Good fish to eat Aptasia??
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gnoles
Equipment Junkie
The only one I've heard of is the Copperband Butterfly, the one I had was fragile and didn't make it three months.
Peppermint Shrimp work for some folks, but the latest greatest is Berghia Nudis... They seem to disappear in the rock and if you have enough for your infestation you'll be looking for someone to give them to when they start starving.
Peppermint Shrimp work for some folks, but the latest greatest is Berghia Nudis... They seem to disappear in the rock and if you have enough for your infestation you'll be looking for someone to give them to when they start starving.
Tomoko Schum
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Klein's butterfly eat aiptasia, too.
I've had mixed results with peppermint shrimp. Some are voracious aiptasia eaters and some are not.
I've had mixed results with peppermint shrimp. Some are voracious aiptasia eaters and some are not.
H@rry
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I got a Klein's butterfly a year or so ago to see it if would eat the tulips I was having a problem with. He never acted like he noticed the tulips but he did start nipping at SPS polyps to the point that most of them had very little PE. I finally was able to catch him with a net.
Before that I tried 100 peppermint shrimp. They didn't seem to notice the tulips either. I think they wound up eating each other. Just slowly disappeared.
The thing that has worked best with me is kalkwasser. Mix it to the consistency of pancake batter and squirt a little dab right in their mouth. You might have to make follow up applications to get the tough ones or the ones you missed. That works well on tulips, GSP, and mushrooms too.
Before that I tried 100 peppermint shrimp. They didn't seem to notice the tulips either. I think they wound up eating each other. Just slowly disappeared.
The thing that has worked best with me is kalkwasser. Mix it to the consistency of pancake batter and squirt a little dab right in their mouth. You might have to make follow up applications to get the tough ones or the ones you missed. That works well on tulips, GSP, and mushrooms too.
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Viva'sReef
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Silver scats are also known to eat aptasia
Tankguy001
Reef Hobbyist
No fish is 100% for going after aptasia. It can be hit n miss
I got lucky with the peppermint shrimp - I came across a rock with cool zoas, but also not-so-cool aptasia. I put it in the stock tank with a few peppermints and a week later it was cleaned off. They only ate the small ones - I had to get a very fine needle on a syringe filled with calcium after the big ones.
+1 on hit or miss, also any fish that eats meaty foods can start grazing the mouths of LPS and eventually begin eating said coral. Leaterjacket filefish, raccoon, copperband and kleins butterflys have all been know to eat aiptasia and coral, and you do have to starve them or a peppermint shrimp to get them to do so, which may lead to the grazing on coral, Its a catch-22, this is why I just use kalk paste.
KingRicky
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I just found 2 of my Berghia, the FoxFace liked them very much. The wife called me today to tell me she saw him swiming with one in his mouth and I just caught him picking one out of the rocks and swallow him whole. $30.00 for fish food for not even one good meal.
lwilliams8
Community Member
The peppermint shrimp worked well for me.
