kalk slurry to kill aptasia question
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LIreefguy
Valuable Member
Don’t use kalk to kill aptasia
It will just cause them to spread. The best this to use is F aptasia
It basically creates a putty which covers the whole piece stopping it from spreading or sending out spores
works great in my experience
It will just cause them to spread. The best this to use is F aptasia
It basically creates a putty which covers the whole piece stopping it from spreading or sending out spores
works great in my experience
Glenner’sreef
2500 Club Member
Great advice above! Here’s a slightly more natural way to rid them for good! Purchase a Copperband Butterfly fish. Mine loves them. They are nonexistent in my display tank where “Bah” my CBB is. But I do have some in my frag tank in my home office (30’ away) For a treat, I’ll take a few frag rocks and put them in the display for Bah to enjoy and clean up. Then put them back in the frag tank. Beautiful fish ad it works. Good luck.
trainbob
Active Member
Used kalk to kill my Aiptasia make a paste can’t give you a formula but I put a teaspoon in a cup and added a small amount of rodi water and used a pipette to cover the Aiptasia seems to have worked for me and did not raise ph much in my tank
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I make a paste out of Mrs. Wages pickling Lime and water. I thicken it in the microwave. Nuking it for 20 seconds or so works.
Turn off all flow in the tank and use a syringe to cover the aiptasias with the paste. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Then suction the mess off.
If there is any coral under or near the aiptasia, the paste may burn the coral, so you have to be really careful.
I haven't used super glue, but I've read where it seems to be a good option for just a few aiptasias. Be sure to use gel superglue.
Turn off all flow in the tank and use a syringe to cover the aiptasias with the paste. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Then suction the mess off.
If there is any coral under or near the aiptasia, the paste may burn the coral, so you have to be really careful.
I haven't used super glue, but I've read where it seems to be a good option for just a few aiptasias. Be sure to use gel superglue.
karlandtanya
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Has anyone tried using a thickener in their homebrew aiptasia killer?
The Aiptasia-X bottle says it's got 12% CaCl2 plus 2%NaOH, so I mixed some up myself and of course it's very runny.
Would carrageenan or sodium alginate be a good thickener? Those are available food grade.
Or would they interfere with the killing action?
I think I'll just try adding some sodium alginate and see what happens.
The Aiptasia-X bottle says it's got 12% CaCl2 plus 2%NaOH, so I mixed some up myself and of course it's very runny.
Would carrageenan or sodium alginate be a good thickener? Those are available food grade.
Or would they interfere with the killing action?
I think I'll just try adding some sodium alginate and see what happens.
Roatan Reef
Valuable Member
F-Aiptasia is #1, but only if said aiptasia is not on a ledge, above other corals, it will drip down and burn them.
For anything else, especially Aiptasia on ledges, it's really easy...get some coral Putty, the stuff in tubes that you pull apart and make a ball of, then simply cover Aiptasia with coral Putty. You are simply suffocating them, and they die instantly, much like F-Aiptasia, and it's totally reef safe.
For anything else, especially Aiptasia on ledges, it's really easy...get some coral Putty, the stuff in tubes that you pull apart and make a ball of, then simply cover Aiptasia with coral Putty. You are simply suffocating them, and they die instantly, much like F-Aiptasia, and it's totally reef safe.
karlandtanya
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Followup: nope. Alginate just turns into grainy sludge at the bottom. Doesn't thicken the mixture.
karlandtanya
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Followup to followup: Got it working.
This is just the recipe from the aiptasia-x bottle except they don't tell you what the thickener is.
Sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff. Wear your PPE and follow safe practices. If you don't know how to handle it safely ask someone who does.
All the ingredients I used are either sold to be eaten or sold as food-grade in that you can safely use it on food prep equipment.
1. Mix 250mg to 400mg (doesn't take much!) sodium alginate with 100ml of DI water. Alginate first, then water slowly and mix it by hand until it's all hydrated. There will be clear chunky pieces but don't leave any dry (white) alginate.
2. Put that in a blender and run it on the highest speed. I used a vita-mix which is more powerful than some blenders, but that's probably not necessary.
3. While the first half is blending, In a different container, add 4g sodium hydroxide, 24g calcium chloride. Then add DI water until the scale reads 100g. It won't all dissolve; there will be a slurry at the bottom.
4. Keep the blender running, and add the second mixture to the stuff already in the blender.
5. Leave the blender running for a few minutes. I ran it for 5 minutes.
6. Pour out the mixture into a plastic container and let it sit for a few minutes. I left if for 1/2 hour. The excess alginate will gel out and stick to the sides of the container.
7. Pour the rest of the mixture through a sieve and funnel into your empty aiptasia-x bottle. You will find some grainy alginate sludge in the sieve, too.
Apply as you would aiptasia-x.
It behaves just like the real stuff: Easy to draw up in the syringe and when it hits the tank water, it clumps up.
