Trick to kill the aiptasia?

[DSC reef]

I heard about lemon juice in a syringe will work just a small amount is needed

You'll just make the aptaisia explode in the tank. If your last resort is having to inject then try kalkwasser. Gently inject in the oral disk then cover the hole it's in. Injecting anything into an aptaisia will always be a risk. Lemon juice won't do a thing IME. Success with injecting an aptaisia isn't with the aptaisia being gone for a week, wait a month and see if there's not 20+ aptaisia babies sprouting up everywhere.

 

[DSC reef]

This is what I did several years ago and haven't seen any since with the 2 step process since I didn't want to take the trouble of adding additional livestock:

1. Hit them with Apitasia X or Joe's Juice and let it sit for 10-15 minutes

2a. Take the rock out and use tweezers to remove that last nub to completely remove the Apitasia
2b. Take the rock out and use a lighter to burn off the last of the Apitasia
2c. If the Apitasia retreats into a hole, remove the rock and glue the hole shut

I like this process but if you could remove the rock then why risk injecting in the tank to begin with?

 

[Oceanwave45]

You'll just make the aptaisia explode in the tank. If your last resort is having to inject then try kalkwasser. Gently inject in the oral disk then cover the hole it's in. Injecting anything into an aptaisia will always be a risk. Lemon juice won't do a thing IME. Success with injecting an aptaisia isn't with the aptaisia being gone for a week, wait a month and see if there's not 20+ aptaisia babies sprouting up everywhere.[/QUOTE
There are several videos on you tube showing lemon juice and other ways just pick one that best suits your needs! One thing about salt water - everyone has their own opinions

 

[ejd420]

peppermint shrimp has been a blessing in my tank

 

[DSC reef]

Are the YouTube videos showing that tank many weeks after injecting aptaisia? Never said it won't work and I previously stated some might have had success but I'm just giving info on my own experiences in hoping to help the OP. I've injected a lot of different remedies into aptaisia to see if they work with results ending in outbreaks. Kalkwasser having the best results IME. Many ways to reef, just like to share my experiences with these horrible pests. Id rather kill them with a laser, sounds like fun!

 

[webbl19]

I see what everyone says about injecting. I havent tried lemon juice yet, just Aiptasia-X. And they do not stay gone forever, they are gone for a week or 2 then i see them pop up in the same spot. Normally smaller than before. Not sure if they are new or just mad. I also get new ones popping up in different places shortly after.

I put my peppermint in there last night, so far i havent seen him munching on anything just yet. Still getting used to the tank.

It does seem people all have different expirences with saltwater, i think its mostly patience and perseverance that last the longest in this hobby. Seems like the smallest of changes can affect your whole system.

 

[Breadman03]

I've spent a lot of time removing rock from my 150 and placing them in a 40 to cover with kalk repeatedly. Don't get me wrong, I've been able to gradually eliminate the vast majority from the rocks that I move, but I just can't keep up with reproduction in the 150 even with a filefish that's constantly eating them.

I just got 5 berghia and put them in the 40 that is almost empty other than 2 nasty rocks. I figure that I'll wait until the aptasia start to disappear, then add in a few more rocks, then rotate them into my display. My long term plan is the filefish and getting a few peppermints to prevent future infestation.

 

[thunderdood]

I like this process but if you could remove the rock then why risk injecting in the tank to begin with?

I have not experienced any negative effect in the tank using Joe's Juice or Apitasia X so I don't see a risk. I just make sure all pumps and power heads are off so I can inject them from a safe distance before the Apitasia pulls back and possibly releases more into the tank. I'd also rather have a little nub to pull off than a whole one where it might possibly break into more pieces and get messy. It's just my preference and it worked for me. I had about a dozen of them and got the job done in one try. It was time consuming injecting them and then removing the rock but doing it in one evening and not having to worry about it again after several years is worth it to me.

In a bigger tank I had years ago, I used Berghia Nudi's since I couldn't remove the rock. They are pricey but got the job done as a last resort. I had Peppermint Shrimps before and they ate the Apitasia but they would cause more baby Apitasia to grow all over the tank. This is just my experience. I'm sure there are many others with a better solution.

