Plan against aiptasia

[Argos02]

Hello everyone,

I am planning to start my first saltwater aquarium and wanted to be ready for all (or most) potential issues that I can face, including aiptasia.

I plan to implement a coral quarantine regiment that will include a dip(s) and a quarantine period. I will try to remove all the old plugs and replace with new plugs where applicable. Where it isn't possible to do that (or if I change my mind about switching out the plugs) would it be feasible to kill any unseen aiptasia by:

• just covering the plug with a putty or glue thereby suffocating it out?
• pre-emptively putting something like f-aiptasia on a plug

Or are these ideas completely stupid. I assume there is no dip that would kill aiptasia, is this correct?

 

[Muwahha]

My 2 cents on the random aiptasia heads I’ve came across on frags. Make sure on something like zoas to check the edges underneath closed polyps. Twice I have dipped coral and later on found a little friend peaking out. I had to basically take tweezers and kind of push the polyp over to see the little sucker.

 

[mdb_talon]

Correct there is no dips to kill apistasia(without also killing coral). Replacing the plugs may help when feasible. As Muwahhh alluded to they are often growing on side of actual zoa poyps...or dead spots on sps....or side of skeleton on a fresh cut acan....etc. The best defense in my opinions n is the QT you are planning so you can inspect them frequently but over a period of time.

 

[ReefBeta]

First rule is don't buy dirt cheap frag from hobbyists. Frags from well maintained system / caring reefers usually won't have aiptasia, since it's so easy to notice and remove on a frag plug during the time of it healing.

Second is to keep on top of it. Aiptasia does not like parasites. They don't explode in population overnight. Usually the outbreak is start with a couple head. The hobbyist wasn't paying enough attention, or lazy, until it get out of hand. If you just kill any you see on sight, it will never have the chance to take off.

 

[mindme]

First rule is don't buy dirt cheap frag from hobbyists. Frags from well maintained system / caring reefers usually won't have aiptasia, since it's so easy to notice and remove on a frag plug during the time of it healing.

Second is to keep on top of it. Aiptasia does not like parasites. They don't explode in population overnight. Usually the outbreak is start with a couple head. The hobbyist wasn't paying enough attention, or lazy, until it get out of hand. If you just kill any you see on sight, it will never have the chance to take off.

Aiptasia seems to be like cochroaches to me. If you see 1, you probably have many more that you don't see.

 

[ReefBeta]

Aiptasia seems to be like cochroaches to me. If you see 1, you probably have many more that you don't see.

When getting a new frag, I always put it on the frag rack or sand bed for a couple days to a week before glueing them down permanently. If there is aiptasia there, it will almost for sure to show. But it won't just start multiplying the second day it's in the tank. So just need to remove those that did show.

But I guess it only make sense to do it from the beginning, when start with dry rock. Once it settled in the back of the rock, the only real way is to remove the rock to remove them, and probably need multiple times. I also keep couple peppermint shrimps in the tank just in case some did slip in.