Aiptasia in overflow

[Gtinnel]

Heat some saltwater or ro water to 120f. Turn off return pump and pour it in. Instant death. Let it cool for about an hour and turn back on return pump.

Other than the natural predator suggestions I like this idea a lot more than adding citric acid to my overflow. My tank is a glass tank with a corner overflow, I assume there is no issue in regards to the glass or silicon with putting 120 degree water in there. Also, will the heat kill the aiptasia without causing them to spread?

 

[Gtinnel]

I have acrylic cut to size and painted black over mine. I have an aptasia pop up every now and then..but non in the overflows. Same tank..125 corner overflows

I’m starting to see a few show up in the tank too. What do you use to get rid of the ones you get? I’ve been reading about different methods but it seems like for every method that someone says works another person says it causes them to spread.
I added a few peppermint shrimp to my display a little over a week ago and haven’t seen them since. I’m not sure if they’re just hiding until night time, or if my Melanurus wrasse ate them.

 

[billyocean]

I've used a diabetic syringe and straight lemon juice with success. If its in the sand I just scoop it out.

 

[305]

how do you keep them from getting sucked on down into your sump?

I run a durso with a end cap on the downfacing part with a strainer… every now and then the oh **** hole up top (wich is at the water line) will take one down into the sump.. they tend to just hang out there or walk into my fuge slits.. i grab em and just throw em back in the overflow.

 

[Tonycass12]

I don’t know why but blocking all light never occurred to me. I wonder if they die from no light or do they just drift off somewhere else to just re attach.

They don't. I have a covered overflow and still have aptasia living in it in the dark.

 

[i cant think]

I have a CBB in my 4’ tank and leave large aiptasia to breed, the CBB loves it and can’t stop eating them. In fact, I think that the aiptaisia eating the mysis and grabbing it then the CBB pecking at the aiptasia is what got it to eat as well as it does now.

 

[WallyB]

I've tried everything except Berghia to get rid of Aiptasia over last two decades. They will always come back over time. Slowly at first and then depending on tank conditions rapidly spread into a horrible outbreak.

If you have visible aiptasia in DT/Overlow/Sump you most likely have many more tiny/invisible Aipatasia everywhere else. If you tackle your DT by carving them out or rocks, scaping, or treating with chemicals they will eventually come back since they will seed from other places you can't treat.

Copperbands have worked for me to control Aipatasia in DT but they don't take care of the rest of your system (Sump, overflow, etc). Copperbands are difficult fish, and even more difficult to keep alive for the long term. One of my favorite fish, but sad to see them die a year or two later. Some folks are lucky to keep copperbands long term.

I've tried pepermint shrimps. Can't say they work. It's a hit and miss, plus other concerns about them going rogue.

Chemical treatments, scrubbing, typically aggravates the Aipatasia and they spread more. Sometime more rapidly.

The only way I've managed to completly get rid of Aiptasia is Berghia Nudibranch. They are not alway availble and certainly not cheap. You don't need many. Actually don't get too many since Berghia eat nothing but Aiptasia and they die of stavation when there is no more Aiptasia to eat.

Beghia seem to work slow at first however I think at the early stage the Berghia's are eatting the tiny aiptasia in crevaces, in and under rocks, so you won't see them. I actually thought the beghia I added died or got eatten. After a while you'll notice aiptasia dissapearing everywhere. In a few months you won't have any Aiptasia anymore. Berghia are delicate creatures and if you get small ones they can't handle strong flow, so they won't be able to get to the aiptasia in high flow overflows (I think) so treat those area's as mentions by other above. You may have to add or move the Berghia's into your sump after your DT is cleaned up.

I introduce 5 small Berghia into a 30 Gallon tank 3 months ago. Dozens of Aiptasia. Last week not a single Aiptasia left. The big Berghia's started coming out and crawling on Glass since they were hungry and would starve very soon. The Berghia grew up nice and big. I caught 4/5 and 2 Beghia's have been move into my 90 Gallon tank that's infested with Aiptasia. I put 1 berghia into my 110Gallon Tank that have a handful of Aiptasia, and left one in the 30 Gallon just in case there are any Aiptasia remaining.

 

[Dburr1014]

If this works you could just buy some plexiglass or acrylic, cut to size and spray paint black

I used sheet foam at Walmart. Craft section.