 

[DSC reef]

I have not experienced any negative effect in the tank using Joe's Juice or Apitasia X so I don't see a risk. I just make sure all pumps and power heads are off so I can inject them from a safe distance before the Apitasia pulls back and possibly releases more into the tank. I'd also rather have a little nub to pull off than a whole one where it might possibly break into more pieces and get messy. It's just my preference and it worked for me. I had about a dozen of them and got the job done in one try. It was time consuming injecting them and then removing the rock but doing it in one evening and not having to worry about it again after several years is worth it to me.

In a bigger tank I had years ago, I used Berghia Nudi's since I couldn't remove the rock. They are pricey but got the job done as a last resort. I had Peppermint Shrimps before and they ate the Apitasia but they would cause more baby Apitasia to grow all over the tank. This is just my experience. I'm sure there are many others with a better solution.

That's all we can do is give our experiences to help out fellow reefers. I'm glad it worked for you. Berghia will be my next purchase if I ever get an outbreak again. I remember years ago I had about 10 in a 125 gallon and hit all of them with aptaisia X and thought sweet! Then weeks later there were between 50-80 tiny little ones. I felt so defeated. Lol

 

[jd371]

Not what I bought him for, but my Copper Band took care of most of the Aptasia in my tank. The only ones I find now are deep inside the crevices of rocks that it seems he can't get to, I kill those with Aptasia-X.

 

[miyags]

My 5 year old Copper band died. And they came back. He just stopped eating, lived for a month without eating and died. So if you have a lot of rocks with tight spots. I'd try some of those nudies.

 

[FMF0331]

Berghia nudibranches

these nudis are amazing in ridding them pest, but they die after the pest are gone ( nothing else they feed on )

i got myself a copperband butterfly and he/she is helping with the pest control, now that the nudis are gone

 

[webbl19]

Researching these copperbands, i dont think that will work for me. My system is a total of around 65g. I dont want him eating my long tentacle anemone. My fish arent very friendly to new comers either.

I also had that worry about the peppermint shrimps causing more outbreaks by being sloppy eaters. I still havent seen him eat any yet. Hes actually not even around where they are haha. Guess he will find them at some point.

 

[Firethorn77]

My two peppermints straight up murder aiptasia in any tank I put them in. 90, 120, and 40b.

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

Just left a LFS. They had 1 of those nudi's you guys are talking about, it was like a spec. Are they that small? Like i mean like 2mm kinda small. I could barely see it. Wanted $16 for it. I said nah.
They had 1 peppermint shrimp, but then i started looking at the coral....

So i ended up leaving the store with only 2 zoa rocks lol. Im going to move over my peppermint shrimp tonight once lights go out. If i need to ill get another one.

Berghia for $16. buy it! I have seen them for MUCH more. Berghia is the best option. That is all they eat. When you are done you can sell them. Also, be very careful where you buy live stock. If the LFS has aptasia, go elsewhere otherwise you are buying aptasia with your coral.

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

Peppermints ARE NOT one species. a couple will eat aiptaia most will not.

 

[Rick Cavanaugh]

I had a bad outbreak many years ago.

I am not impressed with any killer in a bottle, kalk, vinegar or peppermint shrimps etc. As many have already stated, temporary kills and more pop up later. Using kalk, lemon juice etc can make the problem worse. I even tried boiling water. I ended up removing all rock from the tank. Let everything die off and start over. Be very careful of who you buy from. Getting rid of these is a PITA.

If you think apitasia are bad majonos are worse.

 

[Mical]

+1 peppermint shrimp. Put 3 in a 65 gal infested tank and in less than a week even the largest aptasia has vanished

 

[DSC reef]

O.M.G The internet was once GREAT. Then we got the stupid net. So many people with HUNDREDS of wasted posts and no clue. When you don't know what you are talking about. SHUT UP ! Then ONLY here with brains thus far is
Oceanwave45

By all means share your knowledge to help other reefers.

 

[Firethorn77]

If it's on a single rock you could always take it out and kill it with fire. A simple butane torch would suffice.