Dealing with aiptasia?

[Notsolostfish]

This is a new tank, 2 months old. And dealing with aiptasia already. How do i get rid of it?

 

[Reef.]

I cant see the video, never works for me on my phone…peppermint shrimps worked for me within 2 weeks, get the correct number for the size of the tank but be aware they could go for your lps.

 

[Notsolostfish]

I cant see the video, never works for me on my phone…peppermint shrimps worked for me within 2 weeks, get the correct number for the size of the tank but be aware they could go for your lps.

 

[Reef.]

Appreciate that worked great.

Yeah peppermints will, mak sure they are peppermints tho as some look like them, trouble is once you have apps they tend to stay , the solution you use needs to stay too, if using peppermints you need to keep them fed once the apps go…to be fair not 100% it’s the PMs could be the crabs but no issues until I got the PMs.

There are other solutions but all have their issues, those ****** slug things are excellent but expensive and die once the apps are got, some fish eat them too.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Appreciate that worked great.

Yeah peppermints will, mak sure they are peppermints tho as some look like them, trouble is once you have apps they tend to stay , the solution you use needs to stay too, if using peppermints you need to keep them fed once the apps go…to be fair not 100% it’s the PMs could be the crabs but no issues until I got the PMs.

There are other solutions but all have their issues, those ****** slug things are excellent but expensive and die once the apps are got, some fish eat them too.

F aiptasia wont work? Idk man my tank is new and im kinda freaking out

 

[Reef.]

,

F aiptasia wont work? Idk man my tank is new and im kinda freaking out

never for me, made it far worse..with apts as soon as you stress them they release tiny spores that turn into new apts.

You can try, if you are extremely lucky you may win, if not, nothing lost you then move on to PMs or the slugs.
Don’t freak out, apts are a right of passage, I would think most tanks get them sooner or later.

 

[jda]

Peppermint Shrimp from the Florida Keys. Make sure that they are from the Keys. Feed them flakes and other food and they will leave your corals alone - they are not coral eaters but they won't likely want to starve to death and might try and eat some coral before the do. We would do the same thing.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Peppermint Shrimp from the Florida Keys. Make sure that they are from the Keys. Feed them flakes and other food and they will leave your corals alone - they are not coral eaters but they won't likely want to starve to death and might try and eat some coral before the do. We would do the same thing.

What do you mean from the keys what website sells them from the keys

 

[Reeflix]

This is a new tank, 2 months old. And dealing with aiptasia already. How do i get rid of it?

i had an aptasia in my tank, bought some Kalkwasser, made a slurry, blasted it, never saw it again! although this method is a but risky due to quickly raising your calcium. i feel the problem with livestock dealing with pests is they might miss some, leaving them to breed. also how many do you have? if it is just one then dont bother with getting peppermint shrimp, if there are a lot more than you can try shrimp and manual removal. how big is your tank? that and how may aptasia you have will determine how many you need

 

[Notsolostfish]

i had an aptasia in my tank, bought some Kalkwasser, made a slurry, blasted it, never saw it again! although this method is a but risky due to quickly raising your calcium. i feel the problem with livestock dealing with pests is they might miss some, leaving them to breed. also how many do you have? if it is just one then dont bother with getting peppermint shrimp, if there are a lot more than you can try shrimp and manual removal. how big is your tank? that and how may aptasia you have will determine how many you need

just one yeah

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is a new tank, 2 months old. And dealing with aiptasia already. How do i get rid of it?

Keep it simple-

Using a syringe or pipette, inject either lemon juice or better yet. . kalkwasser powder mixed with tank water into a paste the consistency of toothpaste and inject into the very center core and it will melt away

 

[Reeflix]

just one yeah

if it is just one get some Kalkwasser like i said, (dont bother with peppermint shrimp) and just blast the kalk in the aptasia's mouth, should never come back!

 

[Reef.]

Kalk etc are similar methods to F apti, you might be lucky and kill in before it retreats into the rock, you may manage to twist your arm into the right position to get the solution straight into its month before it retracts or lets out a whole bunch of spores, definitely worth a try but be ready with a plan B…there is a reason the product is called F aptisia.

