rhomer wrote: I have an aptasia problem that is out of control. I can't keep a copper banded butterfly due to my carpet anemones, peppermint's get consumed by my lobster, I have more aptasia's then there is joe's juice, and chemically burning them with kalk in the quantity I have sends my PH up.
So I'm down to my last option. Berghia Nudibranch's
BTW I live in Acworth.
Rob
I feel your pain on this one. I have now tried all 3: Shrimp, Copper Banded and Berghia's.
I have tried Behghia's twice. Last time I dropped a bundle and got a bunch.
I don't know the why's, but they did not make a dent in either of my tank's Aiptasia population. I suspect either something is eating them, or my water flow is just too high. Or they simply can't keep up with them in those tanks.
What I have found the most effective with them so far is to move the rocks, a few at a time, to a QT tank and let them eat them there. I see their eggs, so I know they are doing pretty well. If the eggs hatch and grow, as they are supposed to, then you should have a good population to help. I got mine at:
saltyunderground.com (I can't get in right now, but I think they are still around).
They were VERY helpful, and actually walked me through how I should use them. While they don't say so outright, they really recommend a QT. It seems they can actually be eaten by the larger Aiptasia, or get stung. They need to "gang up" and attack those in groups. There are some photos on line of that at one of the sources (don't remember where).
Now the part I have yet to work is getting the rocs out of the tank without taking the Berghia's with me... I looks like once they get big in a quiet tank, they are pretty easy to find and remove. They have stripped all of the small ones off my rocks, and even some of the larger ones. I am kind of waiting to see what their "limits" are.
I would recommended that you hit the larger ones with kalk, vinegar or Joes Juce before you QT them... More on that a bit later.
I recently got some of those Peppermint's at CBA.. they offered to let me try them against some Aiptasia, and they (the ones they have) really do eat them. Again, however, if they are BIG they may not do much. Initially, I did not see any difference. A few weeks after I put them in, I did a sweep with Joes Juce. I noticed a bit later that even my Emerald Crabs were eating the "dead" Aiptasia (might be more hungry with the shrimp in there).
So, this addressed my biggest problem: After a hit with Joe's or any other method, the ones I killed would die, but about 20 more would appear within days. I would vacuum what I could up after hitting them, but any pieces left would take root and grow. The shrimp (and now my Coral Banded) seem to keep them under control after a sweep.
FWIW, extra PH is not usually nearly as bad as too low, and mine settles down in a matter of a few minutes. Also, you can switch off with vinegar (hot... everything helps) to balance it out if you need to.
So, in my experience so far, a combination of approaches is needed for a really bad infestation. You may have to QT SOMETHING, however, given your lobster... perhaps do an in-tank QT.
Oh, and as to the nudibranches starving to death... I can't believe you could not find a home for them somewhere in the club or the local stores. I could only hope that no one would be needing them any more!
One other thing: putting the live rock in a dark part of the sump won't help either... in fact, that is how the Berghia suppliers force them to spread.
My two cents..
-Mike
