help with apstasia

[eastonreef]

i have a 90 gal tank with a 30 gal sump mixed reef. i have sps, lps, zoas, feather dusters, cleaner and peppermint shrimp and the following fish:
a pair of clowns, hippo tang, pink fairy margin, bicolor cleaner wrasse, mandarin, flame angel, lawnmower blenny and bengi cardnal.

i have some apstasia in my tank that i have been unsuccessful at killing. i have tried joes juice, stop apstasia, boiling water and peppermint shrimp. the apstasia that are the hardest are the ones on the rocks at the bottom of the tank. a 90 gal is a deep tank and i just cant reach some of them. i have considered getting a copperband butterfly since i have read they eat apstasia. i am not sure how it would get along with my other fish. i have also read that they can be difficult to keep. are there other fish that will eat the apstasia? any suggestions on what to try next. -- i do not want to take the tank apart to get to them.

 

[Jan]

I've been told that the raccoon butterflyfish are the best for eating these, and they are easier to feed/keep than the copperband. But they are NOT reef friendly and will eat invertebrates.

 

[kendog261]

How many peppermint shrimp do you have?

 

[redrooster]

Well copperband's eat the aptasia most reliably. I put one in my mixed tank like yours and he ate all mine in like a week. After that however he would only eat live brine. I eventually gave him to someone with a 180 with a few hundred pounds of aptasia covered rocks and only a few fish. They are easily frightened and picked on by other fish. Raccoon butterflies are more hardy, deal with other fish better, but since they like to eat a lot of stuff won't neccesarilly go right for the aptasia like copperbands usually do. My copperband started going after aptasia within a hour or so.

 

[eastonreef]

i have 6 peppermint shrimp. i am trying no target feed the fish so there is not much left for them to eat.

i dont want to get something that will ruin the reef or eat my inverts

pls keep the advice comming

 

[kendog261]

i have 6 peppermint shrimp. i am trying no target feed the fish so there is not much left for them to eat.

i dont want to get something that will ruin the reef or eat my inverts

pls keep the advice comming

Im surprised none out of the six will eat them. do you feed alot you may cut back some and see if that helps.

 

[eastonreef]

i am really careful not to overfeed.

what about a heniochus butterfly -- can they be kept in a tank with clams? i dont have a clam now but i didnt want to rule out getting one in the future.

 

[tike]

Are you sure that they are peppermints?? Camel shrimp look pretty close to peppermints but they won't eat Aiptasia. in the pics the first one is the peppermint and the other a camel. Long ago I was sold some camel as peppermints and they didn't do squat! For the longest I thought peppermints wouldn't eat them, until i got the real deal!

 

[Jan]

Will peppermint shrimp eat majanos too?

 

[tike]

nope. Just aiptasia.

 

[SueT]

have you tried lemon juice?? Lots use it for killing aiptasia..

 

[eastonreef]

i tried that and it kinda worked on some.. the problem is i cant reach the ones on the bottom rocks.

 

[returnofsid]

Get one of those long squirt feeders that you use to target feed liquids deep. Ummm let me find a link quick....Here's a link to one. Sea Squirt

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18331/si1381374/cl0/kentseasquirt2135

Mix up some Kalk paste and squirt them with it. Should do the trick in deep areas you can't reach.

 

[eastonreef]

i have one of those ... i will give it a try. thanks

 

[returnofsid]

Let us know if it works!!

 

[brianblack]

Lisa do you have the large aptaisia or the small variety? My peppermint shrimp went nuts it when I first got them but now they are bigger and I guess I have other food that is better tasting now cuz they are slacking off! I got a copperband from Todd for the same reason but it kicked in a day or so. Don't know if someone else in the tank had a hand in it but in the am the reef lobster had it for breakfast

 

[eastonreef]

that sucks....
i was at todds today and was considering a copperband or a heniochus butterfly. the problem is both can nip at corals... also they will both go for my featherdusters and i would not be able to get a clam.

the apstasia that are the problem are large ones. they are on rocks on the bottom of the tank. even if my arms were longer i could not get into the tight spots they are in. the rock is close to the glass and i would need to bend the tip of the needle.

i need to go to a hobby shop and see if i can rig some type of extension for the needle that i can bend if i need to.

 

[Jan]

I just finished using Joe's Juice on bunches of majano and a giant aptaisia. From what I can see, they are alllll gonnnnne. That stuff works! I have extra, if anybody needs some.

 

[eastonreef]

i have used joes juice too. sometimes they appear to be gone and they come back. but good luck

 

[saltfishlover]

if the lemon juice des not work use viniger. Its will change the PH so be careful but a little does a ton of damage.