Large aiptasia

[Bthomas]

I have maybe 6-8 really large aiptasia in my tank and I'm at a loss on what to do with them. They are all in places that are pretty impossible to reach.. Behind the rock work etc..
I have 2 peppermint shrimp who have taken care of some of the smaller ones but they arnt touching these big guys.
I can't get to them or see them well enough to inject them with anything.
Is there anything that will eat the really large ones?
Is there any harm in leaving them?

 

[khushtram]

Nudis

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Berghia Nudibrachs is your answer. Kind of stinks because once they take out those few aiptasia they will starve unless you can find someone with a tank full of aiptasia to send them to. (Let me know if you want to sell them when you are done. ) Do not ignore them. They will reproduce rapidly and will soon take over the tank.

 

[Katrina71]

Nudis nudis nudis

 

[Bthomas]

Berghia Nudibrachs is your answer. Kind of stinks because once they take out those few aiptasia they will starve unless you can find someone with a tank full of aiptasia to send them to. (Let me know if you want to sell them when you are done. ) Do not ignore them. They will reproduce rapidly and will soon take over the tank.

There will likely be no way I can get the nudi out of my tank once it's in there..
I also quarantine everything before it goes in my tank so how would I go about quarantining a nudi?

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Since the only thing they eat is aiptasia I guess you would have to QT them in a tank with aiptasia. Probably not the best way for you to go in your case.
You could try peppermint shrimp or a file fish but those are hit or miss and may just keep the invasion limited.
The other thing I have done, if you can reach them is cover them in super glue gel. Or you could get one of those fancy new lasers that they have. I have seen several videos showing them burn up the aiptasia.

 

[jelazar]

I also quarantine everything before it goes in my tank so how would I go about quarantining a nudi?

I would consider forgoing the quarantine. There's only a few commercial breeders...you could contact them and ask whether any fish or corals are ever in their breeding tanks. I would guess the answer is no. That greatly reduces your risk of getting any fish or coral pests.

If you must quarantine the nudis you'll need a separate tank. Feed them aiptasia every few days.

Once the nudis have eaten the aiptasia, you'll probably never see the nudis again. Their noble sacrifice will protect the lives of so many other corals! Maybe you'll spot one on the glass or something.

 

[Bthomas]

I would consider forgoing the quarantine. There's only a few commercial breeders...you could contact them and ask whether any fish or corals are ever in their breeding tanks. I would guess the answer is no. That greatly reduces your risk of getting any fish or coral pests.

If you must quarantine the nudis you'll need a separate tank. Feed them aiptasia every few days.

Once the nudis have eaten the aiptasia, you'll probably never see the nudis again. Their noble sacrifice will protect the lives of so many other corals! Maybe you'll spot one on the glass or something.

Yeah I have contacted a supplier who said they raise them in sterile environments so I wouldn't need to quarantine but they also said nudis in such a large tank with only a few large aiptasia will most likely not be successful in ridding the tank of aiptasia..