After taking some time to evaluate I ordered a laser and it arrived this week. I bought this one from Zeus Laser. "Special Blue Laser 6 WATT For Saltwater Aquarium Aiptasia & Majanos Killing Removal"
I also bought these for added protection from Amazon.
LaserPair Laser Safety Glasses 355nm,405nm,445nm,450nm,532nm, 980nm,1064nm Q-switched Tattoo Removal Laser Safety Glasses for Laser Technician Nd:yag ,Green Laser ,Blue Laser Eye Protection Goggles
It is powered by 110v so no need to worry about batteries and I didn't have any indication that it was getting hot for the durations I was using it. It has a built in fan for cooling. The on/off button is not in an ideal location but wasn't challenging to operate.
I waited until I had the house to myself, locked the dog outside, put my safety goggles on and carefully got to work.
My worst infestation was also in the ideal spot to burn. Very close to the glass and direct line of site. There were over a dozen with a range of sizes from tiny to dime sized heads. At first, although it seemed to be doing something, I was not very impressed. Then I realized the laser has a focus bezel and I needed to dial in the focus based on distance. After a few tries I finally got the hang of it. When properly focused the 6w laser made short work of decimating the aiptasia. The aiptasia would start popping, sizzling and shriveling up in seconds.
With the laser fine tuned I was also able to easily pop a few that were at further distances and embedded in zoa colonies. A few I could not get directly at but I was able to burn off the tips of some tentacles before they backed into their hole that I couldn't reach.
I spent some time hitting vermitid bases but I'm not positive the impact yet. It definitely got their attention and from all of the crackling I'm optimistic. My infestation is way too bad to completely remove them however over time I might be able to put a dent in the ones in the worst spots and reduce the webbing.
On a couple occasions I could feel reflections from the laser on my hand when I was on an angle. I didn't burn anything, or myself, although I can definitely see how that could easily happen. These things are serious. I etched a piece of plywood with it and was amazed at how quickly it burned the wood.