 

[Icryhard]

F aiptasia wont work? Idk man my tank is new and im kinda freaking out

If it is just one or two, take a syringe and fill it with lemon juice. Squirt it right into the mouth of the ap and it will die right then and there.

 

[Reeferbadness]

,

never for me, made it far worse..with apts as soon as you stress them they release tiny spores that turn into new apts.

You can try, if you are extremely lucky you may win, if not, nothing lost you then move on to PMs or the slugs.
Don’t freak out, apts are a right of passage, I would think most tanks get them sooner or later.

I spot eradicate the occasional Aiptasia with F Aiptasia and have been doing so successfully for 3 years. Shake bottle. Apply to Aiptasia and turn off pumps for 30 mins. Not complicated and very easy to use for small to medium outbreaks

 

[Mickeyt1reef]

IMHO you cannot eradicate them. You can get them to a low population but never eradicate. Best success for me was Burgui new Bronx

 

[Dburr1014]

Best bet is to treat outside of tank. Why in tank when all the "paste" methods spread aptaisia and make it worse.

I must say, everytime I use lemon juice the aptaisia releases it's foot. Just squirt it on it over the kitchen sink and it should drop. *Make sure it's at the low point so lemon juice doesn't go all over the coral.* Rinse in tank water and back in the tank.

What do you have to lose?

 

[ScottJ]

IMHO you cannot eradicate them. You can get them to a low population but never eradicate. Best success for me was Burgui new Bronx

I agree. Like bubble algae, once you have them, you can only really just keep them under control. I look at it as biodiversity.

 

[Jedi1199]

Lol...

The slugs as mentioned above are Berghia Nudibranchs.

They are expensive as mentioned... however, they are the only known true "predator" of Aiptasia. The benefit of these is that they will eat the Aiptasia to the bare rock, leaving no part left to respawn. The downside, yep like all seeming miracles there is a bad side. Berghia Nudibranchs are pack predators. It will take several to attack and consume a large Aiptasia. They also must be added in groups so they can find each other to breed. Overall, it is a slow process and if the infestation is bad or even moderate, may not be adequate to eliminate the problem.

Peppermint shrimp also eat them. Beware! They often do not eat the full Aiptasia, leaving any part behind will spawn more. Not all peppermint shrimp sold as such are actually the species that eats Aiptasia. There is a thread in this forum that shows photographically the actual species you want. I will let you search that for yourself.

Aiptaisia X. Seems to work for a short time, but I have had them regenerate within weeks of treatment.

I have not yet tried the "lemon juice or kalk paste" methods, so I can't speak for either of those. I am going to try the Kalk paste method as soon as this bottle of Aiptasia X is gone.

I will let you know my results.

Good luck

 

[ScottJ]

Lol...

The slugs as mentioned above are Berghia Nudibranchs.

They are expensive as mentioned... however, they are the only known true "predator" of Aiptasia. The benefit of these is that they will eat the Aiptasia to the bare rock, leaving no part left to respawn. The downside, yep like all seeming miracles there is a bad side. Berghia Nudibranchs are pack predators. It will take several to attack and consume a large Aiptasia. They also must be added in groups so they can find each other to breed. Overall, it is a slow process and if the infestation is bad or even moderate, may not be adequate to eliminate the problem.

Peppermint shrimp also eat them. Beware! They often do not eat the full Aiptasia, leaving any part behind will spawn more. Not all peppermint shrimp sold as such are actually the species that eats Aiptasia. There is a thread in this forum that shows photographically the actual species you want. I will let you search that for yourself.

Aiptaisia X. Seems to work for a short time, but I have had them regenerate within weeks of treatment.

I have not yet tried the "lemon juice or kalk paste" methods, so I can't speak for either of those. I am going to try the Kalk paste method as soon as this bottle of Aiptasia X is gone.

I will let you know my results.

Good luck

Kalk paste works, also lemon juice. Kalk seems to do better, but they spring up someplace else in the tank after a few days. At least that's what happens in my little tank.