Let's talk about "Lasers"!

[Flippers4pups]

Okay, not these! Lol.

But ones used to eliminate, fry and nuke pests. Have you used one, did it work, or not? If it did the job, what model is it and where did you get it from?

 

[jsker]

No lasers for this kid sir.

 

[Flippers4pups]

No lasers for this kid sir.

"That I'll put your eye out kid!" Lol!

Here's a gratuitous plug for Marc levenson.....Lasers!


He says the one he got, you can hear the "popping and frying" outside the tank!

 

[smokin'reefer]

I've used them before. A lot of fun. But in the end they only worked on the smaller aiptasias and I eventual gave up on the laser.

Here's where I got mine.
https://www.survivallaserusa.com/

You basically buy the host.(shell) and he will give you an eBay site to buy the laser node for the strength you want. It against regulation to sell the completed laser in the US.

There are some Chinese companies others have posted good luck with here, They sell the complete laser though if your not handy with soldering irons.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I've used them before. A lot of fun. But in the end they only worked on the smaller aiptasias and I eventual gave up on the laser.

Here's where I got mine.
https://www.survivallaserusa.com/

You basically buy the host.(shell) and he will give you an eBay site to buy the laser node for the strength you want. It against regulation to sell the completed laser in the US.

There are some Chinese companies others have posted good luck with here, They sell the complete laser though if your not handy with soldering irons.

I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[Flippers4pups]

The one he's got looks like a "light saber"! Lol

 

[Jlentz]

"That I'll put your eye out kid!" Lol!

Here's a gratuitous plug for Marc levenson.....Lasers!


He says the one he got, you can hear the "popping and frying" outside the tank!

I want one of these. Always been meh on lasers but that is neat. And affordable.

I’ve not used them in my tank but I know a few local guys that have used the aiptasia laser. One used it to blind some clown gobies that were killing his wd mini colonies in his 600 gal reef a couple years back.

 

[jeffp1]

I have been using a 1 watt laser from E bay to destroy paly's and mushrooms. It works, but is slow because of battery and run times. I have a 3 watt coming from Best Lasers that should be quicker. Be careful because these are not toys. They will burn and blind you. Be careful of the reflection of the glass. It will burn your shirt. Lol

 

[Jlentz]

Be careful of the reflection of the glass. It will burn your shirt. Lol

I kinda want one even more now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This method has always concerned me that anything that can kill a coral can also likely damage your eye from an unexpected reflection.

But if you really need a lot of power, this 60 kilowatt laser should be able to kill aiptasia pretty quickly:

 

[jeffp1]

Most come with eye protection. I never use mine without the glasses or goggles. You need to always be aware of the reflection when shooting through the glass.

 

[Flippers4pups]

This method has always concerned me that anything that can kill a coral can also likely damage your eye from an unexpected reflection.

But if you really need a lot of power, this 60 kilowatt laser should be able to kill aiptasia pretty quickly:

Randy, with a beam that big, you could eliminate your tank, house and the neighborhood. Problem solved. Lol

 

[jimbob928]

I bought one of the lasers like the one Marc uses above. Yes, you hear the popping and sizzling as it cooks stuff. But I must add two important notes:
1. If you can't shine the laser on all of the aptasia, it will grow back. i.e. the base is in a rock crevice or such.
2. The goggles that come with the laser are a piece of garbage. Protect your eyes with a good pair. I ordered a pair of KXL-5301 from Kenteklaserstore.com. They are $200. Make sure they work for the wavelength of the laser you are using.
Is this the best way to rid your tank of pesky aptasia? No, but it sure is satisfying to cook the little jerks

 

[Mical]

I too tried the laser on aptasia and yes it worked on very small ones. But as aptasia is a form of anemone, when stressed they split and multiply. After zapping a bunch, come to find twice as many in a weeks time at same location. So it's back to kalk paste and a large syringe - the old reliable way.

 

[Sashaka]

I only have aiptasia in my BioCube, but I have not been able to get rid of it. I've been using aiptasia x, but every few weeks, I get a huge regeneration of the pest. I bought one of the Marc Levenson's recommended Chinese lasers but have not used it yet. I'm waiting until summer when I have more time to mess with it, so I'll have to let you know how it goes. Wait... what? The glasses that come with the unit are not sufficient to protect my eyes!!

I plan on attacking the aiptasia from multiple fronts. I will remove the rock most covered with aiptasia and nuke it in bleach. I have plenty of biological filtration, so a bit here and there will not harm my tank. I will use the laser on the rock left in the tank. I also bought several Instant Ocean Hold Fast expoxy sticks to seal up rock after using the laser to kill tiny fragments of the aiptasia still stuck in the rock that the laser misses. If this does not work, I plan on breaking down the tank and starting over...again. I broke this tank down last year due to this pest. When I reintroduced my coral, I reintroduced aiptasia. I thought the two months I had my coral in quarantine with a file fish was sufficient to rid the coral of the stuff, but it came back anyway. While the file fish does a great job on controlling the aiptasia, it also likes my dentro and duncan corals, so I can't put it in the MD. Aiptasia really is a plague without any real cure it seems except starting over!

 

[Flippers4pups]

I only have aiptasia in my BioCube, but I have not been able to get rid of it. I've been using aiptasia x, but every few weeks, I get a huge regeneration of the pest. I bought one of the Marc Levenson's recommended Chinese lasers but have not used it yet. I'm waiting until summer when I have more time to mess with it, so I'll have to let you know how it goes. Wait... what? The glasses that come with the unit are not sufficient to protect my eyes!!

I plan on attacking the aiptasia from multiple fronts. I will remove the rock most covered with aiptasia and nuke it in bleach. I have plenty of biological filtration, so a bit here and there will not harm my tank. I will use the laser on the rock left in the tank. I also bought several Instant Ocean Hold Fast expoxy sticks to seal up rock after using the laser to kill tiny fragments of the aiptasia still stuck in the rock that the laser misses. If this does not work, I plan on breaking down the tank and starting over...again. I broke this tank down last year due to this pest. When I reintroduced my coral, I reintroduced aiptasia. I thought the two months I had my coral in quarantine with a file fish was sufficient to rid the coral of the stuff, but it came back anyway. Aiptasia really is a plague!

Yes it can be. I currently have some manjaro's in my system that I need to kill. Not as bad as aiptasia, but they do spread.

 

[jimbob928]

I have a 29 gallon quarrintine tank in my basement. Only one piece of live rock that I could not get rid of aiptasia on. I used laser, joes juice and aiptasia-x for months. Finally with a combination of peppermint shrimp & nudibranchs they have been wiped out. Haven't seen one for months. I too have broken down my display tank to rid myself of these pests, only to have them come back hitchhiking on one of my torch or frogspawn corals. So frustrating!