Aptasia

[gort]

I know this is an old subject. Aptaisa is slowly creeping up on me. I keep killing it but i keep getting it coming back.

What if anything really eats this stuff and is pretty safe, from your experience??

Oh, I have been using pickling lime to kill them. I turn off my pumps but some of the white stuff still swirls around for a while in my tank. Do you think that could hurt anything? My feather duster got some on it, and i tried to blow it off but of course it retracted so i dont know if it got inside or not.. worried about him.

Thanks in advance

 

[ff337]

Berghia nudibranchs

 

[jeffmuse]

I have tried several methods (including peppermint shrimp) but have found the Aptasia eating file fish to be the best aptasia remover that I have ever seen. The file fish is hardy, doesn't pick at the coral, and has kept my tank aptasia free for about 6 months.

I will say that once Aptaisa has taken hold, it seems to be there forever. I introduced the file fish and let it kill off the aptasia over a 3 month period and then sold the fish. After about 2 weeks I noticed small aptasia where growing on the rock once more. I got the file fish back and have not seen any aptasia since.

I have had 2 of them now, and neither ever picked at the coral or caused any problems.

 

[KrisDeitz]

What kind of File Fish. I need one bad

 

[ff337]

I have to disagree about the file fish. I have a "true" aiptasia eating file fish. Hasn't touched much aiptasia but has destroyed a montipora frag, 3 Acan colonies and a small clam within the past 2 weeks. I know results will differ. I am upgrading tanks soon and when I catch the filefish he is coming out. He is free to good home if someone wants to give him a try.

 

[frantz]

I haven't had any since I got my peppermint shrimp. Before I had them I was using Aptasia X. I haven't seen the shrimp eat the Aptasia, I just am commenting on their introduction and the now lack of Aptasia, when I know I have them in my sump

 

[ff337]

I did see a slight decline in Aiptasia in peppermint shrimp. I just did not add enough and only 4 peppermint shrimp survived. I have read and known a few people to use nudibranch's with very good success. From my understanding the nudibranch can enter the crevice the aiptasia is attached and eat the entire pest. Only downfalls noted was wrasses may eat them and if the aiptasia is gone or the nudibranch doesn't find anymore they will starve.

Copperband is a sore subject. I have tried a couple and all have died. I have had 2 that were eating frozen mysis readily but haven't made it past a few week tops. I believe the Purple tang might of bullied it. Fragile fish regardless.

 

[frantz]

Do the mentioned nudibranchs eat anything else? or will they stave after aiptasia is gone?

 

[ff337]

From my understanding they will starve. They eat nothing else. If I have a problem with aiptasia after my change over to my new tank, I am going to get nudibranchs AND peppermints. Peppermints are good scavengers regardless.

Hopefully someone with experience using nudibranchs will chime in.

 

[ripped tide]

Copperband results may vary, but mine kicks aiptasia a$$! This fish was one of the more stressful acclamations I have delt with, a close second being the chaoti wrasse.

I've seen Peppermints and the filefish eat them too. The filefish normally start eating coral after a while.

 

[mrflameangel]

Peppermints always worked for me. But they always seem to love my acans also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jef4y]

Ripped Tide;783811 wrote: Copperband results may vary, but mine kicks aiptasia a$$! This fish was one of the more stressful acclamations I have delt with, a close second being the chaoti wrasse.

Stressful acclimation from what perspective?

 

[ripped tide]

JeF4y;783864 wrote: Stressful acclimation from what perspective?

My perspective. Wanting an animal to live and eat that hasn't touched any foods that you have offered it is stressful to me.

When I got my cbb, I had actually bought two.

One went directly into the DT, and the other went into qt.

Niether fish seemed interested in foods that I had, and I didn't have an available black worm source at the time. (my trick for weaning copperbands is live blackworms)

The fish in qt got skinny and died after a week.

The one in my DT just nibbled on the rocks. He did get skinny, but after about 2 and a half to three weeks i started noticing aiptasias vanishing. he finally started taking mysis and a few weeks later got a black worm source....

BUT, to this day, my copperband is the healthiest copperband I have seen in captivity. He is an aggressive feeder, and as fat as can be.

 

[jef4y]

Interesting info! Thanks!

 

[snowmansnow]

I've had 2 outbreaks in my tank over the years and BOTH times I eliminated the pests with peppermint shrimp (PLURAL)..

my tank is a 120g display. If I want to get rid of the things I order NO LESS THAN SEVEN of the shrimp....

BOTH times they completely ridded the tank of it..

peppermint shrimp are how I do what I do... and you won't find a SINGLE glass anemone in my tank (except for the overflow which I need to nuke).

B

 

[meagan1823]

I have 1 peppermint shrimp in a 34 gallon and I can't tell he is eating any of them.
I use Aiptasia X every week or two to get the big ones and to knock down the general population. Im thinking about getting another peppermint shrimp.

Is 2 of in a 34 gallon?

 

[saltbubbles]

I only had two Aiptasias in my tank but they were smack in the middle of a zoa colony and one of them was tiny. After many failed attempts with the more orthodox methods, I decided that I would try something that would be either pretty stupid or pretty smart. I got a syringe from a friend with diabetes and got some of that Aipasia X type stuff. I took out the rock that had the colony, placed it in a shallow container with DT water, spotted the aiptasias and gave them a shot each. They will retract but you can see where they go and just stick the needle in there and they will die for sure.

 

[nuggetsgotmilk]

I have long had this problem. I tried aptasia x with is ok but not great. I have tried peppermint shrimp but that didn't work until recently when a new shrimp starting clearing my tank from the pests. I guess it's all up to the shrimp and what it wants to eat.

 

[rtackett]

I had a major problem with aptasia and tried the nudibranchs and pepperment shrimp but very little success. I put in a file fish which took care of the aptasia. After the aptasia was gone, they are very easy to catch to remove. The one I had only nipped at the corals when the aptasia was gone.

 

[ff337]

rtackett;784018 wrote: I had a major problem with aptasia and tried the nudibranchs and pepperment shrimp but very little success. I put in a file fish which took care of the aptasia. After the aptasia was gone, they are very easy to catch to remove. The one I had only nipped at the corals when the aptasia was gone.

I will pay you to get my filefish out. He is the fastest fish in my arsenal.