Bad Aiptasia Outbreak

[Nate92]

Hello,

I currently have a very bad outbreak of aiptasia in my 80G tank. As a relatively new reefer, I did not realize that they were pests and bad for my corals. Could anyone recommend a quick fix for eliminating the aiptasia? Thank you very much!

-Nate

 

[Marty's Reef]

I am sorry to hear about your outbreak. Unfortunately there is no really quick fix. Your best bet is to get some Berghia Nudibranchs. That is the only thing they eat. Some may recommend file fish, peppermint shrimp. But they can be hit or miss. I have heard some good things about Franks F-Aiptasia. But have never personally used it. I tried Aiptasia X at one point and made things worse. So I personally don't recommend that. They can multiply quickly but take time to get rid of. Do a little research and see what might work best for your given situation. But my choice is Nudibranchs. Just make sure they are the Berghia species.

 

[NS Mike D]

no quick fix. Just kill them one by one. Don't scrape them, the pieces will repopulate.


Aptaisia X is a good product. You aim the syringe right into the mouth and squirt the product. I like the syringes they supply so I reuse them for the DIY method:

kalk paste, same as above but make a past of kalkwasser if you have in hand.

Lemon juice.

Boiling water. (have not tried this myself, but others say it works.


So it takes a little practice to time it right so that you don't spook them closed before you can zap them. Expect some to come back - and anticipate you won't see all of them.


I don't worry anymore of I see one or two. I view is like weeding a garden.

 

[Little_Red_Ryan_Hood]

BRS just made a video about this problem.

 

[Travis Alderman]

All I can say is don't get a fish that's supposed to eat aiptasia IF you feed heavy.

I have anthias so I feed heavy, and I bought a Klein butterfly. In the beginning he was great at eating aiptasia. Now he just waits for feeding times.

Berghias all the way. If impatient, buy a lot of them as they can take a loooong time to get a head of the problem.

 

[GoVols]

Hello,

I currently have a very bad outbreak of aiptasia in my 80G tank. As a relatively new reefer, I did not realize that they were pests and bad for my corals. Could anyone recommend a quick fix for eliminating the aiptasia? Thank you very much!

-Nate

Nate,
There is no quick fix, like others have already said, but I went this route.
Documented per day.

Berghia Nudibranchs for the Dreaded Aiptasia Anemone

First off I don't consider myself an expert reefer. I'm just one person that's been in the hobby for many years and, I'm still learning. I also like to help others to be successful too. So, I want to write this piece to help others make a decision while dealing with an Aiptasia outbreak to this...

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck on the method you choose

 

[esther]

Hello,

I currently have a very bad outbreak of aiptasia in my 80G tank. As a relatively new reefer, I did not realize that they were pests and bad for my corals. Could anyone recommend a quick fix for eliminating the aiptasia? Thank you very much!

-Nate

Peppermint shrimp work for us. We have 4 in our tank.

 

[Nate92]

Thanks, everyone!!