How Do You Eliminate Aiptasia?

[NaH2O]

What is your favorite method of getting rid of aiptasia? If you have more than one method, then please choose your favorite method.

 

[spongebob lover]

i've never had aptasia so i can't play but if i had it i'd take the rock out and break the piece of rock .

 

[CarlaW]

I chose butterfly, I would rather remove them naturally. I realize that there are complications that could arise, but if the butterfly works and you can keep it fed, I'll take the risk.

 

[Scooterman]

Well I fought them for two years, they don't go away but I've learned a few things. One paste over their hole completely or else it will come back. If you leave one tiny piece or break it, look out! New rock added to an established tank will be in QT for two months to make sure they are clean, it is the best way, follow the Rule QT everything Wet, Rocks to! If I ever get another rock with them I will kill it with a torch or actually bleach the rock & then boil it.

 

[spongebob lover]

I will kill it with a torch

LMBO!!!:lol:

 

[Scooterman]

Take no prisoners! Sound drastic but I will QT everything Or bleach the rocks dead and start over!
Sorry I hate them, I refuse to fight them again, I tried everything, I'n a tank with 200lbs of rock it is easy to miss one!

 

[reedman]

I vote butterlyfish...only method that has been successful long term without defeating the purpose of "LIVE" rock.

 

[CarlaW]

I vote butterlyfish...only method that has been successful long term without defeating the purpose of "LIVE" rock.

Yeah, the deal with the blow torch scares me.:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[reedman]

I mean if you are going to go that far you might as well buy dead rock (IMO)

 

[dpaynter]

I had good luck with peppermint shrimp several years ago. They cleared out a bad infestation in a few days.

Now I have aiptasia again. I have used kalk past and have just tried Stop Aiptasia. The problem with these methods (and boiling water, Joe's Juice, etc.) is you only kill the ones you see.

 

[CarlaW]

I had good luck with peppermint shrimp several years ago. They cleared out a bad infestation in a few days.

Now I have aiptasia again. I have used kalk past and have just tried Stop Aiptasia. The problem with these methods (and boiling water, Joe's Juice, etc.) is you only kill the ones you see.

That is the reason I prefer the natural way!! Shrimp and fish can get to places we can't. I have heard that some pep's won't tear into the larger ones.

 

[moortim]

At least Nikki didn't have a spot on the poll for "Bleach":lol:

 

[spongebob lover]

At least Nikki didn't have a spot on the poll for "Bleach"

that's because Nikki is only a savage to anemones NOT ............wait they're anemones ... hmmmm.... she must be busy that's why :lol:.

 

[Scooterman]

O wouldn't kill LR unless it was bad off to the point I would get rid of it, so I was in extreme mode when posting there, apologies. It is good to see people having successes with tanks that have lots of LR & can't get to them all, sometimes that can be a problem.

 

[scytale]

20% use shrimp?!

Where is everyone finding these "weed-eating" peppermint shrimp???

In the past month I've bought 4 pep. shrimps from SWC and BluSeirra and I've only seen 1 tiny aptasia disappear!


And that 1 disappearance was nowhere near the heaviest aptasia concentration
(in the back corner of my tank--what I had hoped to dub "the all-they-can-eat-salad-bar"!)

If those guys don't start eating soon, I'm going to have to borrow someone's chiller
(because I'm about to UNLOAD a gallon of boiling water into that corner!) :evil:

 

[steve-s]

I voted Pepps but I also kill larger ones with the "juice" just to be sure. For those that mentioned pepps don't work, be sure your not buying "knock offs". :lol:

Lysmata rathbunae and Lysmata californica are often sold as pepps but only Lysmata wurdemanni will eat Aiptasia

 

[scytale]

Lysmata rathbunae and Lysmata californica are often sold as pepps but only Lysmata wurdemanni will eat Aiptasia

How does one tell if one is getting a true "wunderman", and not getting a "rat-bunny" or "californication"?

 

[Pikachu]

yay for fish=) its 10000 times funner to watch a fish eat versus putting ur whole arm into the tank to reach the spot in the VERY BACK corner on the underside of the rock where the syringe wont be to get into the crack so you move the rock JUST a little bit and all the rest of the rocks come tumbling down..\


um.. yah

 

[moortim]

I bought a peppermint shrimp before I knew they ate aptasia, and he had my 10 gallon cleaned out of them in about two days, WOW!

 

[NaH2O]

I've had good luck with Peppermint Shrimp in the past, and I need to try them again. Several months ago, I acquired a couple of SPS colonies, which were quarantined. I spent alot of time getting rid of a few aiptasia during QT, but alas...I must have missed one....the last few weeks I could see a few deep in the colonies.

Here is a pic from a long while back, showing how the aiptasia will "bud off" from the main anemone. It is easy to see how easily they spread: