they will die off. They readily reproduce in captivity and will expand their population based on the food source. However I have been told if their numbers get too great and you have too many of them die off at once, they can release a toxin that can wreak havoc on your system. If you go this route, be sure to spread the love within your local reefing community as this will make sure that when your aptasia is gone and your berghia population is also gone, you have a chance to get some back if the issue returns.
4. Joe's Juice/Aptasia-X: Chemically burning them away using these products does work, but only if you get the whole nem. If you miss a spot it will come back. The repetitive use of these can increase the PH of the tank a bit so you can only treat so much before you need to take a break. Also for what these products actually are, they get very expensive in the long run in a massive aptasia battle. You can do the same thing with a mixture of Kalkwasser (Mrs Wages Pickeling Lime) and RODI water and make your own "juice". One bag of Mrs Wages should last even the most heavily aptasia infested for at least a year.
5. Vinegar/Lemon Juice/Other Chemicals: This is basically the same as 4...
6. Majano wand: These are an interesting device. It is basically a low voltage transformer which uses the conductivity of the saltwater to cause a chemical reaction to burn off the pest. It works well if you can reach the whole pest. However, some of these devices are not made well and can let water into the copper wire core. We all know what copper does to tanks, so make sure you inspect the device well and make sure it meets your approval before using it in the tank.
7. Lasers: This is a very interesting and effective tool to kill off pests. However when used incorrectly can cause instant blindness in the user, bystanders, pets, and even the fish in the tank if the reflection goes the wrong way. If you go this route, make sure you get trained in the proper use of the laser and ALWAYS wear protective gear. If you can, keep all bystanders out of the vicinity to protect their vision. Use at your own risk and be safe...
1. Peppermint Shrimp: These are hit and miss at best. Many stores sell Camel shrimp as peppermints as well so you need to make sure you get the right ones from the start. I wouldn't recommend them unless you like them as tank livestock in case they don't go for the aptasias. If starved I have heard they will become opportunistic and co after LPS and Zoa flesh.
2. Copper Banded Butterfly: These will eat aptasia, but will not always take to frozen food so they can succumb to starvation in captivity. Be ready to give it away to someone who has aptasia so it can be a traveling workhorse for area reefers. There is no guarantee it will get everything though and the process of ripping them apart to eat can actually worsen the situation.
3. Berghia: These things ONLY source of food is Aptasia. They will not eat anything else so when it is gone, they will die off. They readily reproduce in captivity and will expand their population based on the food source. However I have been told if their numbers get too great and you have too many of them die off at once, they can release a toxin that can wreak havoc on your system. If you go this route, be sure to spread the love within your local reefing community as this will make sure that when your aptasia is gone and your berghia population is also gone, you have a chance to get some back if the issue returns.
4. Joe's Juice/Aptasia-X: Chemically burning them away using these products does work, but only if you get the whole nem. If you miss a spot it will come back. The repetitive use of these can increase the PH of the tank a bit so you can only treat so much before you need to take a break. Also for what these products actually are, they get very expensive in the long run in a massive aptasia battle. You can do the same thing with a mixture of Kalkwasser (Mrs Wages Pickeling Lime) and RODI water and make your own "juice". One bag of Mrs Wages should last even the most heavily aptasia infested for at least a year.
5. Vinegar/Lemon Juice/Other Chemicals: This is basically the same as 4...
6. Majano wand: These are an interesting device. It is basically a low voltage transformer which uses the conductivity of the saltwater to cause a chemical reaction to burn off the pest. It works well if you can reach the whole pest. However, some of these devices are not made well and can let water into the copper wire core. We all know what copper does to tanks, so make sure you inspect the device well and make sure it meets your approval before using it in the tank.
7. Lasers: This is a very interesting and effective tool to kill off pests. However when used incorrectly can cause instant blindness in the user, bystanders, pets, and even the fish in the tank if the reflection goes the wrong way. If you go this route, make sure you get trained in the proper use of the laser and ALWAYS wear protective gear. If you can, keep all bystanders out of the vicinity to protect their vision. Use at your own risk and be safe...
spscrazy
Well-Known Member
I used aptasia x on the 1 that I had in my tank for awhile a few days later I had them popping up all over the tank I tried covering them in kalk a few days later even more showed up I have a coral banded shrimp so couldn't put peppermint shrimp in and too much flow for bergia while trying to decide what to do I saw a false lemonpeel angel fish I liked and got it (false lemonpeel not to be confused with lemonpeel) after a week I suddenly realized the aptasia were almost gone yep he was eating them that was over a year ago & I have not seen another aptasia since don't know if they all will do that but that happy accident worked for me