 

[Reefin Aint Easy]

Stop the flow and shop vac all the water out of overflow. Premix citric acid and water in a bucket. Fill your overflow up with the citric acid mix, don't fill past the drain. Let that sit awhile. Shop vac the citric acid out and rinse the overflow out with water, shop vac the water again.

This is what I did and it works perfectly when I had an infestation in my overflow. Never seen another one again.

 

[WVNed]

I will say my methods of killing them that have been the most successful have used heat to cook them. It seems to prevent what escapes from the murder scene from spreading them.

My 240 has a file fish and the other tank butterflies. I had some in my sump/fuge but the ones I could see are gone since this last upgrade. Like Wallyb said tiny ones are usually hidden somewhere and may grow again into visible ones. I bought 6 peppermint shrimp and put them in the fuge. They never ate even 1 aiptasia. There was an interesting thread about shrimp sold as peppermints. Most sold arent even the ones that eat aiptasia.

But I haven't done anything to actively get rid of them in years and I have none I can see now.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have a CBB in my 4’ tank and leave large aiptasia to breed, the CBB loves it and can’t stop eating them. In fact, I think that the aiptaisia eating the mysis and grabbing it then the CBB pecking at the aiptasia is what got it to eat as well as it does now.

I have had a copperband in the past and didn’t have any success on getting it to eat until it was too late and it died. I’m not opposed to trying a copperband again at some point but I would only buy it for aiptasia control if nothing else worked for me.

 

[Gtinnel]

I've tried everything except Berghia to get rid of Aiptasia over last two decades. They will always come back over time. Slowly at first and then depending on tank conditions rapidly spread into a horrible outbreak.

If you have visible aiptasia in DT/Overlow/Sump you most likely have many more tiny/invisible Aipatasia everywhere else. If you tackle your DT by carving them out or rocks, scaping, or treating with chemicals they will eventually come back since they will seed from other places you can't treat.

Copperbands have worked for me to control Aipatasia in DT but they don't take care of the rest of your system (Sump, overflow, etc). Copperbands are difficult fish, and even more difficult to keep alive for the long term. One of my favorite fish, but sad to see them die a year or two later. Some folks are lucky to keep copperbands long term.

I've tried pepermint shrimps. Can't say they work. It's a hit and miss, plus other concerns about them going rogue.

Chemical treatments, scrubbing, typically aggravates the Aipatasia and they spread more. Sometime more rapidly.

The only way I've managed to completly get rid of Aiptasia is Berghia Nudibranch. They are not alway availble and certainly not cheap. You don't need many. Actually don't get too many since Berghia eat nothing but Aiptasia and they die of stavation when there is no more Aiptasia to eat.

Beghia seem to work slow at first however I think at the early stage the Berghia's are eatting the tiny aiptasia in crevaces, in and under rocks, so you won't see them. I actually thought the beghia I added died or got eatten. After a while you'll notice aiptasia dissapearing everywhere. In a few months you won't have any Aiptasia anymore. Berghia are delicate creatures and if you get small ones they can't handle strong flow, so they won't be able to get to the aiptasia in high flow overflows (I think) so treat those area's as mentions by other above. You may have to add or move the Berghia's into your sump after your DT is cleaned up.

I introduce 5 small Berghia into a 30 Gallon tank 3 months ago. Dozens of Aiptasia. Last week not a single Aiptasia left. The big Berghia's started coming out and crawling on Glass since they were hungry and would starve very soon. The Berghia grew up nice and big. I caught 4/5 and 2 Beghia's have been move into my 90 Gallon tank that's infested with Aiptasia. I put 1 berghia into my 110Gallon Tank that have a handful of Aiptasia, and left one in the 30 Gallon just in case there are any Aiptasia remaining.

I suspect that if I buy Berghias to put in the tank my wrasse will eat them. I guess before ruling them out I need to do some research and find out if my guess is correct.

 

[BobbyCline]

I have hundreds in my overflow. There is no light inside other than the small amount that enters through the weir. Honestly, I don't even worry about them. Peppermints in the sump and a filefish in the display seems to be keeping these areas clean. I get a few here and there in the sump, but can't find any in the display.

