How to kill aiptasia effectively

[Dburr1014]

Does no one else use boiling water in a syringe? It's been very successful for me with zero spreading and almost 100% success rate.

Really!
I'll tell you my shot glass got hot when mixing the sodium hydroxide!

 

[Reef Puncher]

I read the horror stories with peppermints also, thats why I decided to go with biota. The biota peppermints are a little pricey but they haven't touched any of my corals that i am aware of. When i first got them, I put them in a container in the sump with a frag of zoas with an aiptasia on it. Ate the aip and didnt touch the zoas, so I put them in them tank. All of my torches and hammers are fine, I even have a few tiny spawned torches.

hmmmm i might copy you

 

[Gettie]

Everyone has or will have these buggers if you don't QT everything. They have adopted to living in our tanks quite well and are really good at survival.

I have used many ways to kill aiptasia I still find them. I have only seen one in my system in the past couple years until a couple days ago. I probably have a dozen since trying to kill that one a couple months ago.

There are several ways to kill aiptasia but I have never found any to be 100% effective.
Not even the Berghia nudibranch is 100%, they eat what they can find and die. Others have success with shrimps and certain fish but if they leave the system certainly the aiptasia will return.

Kalk paste, lemon juice, and commercial remedies at the LFS, all the same. If not used correctly they don't kill 100%. Most likely they lead to the aiptasia getting worse.

I came across this article today and it's the first I've seen it so I wanted to share.
This method says it's about 90% effective. It will burn the aiptasia as long as it's gets onto the target.

This is NOT to be taken lightly by any means. This is a chemical that can do some damage if you don't take your precautions. Wear your personal protective equipment (PPE).

Happy Reefing

aiptasia control

 

[UMALUM]

did they not eat your corals too?

L. Wurdemanni = Caribbean peppermint shrimp / safe
R. Durbanensis = indo camelback shrimp / corallivore

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Thank you for the article.
The problem I have with any solution that requires me killing them is that, if even nudi's can't find that aptaisia under the rock in back of my tank, then how can I? And that one that I can't find will always spread.

 

[rhitee93]

ohhh is M the same? i did find a 1.0 M? does @Randy Holmes-Farley know?

They are not the same, but similar. It's been 30 years since I had a chemistry class and can't explain the difference. Something to do with molecular weight vs another method of mass measurement. However, for what we are doing, I think molarity is close enough.

OK, I just looked this up to see if I could remember. Molarity and Normality are actually quite a bit different. However, in the case of NaOH they turn out to be the same number. Some molecules break apart in ways that put more reactive components in the water than the number of original molecules. N is a measure of all reactive components. However with NaOH you get one sodium and one hydroxide ion per original molecule so they are the same.

I'm way past the tip of my skis now, so happy to have a proper chemist correct all this

 

[Reef Puncher]

L. Wurdemanni = Caribbean peppermint shrimp / safe
R. Durbanensis = indo camelback shrimp / corallivore

omg i didnt even know there were different kinds of peppermint shrimp. my LFS doesnt say species type but i just found this chart maybe this can help me distinguish.

 

[Scoob]

Berghia nudibranch. These guys took out all of my aiptasia.

​

 

[A-10reefer]

L. Wurdemanni = Caribbean peppermint shrimp / safe
R. Durbanensis = indo camelback shrimp / corallivore

Bogessi can also eat aiptasia. I believe there are about 6 different peppermints so you really have to trust the source for wardemanni's. I think theres some risk with anything that will eat aiptasia can also nip at corals. Copperbands, kleins butterfly, filefish etc can all nip at corals

 

[UMALUM]

omg i didnt even know there were different kinds of peppermint shrimp. my LFS doesnt say species type but i just found this chart maybe this can help me distinguish.

Your LFS probably has no idea what they have either. Best to get em either captive or from the keys.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Does no one else use boiling water in a syringe? It's been very successful for me with zero spreading and almost 100% success rate.

I did, used Lee’s Rigid tube for the reach but it melted the tube. Got glass tubes from the lab at work. Kept the solution hot with a coffee mug warmer. BTW, my Neon Dottyback eats the small ones.

 

[exnisstech]

Peppermints (gulf shrimp from reefcleaners) in the sps tank and CBB in the mixed reef and I have no aiptasia in the display. They are in the overflows and sump but I don't mind them there.

 

[brandon429]

what's worse: aiptasia, or permanently ruining a reef tank with uronema from adding unprepped animals/no qt?

don't skip disease preps or we'll wind up asking for rescues in Jay's forum by December.

 

[A-10reefer]

what's worse: aiptasia, or permanently ruining a reef tank with uronema from adding unprepped animals/no qt?

don't skip disease preps or we'll wind up asking for rescues in Jay's forum by December.

Thanks for bringing up a new disease i havent heard of lol

 

[Alabama Reefer81]

FWIW, I've only had 2 aiptasia in 3 and a half years and I've super glued both of them and haven't seen anymore since

 

[UMALUM]

Peppermints (gulf shrimp from reefcleaners) in the sps tank and CBB in the mixed reef and I have no aiptasia in the display. They are in the overflows and sump but I don't mind them there.

Caribbean and East Atlantic, if they were native to the Gulf TBS wouldn't have the problems they do. I would say the majority of the aiptasia in the hobby comes from rock harvested in the Gulf.

 

[Dburr1014]

what's worse: aiptasia, or permanently ruining a reef tank with uronema from adding unprepped animals/no qt?

don't skip disease preps or we'll wind up asking for rescues in Jay's forum by December.

I averted uronema twice this year already.
But they say uronema is in 90% of tanks and the owners don't even know it.

 

[exnisstech]

Caribbean and East Atlantic, if they were native to the Gulf TBS wouldn't have the problems they do. I would say the majority of the aiptasia in the hobby comes from rock harvested in the Gulf.

Sorry, I was assuming from the listing gulf meant gulf of Mexico. Maybe I misunderstood. I have no idea where they originate from. My knowledge is pretty limited 

 

[UMALUM]

Sorry, I was assuming from the listing gulf meant gulf of Mexico. Maybe I misunderstood. I have no idea where they originate from. My knowledge is pretty limited 

No I understand you were quoting reefcleaners. I was just pointing out how much of a dingleberry John is.

 

[OrionN]

Peppermint shrimp have worked for me 100% of the time

Will peppermint shrimps eat Zoanthus after the Aiptasia gone?