Solution for pico tank aiptasia control

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

So I have about 8 aipasia’s in my tank that I can see in my 2 gallon pico tank. I have one goby in there and 2 hermit crabs along with 4 corals. I was wondering if there is a invertebrate or soliton to help control the situation that can live in such a small environment. Sorry the pics suck and the aiptasia is small.

tank info:

2 gallon
Light. Pixie 30
Ph. 8.3
Ph. .03
Ni. .01
Sg. .026

Saltyreef · Dec 10, 2020

Yep

Peppermint shrimp. One or 2 will likely suffice. You should remove them after as they have been known to mow down other things more prized.

brandon429 · Dec 10, 2020

why picos in my close circle are always aip free:

remove your rock and set on the counter, corals will not mind they could do 30 mins in air and still not recycle. this takes 3 mins

use a flat tip screwdriver and tap wedge it up under the aips and dislodge them and rinse it off and put the rock back. remove it in person, trust nothing else.

if you chip some rock out from under them that's fine. remove by force

I had one aiptasia in 2010 and due to this method, only one.

brandon429 · Dec 10, 2020

Ive been looking to start an all-manual aiptasia removal thread anyway, so if you run this method we'd like your before during after pics. Most will not do the method, you can see that from the aiptasia probs online. the indirect control method being the only allowed option is specifically why this is such a problem.

if someone is concerned about them multiplying, don't have that concern its not the case. it would be different if this was infested sixty pounds of rock, its a single rock.

I consider aiptasia so easily beatable its a 100% easy process to impart in a pico reef. large tankers fear them constantly. we don't

andrewkw · Dec 10, 2020

There doesn't appear to be much actually encrusted to the rock. Just take them out of the tank and remove them. You don't need a creature to do this just 30-45 minutes of your time. Maybe less.

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

andrewkw said:
There doesn't appear to be much actually encrusted to the rock. Just take them out of the tank and remove them. You don't need a creature to do this just 30-45 minutes of your time. Maybe less.

The only problem is some of them are on/ in the frag plug and substrate. So I’m also looking for a prevention method

HuduVudu · Dec 10, 2020

AptasiaX or Kalkwasser. Use a small syringe, the ones in the Salifert test are awesome for this, and get it on the anemones plate. Keep killing them one at a time like this. In time they won't come back.

If you are concerned about your coral the kalk is probably going to be better but it is less effective than the AptasiaX.

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

HuduVudu said:
AptasiaX or Kalkwasser. Use a small syringe, the ones in the Salifert test are awesome for this, and get it on the anemones plate. Keep killing them one at a time like this. In time they won't come back.

If you are concerned about your coral the kalk is probably going to be better but it is less effective than the AptasiaX.

Ya I hear of this method also stressing them out and then having an outbreak

brandon429 · Dec 10, 2020

you would manually clean those out too, since 4g is accessible across the entire tank. its hard to get anybody to do the manual method, something in us just finds a reason not to I think the key is losing a system to that kind of hesitation, second round the hes will be 100% gone.

to remove them all is the only preventative. They don't appear unless they've been allowed to propagate which only happens by refusing the intervention for one or more reasons.

remember though, if you run the method stated you have no aiptasia, that simple.

face · Dec 10, 2020

Aip really dont grow that fast. All you have to do is get a long needle syringe and bowl some water spray it directly on them till they are opaque. Do that for a few weeks and you wont have any after about a month.

HuduVudu · Dec 10, 2020

Alphawolfxz3 said:
Ya I hear of this method also stressing them out and then having an outbreak

I have just used it to remove 6 majanos. It kills them dead.

There will be more than what you see, they are like cockroaches that way. I think people mistake that they are looking so they find more.

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

HuduVudu said:
I have just used it to remove 6 majanos. It kills them dead.

There will be more than what you see, they are like cockroaches that way. I think people mistake that they are looking so they find more.

Ya I just don’t want them taking up valuable real-estate in my pico tank

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

HuduVudu said:
I have just used it to remove 6 majanos. It kills them dead.

There will be more than what you see, they are like cockroaches that way. I think people mistake that they are looking so they find more.

That and they are pretty small right now with really small oral disks

720 Reefer · Dec 10, 2020

Berghia nudibranchs. You would only need 1 or 2

PicassoClown04 · Dec 10, 2020

I just cover up the area with a 1”x1” square of straight superglue. None have survived this

MohrReefs · Dec 10, 2020

This guy invented something that pulverized and sucks them out. He will be posting a DIY soon, said it should only cost 30$. I've tried chemically removing aiptasia and it only caused them to multiply.

Anti-aiphtasias

Quick question here , how much would you be willing to pay for an effective mechanical way to remove aiphtasias? Knowing they wont spread and you can reach deep ones and on vertical walls ones?

www.reef2reef.com

Alphawolfxz3 · Dec 10, 2020

MohrReefs said:
This guy invented something that pulverized and sucks them out. He will be posting a DIY soon, said it should only cost 30$. I've tried chemically removing aiptasia and it only caused them to multiply.

Anti-aiphtasias

Quick question here , how much would you be willing to pay for an effective mechanical way to remove aiphtasias? Knowing they wont spread and you can reach deep ones and on vertical walls ones?

www.reef2reef.com

That sounds cool