Berghia also worked well for me, but only short term. The Berghia eat nearly all the available aiptasia, but they never get it all. So the Berghia die without their food source and the aiptasia slowly returns.

I swear the injectable chemical treatments promote the spread of aiptasia.

 

[Gtinnel]

I will say my methods of killing them that have been the most successful have used heat to cook them. It seems to prevent what escapes from the murder scene from spreading them.

My 240 has a file fish and the other tank butterflies. I had some in my sump/fuge but the ones I could see are gone since this last upgrade. Like Wallyb said tiny ones are usually hidden somewhere and may grow again into visible ones. I bought 6 peppermint shrimp and put them in the fuge. They never ate even 1 aiptasia. There was an interesting thread about shrimp sold as peppermints. Most sold arent even the ones that eat aiptasia.

But I haven't done anything to actively get rid of them in years and I have none I can see now.

I’ve done a lot of reading about peppermint shrimp and I’ve looked at the pictures to distinguish different species, but when looking at the shrimp I can’t reliably tell which species it is. I added some to my overflow and sump last night so I’ll wait a few days and see if I got lucky on getting some that’ll eat them.
The guy at the lfs said theirs eat aiptasia and as we all know lfs employees are never wrong, lol.

 

[WVNed]

I’ve done a lot of reading about peppermint shrimp and I’ve looked at the pictures to distinguish different species, but when looking at the shrimp I can’t reliably tell which species it is. I added some to my overflow and sump last night so I’ll wait a few days and see if I got lucky on getting some that’ll eat them.
The guy at the lfs said theirs eat aiptasia and as we all know lfs employees are never wrong, lol.

I cant tell either. I would hope in the several times I have bought then I would have got the right ones by now.

 

[Garf]

I have hundreds in my overflow. There is no light inside other than the small amount that enters through the weir. Honestly, I don't even worry about them. Peppermints in the sump and a filefish in the display seems to be keeping these areas clean. I get a few here and there in the sump, but can't find any in the display.

Berghia also worked well for me, but only short term. The Berghia eat nearly all the available aiptasia, but they never get it all. So the Berghia die without their food source and the aiptasia slowly returns.

I swear the injectable chemical treatments promote the spread of aiptasia.

Plain old kalk paste works. Works even better if you mix it with sodium hydroxide.
I’ve got a little filefish in my old QT tank that appears to be an Aiptasia eating machine.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have hundreds in my overflow. There is no light inside other than the small amount that enters through the weir. Honestly, I don't even worry about them. Peppermints in the sump and a filefish in the display seems to be keeping these areas clean. I get a few here and there in the sump, but can't find any in the display.

Berghia also worked well for me, but only short term. The Berghia eat nearly all the available aiptasia, but they never get it all. So the Berghia die without their food source and the aiptasia slowly returns.

I swear the injectable chemical treatments promote the spread of aiptasia.

I was afraid of a file fish because they’re know to sometime eat corals, plus like every other solution some people say they don’t always work anyway. I usually try to avoid fish that I may need to re home, because I don’t know what to do with them. As I’m sure you’re aware our state doesn’t offer much options in regards to this hobby. I mean the lfs that I bought the shrimp from was in Charlotte.

 

[Gtinnel]

Plain old kalk paste works. Works even better if you mix it with sodium hydroxide.
I’ve got a little filefish in my old QT tank that appears to be an Aiptasia eating machine.

After talking to a another hobbyists I’ve decided to go with kalk and lye for the ones that I can easily kill in the display.

 

[Garf]

After talking to a another hobbyists I’ve decided to go with kalk and lye for the ones that I can easily kill in the display.

Kill your return pump for at least an hour, preferably 1.5hrs. Seems excessive I know, but you can keep circulation going if your only treating the overflow ones. Let them suckers cook

 

[Ashish Patel]

I could get a hose for a siphon down there but there is no chance I can reach my hand in there to scrap them off. I just got back from a trip where I bought a few peppermint shrimp and added them to my overflow. I guess I’ll see in a few days if they will eat them, if not I’ll try some other method.

i had the same problem in the past, which is why on my new tank i got a external glass overflow box. dont stress it just get a natural predator in display and let it run. I doubt peppermint will be able to kill the larger ones and then you wont be able to remove them later.