Aiptasia problem

[johnwithareef]

Ok so I decided to set up a new nano tank (fluval52l) and did some reading and watched some videos and decided I needed some living rock. My local shops only had the man made stuff but from what I had read and seen online it sounded like I needed the real Fiji living rock. Ok so being the newbie I am I decided eBay looks like a great place to get rock from and promptly purchased a very nice looking piece of Fijis finest.

So fast forward to earlier this week and I looked at my prized new Fiji rock and found I had a little anemone. Casting my mind back to those YouTube videos and I remembered people talking about this pest called Aiptasia so I googled a few images and sure enough he looks like one of those little fellas. Reading a bit more it sounds like I need to get rid of him before he starts spreading so. Given my last attempt to do this without speaking to a expert I thought Id throw this question out there and hopefully get some good advice.

So my tank as finished cycling but has of yet I have no livestock and want to get rid of this problem before I start to introducing anything (this sounds like the best plan but let me know if not)
My research says theres multiple ways to get rid but what would be the preferred way?

1. Introduce a peppermint shrimp
2. Introduce some Berghia nudibranch
3. Use chemcal such as aiptasiaX or similar
4. Some other method that I have yet to hear of

I would greatly appreciate any feedback

 

[TriggerFinger]

Hi @johnwithareef, welcome to R2R! I had good luck with peppermint shrimp. From what I understand, only lymasta wurdemanni will eat them. I picked out two shrimp from a tank that I saw eating aiptasia.

 

[eggplantparrot]

if he slinks into a hole, then take a wire (straightened out paper clip works) and heat with a lighter and poke it to destroy. worked great for me.

 

[johnwithareef]

Hi @johnwithareef, welcome to R2R! I had good luck with peppermint shrimp. From what I understand, only lymasta wurdemanni will eat them. I picked out two shrimp from a tank that I saw eating aiptasia.

Thanks for your reply. Is there a reason you say the shrimp over the nudibranch? the reason I ask is with the shrimp I possibly don't have the knowledge to identify that particular version of the shrimp over another type of peppermint shrimp. From my understanding its a guaranteed the nudibranch would eat them so in my mind they seemed like a winner? I understand the Nudibranch would starve after the Aiptasia had gone but thought I might be able to take them out and give to the store that sold to me. I understand I might be being naive so appologies if this sounds like a bad idea.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Thanks for your reply. Is there a reason you say the shrimp over the nudibranch? the reason I ask is with the shrimp I possibly don't have the knowledge to identify that particular version of the shrimp over another type of peppermint shrimp. From my understanding its a guaranteed the nudibranch would eat them so in my mind they seemed like a winner? I understand the Nudibranch would starve after the Aiptasia had gone but thought I might be able to take them out and give to the store that sold to me. I understand I might be being naive so appologies if this sounds like a bad idea.

I didn’t recommend them for a couple reasons:
I have no experience with the nudibranchs.
If you only have a few aiptasia then there’s a chance the nudis will starve before finding them.
Nudis are expensive and I would not recommend them in a newly cycled tank without stability; could just end up being a waste of money.

 

[johnwithareef]

I didn’t recommend them for a couple reasons:
I have no experience with the nudibranchs.
If you only have a few aiptasia then there’s a chance the nudis will starve before finding them.
Nudis are expensive and I would not recommend them in a newly cycled tank without stability; could just end up being a waste of money.

Ah right thanks that makes perfect sense thanks for the information. Sounds like it's going to be the peppermints then

 

[AeldariDrukhari]

I agree with Triggerfinger. I order nudis a while ago they seemed to take care of the aiptasia initially. But a month after I started to see small aiptasia growing. I went with putting a combo of F-aiptasia and epoxy in places I could put F-aiptasia. It seemed to work but then I looked in my overflow, so now I bought the nudis again and am hoping they get rid of it once and for all. It is a battle, you have to stay on top of it.