At my witts end with aptasia!

[b4tn]

I dont have an outbreak but I have a handful of large ones that I cannot get rid off. to include one that is roughly the size of a half dollar or bigger! I put in 5 peppermint shrimp that absolutely ignored the aptasia but went after my duncan. Took me forever to catch them and get them out. I still have one in there I cant seem to catch but he doesnt seem to bother anything..... including the aptasai. I have tried blasting the aptasia with both lemon juice and boiling water which makes it suck back into the rock only to come back a couple days later. I tried Aptasia X which seemed like it would work because the aptasia would actually take it like it was going to eat it but then it would suck back into its hole only to be back again a week or two later. When I ran out of Aptasia X I made up some kalk paste which also seemed like it would work. The Aptasia would take the paste and recede only a little bit and I could cover it. But a couple weeks later its back growing around the hardened paste. I tried a file fish, he also did nothing. He was too slow moving and I think ended up starving because the other fish would get food before him and he never thought to eat the aptasia. The only think I have not tried is a laser or a copper band. I dont have a good LFS so I cant observe one thats actually going to eat. I am frustrated any other ideas?

 

[mvelo]

Peppermint shrimp is the ONLY thing I’ve found to take care of aptasia and I’ve tried everything.

 

[mvelo]

Peppermint shrimp is the ONLY thing I’ve found to take care of aptasia and I’ve tried everything.

 

[Mical]

Ora Aiptasia eating filefish. They can take up to 2 weeks to get a taste but when they do, tank will be rid of them. You need one or two of these - https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/3555/?pcatid=3555

 

[McFly]

Since you have already tried the usual stuff, one more extreme option is to take the affected rock out of your tank and use a masonry bit to drill a hole where the Aiptasia lives, then rinse out the hole with RO/DI. I have seen this mentioned before on the forums.

 

[MantisReef]

Emperor Angelfish wipes them out quick, but you have to have a big tank to make that work longterm.

I also have an electric wand that takes out Mojanos and Aptasia.

 

[Matt Carden]

Since you have already tried the usual stuff, one more extreme option is to take the affected rock out of your tank and use a masonry bit to drill a hole where the Aiptasia lives, then rinse out the hole with RO/DI. I have seen this mentioned before on the forums.

That's exactly what I was thinking!

 

[Mical]

I tried all the usual things AiptasiaX, Mojano Wand, Kalk & even laser and all these did was aggravate them and made them multiply. They are a form of anemone and when disturbed they split and multiply. Both my tanks were infested with them until I added a pair of ORA aiptasia eating filefish. Took at max 2 weeks before they inhaled every aiptasia in each tank. I even scrape aiptasia from sumps to feed them. For me they're the best defense.

 

[billwill]

Bergia nudibranch. That’s all I’m going to say

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

For just a few aiptasia, you're better off epoxying them over.

 

[b4tn]

Maybe I can try the file fish again. The one I got looked exactly like the one pictured but I got it from my LFS. He tried to eat at feeding time but was super slow and would not get to food fast enough. That and he didn’t like the high flow in my tank.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Maybe I can try the file fish again. The one I got looked exactly like the one pictured but I got it from my LFS. He tried to eat at feeding time but was super slow and would not get to food fast enough. That and he didn’t like the high flow in my tank.

Green files are the kind you want.

Another thing that I’ve done to get rid of just a few big ones is hitting them with kalk. But dont try to just shoot it into the GVC...they’ll just purge it out.

Instead, use a hypodermic needle and inject it into the tissue at the base. They can’t expel it before it kills them. Your needle game has to be on point, because as soon as you touch them, they’re going to retract. So, impose and inject quickly.

 

[Dennco2000]

I wish I had the resources to send you a aiptasia eating filefish, they're everywhere here where I live. Very friendly tank mate too, I will add one to my tank on occasion when throwing my bait net but then release them in a
year or so depending on size. Ive had a couple, now I'm thinking getting another one. BTW a lot cheaper than a Emperor Angel LOL!

 

[TriggerFinger]

Peppermints worked for me so far but I got the shrimps at the first sight of Aiptasia and they were really small. My LFS keeps the peps with Aiptasia covered rocks so I watched the peps to see who ate them and made sure I got those. If they didn’t work I was going to try nudis from salty underground as they are local to me.

 

[b4tn]

Peppermints worked for me so far but I got the shrimps at the first sight of Aiptasia and they were really small. My LFS keeps the peps with Aiptasia covered rocks so I watched the peps to see who ate them and made sure I got those. If they didn’t work I was going to try nudis from salty underground as they are local to me.

That’s how my LFS keeps them. I thought that for sure my problem was solved lol. But after about a year of still seeing Aptasia I guess they where not hungry enough. Then one night I was looking in the tank and 4 of them where ganging up on a Duncan head shredding it to pieces.

 

[b4tn]

Bergia nudibranch. That’s all I’m going to say

My LFS had these once and I wish I would have grabbed them when I had the chance. I worrried that my wrasse would eat them but I have been keeping my eyes open.

I have been curious about the Majona wand but hear not great things about both it and the laser.

 

[Mical]

My LFS had these once and I wish I would have grabbed them when I had the chance. I worrried that my wrasse would eat them but I have been keeping my eyes open.

I have been curious about the Majona wand but hear not great things about both it and the laser.

The wand and laser only irritates them and they split. The Majono wand actually helped get my last two filefish eating sooner, I'd hit the aiptasia and literally grab the body by the tip and get it floating in water column. Filefish curiously chased and ate it - within a day most if not all aiptasia were gone.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I’ve read they won’t eat large ones but the fella at the store said they will gang up on large ones if nothing else to eat. If you’re feeding the tank then they will find food or will resort to corals. No experience with any other method. Good luck

 

[ReefGeezer]

Have you tried a Butterfly. Their are several that work wonders. I had a Copperband that lived in my tank for years after it eradicated the Aptasia without hurting anything else. Feeding it was a PIA though. It would lose weight on Mysis, Clams, & Brine. I'd have to supplement with Black Worms. There are some that are easier to acclimate and feed that work well also.

 

[Mical]

I’ve read they won’t eat large ones but the fella at the store said they will gang up on large ones if nothing else to eat. If you’re feeding the tank then they will find food or will resort to corals. No experience with any other method. Good luck

I've noticed they tend to eat them when it's lights out and size doesn't matter. I had some 1" across aiptasia under a rock I couldn't reach but filefish did

 

[ScooterV]

If there was a large number it wouldn't work well, but sounds like you have a small number of large ones nothing wants to eat. If easily accessible I'd go with the comment above on epoxy, or even just superglue. Entomb the things.