Aiptasia is taking over

[DcoarM]

Hey guys I have 55G mixed reef and it is starting to be taken over by aiptasia. They haven't started to sting my corals, but i would like to stop them before they get the chance. I have about 10-15 that I can see in tank currently. What would be the best way to get rid of them? Aiptasia X is probably not an option because it is just a temporary fixer. I was looking into nudibranches, but was told I will need to buy 3 or 4 for it to work and my lfs sells them for $16, am I being ripped off? The next option is a peppermint shrimp, but my girl friend is concerned that they will eat my snails and crabs. Is this a problem with them?

 

[caldone]

Aurigas will eat them, but they are not reef safe. A filefish probably will, but they may or may not be "reef safe"
Peppermint shrimp are my killer of choice

 

[Dmmz]

I used aiptasia x and just used it every time I seen one it has been over 5 weeks and have not seen one yet but who knows

 

[reefermadness55]

I'm also not exactly sure the name of it. But there's a device for around $100 I think, that uses some sort of low voltage zapper thing, it's lie a handle with almost a needle point, and you just hold a button and it zaps the aiptasia into almost nothing, but you have to poke it into the hole they were coming out of, but that way you can just kill em as you see them. And I've played with this thing, it does not harm out damage any corals in any way and uses no chemicals

 

[Mike J.]

$16.00 is a good price for the nudibranchs. Of course you'll have the problem that after they eat all the aiptasia they will die. Then you'll get the aiptasia back. I'd give the peppermints shrimp a try. Although I've never had success with them others have. I've got a filefish in my reef. And I have a Raccoon Butterfly in my FOWLR.

 

[jweintraub]

I've had great success with Aptasia-X as long as you keep up with it and ensure that you kill them as soon as you see them. To completely eradicate them I think is near impossible as they can live literally anywhere including your overflow, sump, inside crevices in your live rock, etc.

 

[bigfoot86]

Peppermint shrimp work very well. Though, you can always take the rock out of the tank and cut off the portion that is holding the aiptasia or get rid of the rock all together, which I did not long ago (of course it was only one rock with one aiptasia on it so it wasn't a big deal).

 

[nissanrs]

I had this happen, ended up taking the tank down and baked the rock in the sun. you will need Berghia Nudibranch . they will eat them. the way it works to the bes of my knowledge is you get them in your tank they will die but the offsprings will do the work.

 

[cginter]

Peppermint shrimp! An All natural way, and it works.... Speaking with experience.

 

[mrcoffee2]

Be careful with the peppermint shrimp. In my experience they wouldnt eat my aiptasia unless I withheld feedings to get them hungry. That lead to them eating my acans.

That is just my experience with them, other people seem to be happy with them.

 

[powdermonkey]

I took this from our local forum. The guy is very knowledgeable but it is the first time I have ever seen it. Maybe it will help you as well.

Ever wonder why some people have peppermints that eat apitasia as soon as they hit the tank, yet others have peppermints that won't eat apitasia and even sometime eat coral? It matters where they come from... there are at least 4 differnet kinds of peppermint shrimp in the gulf.

They are all Lysmata shrimp and are good scavengers, but break down like this:

• Bogessi - From Keys and great Aiptasia Eaters... nearly 100%
• Rafa - From Western Keys and great Aiptasia Eaters... nearly 100%
• Ankeri - 50/50 on Aiptasia
• Wurdemanni - 50/50 on Aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance (there are many sub classifications under this). These are very commonly available but also very commonly let people down
• Rathbunae - Less than 50% on aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance (deeper water from areas without much coral)
• Boggessi - 50/50/ on Aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance

If you need aiptasia control, then get the ones from the keys. If the supplier that you get them from are not sure, then they are probably Wudermanni since they are cheaper to collect and more prolific in the areas where they are collected from. There are MANY, MANY keys suppliers out there, so if you want a sure thing, then make sure that you order from them.

People might tell you that they got Peppermints from a store that said that they got them from the keys. If they don't eat aiptasia, then they probably did not and the chain of custody was either lost or misrepresented.

 

[mrcoffee2]

I took this from our local forum. The guy is very knowledgeable but it is the first time I have ever seen it. Maybe it will help you as well.

Ever wonder why some people have peppermints that eat apitasia as soon as they hit the tank, yet others have peppermints that won't eat apitasia and even sometime eat coral? It matters where they come from... there are at least 4 differnet kinds of peppermint shrimp in the gulf.

They are all Lysmata shrimp and are good scavengers, but break down like this:

• Bogessi - From Keys and great Aiptasia Eaters... nearly 100%
• Rafa - From Western Keys and great Aiptasia Eaters... nearly 100%
• Ankeri - 50/50 on Aiptasia
• Wurdemanni - 50/50 on Aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance (there are many sub classifications under this). These are very commonly available but also very commonly let people down
• Rathbunae - Less than 50% on aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance (deeper water from areas without much coral)
• Boggessi - 50/50/ on Aiptasia and can eat coral in some rare circumstance

If you need aiptasia control, then get the ones from the keys. If the supplier that you get them from are not sure, then they are probably Wudermanni since they are cheaper to collect and more prolific in the areas where they are collected from. There are MANY, MANY keys suppliers out there, so if you want a sure thing, then make sure that you order from them.

People might tell you that they got Peppermints from a store that said that they got them from the keys. If they don't eat aiptasia, then they probably did not and the chain of custody was either lost or misrepresented.

That certainly might explain my problems.

 

[Fin]

^ This makes perfect sense to me. Peppermints are hit and miss and I always suspected it had a lot to do with where they were collected. Thanks for posting this. I believe some of our club members have also have good luck with pepps that they hand caught in Galveston.

I use a Copperband Butterfly for aiptasia control in my 140. There hasn't been any in the display since he was added. These too can be hit and miss. Add them to your reef with caution, although I have had three of them and they have all been model citizens in my tanks. File fish work also, but once the aiptasia is gone, they will start in on your xenia and zoanthids. At least mine did.

 

[DcoarM]

I just bought two andf immeditaly found out that my 6 line wrasse wanted them for dinner. Got them out alive and they are now in a ten gallon that is at the end of its cycle. Do any of you know of a solution to this with a six line wrasse presnt? I do not want to get rid of the wrasse, but if it comes down to him or saving my tank, well it will be my tank.

 

[Shawnburg]

Probably find the wrasse a new home

 

[Eienna]

Sixlines can really be a pain...

 

[Shawnburg]

Ya sometimes

 

[Engloid]

Get a syringe and inject the aiptasia with white vinegar....kills within seconds. For prevention or eating small ones, I use a copperband butterfly. Peppermint shrimp are good but would be fish food in my reef. Copperbands are more likely to survive.

 

[saltycoconuts]

QUOTE=dcoar;1716383]I just bought two andf immeditaly found out that my 6 line wrasse wanted them for dinner. Got them out alive and they are now in a ten gallon that is at the end of its cycle. Do any of you know of a solution to this with a six line wrasse presnt? I do not want to get rid of the wrasse, but if it comes down to him or saving my tank, well it will be my tank.[/QUOTE]
I
I am having the same issue with aptasia in my tank. I also bough two pepermint shrimps and right after they were aclimated my mystery wrass went on a killing spree.

 

[fishroomlady]

Peppermint shrimp won't hurt your snails or hermits.