aiptasia problem

Aiptasia are really hard to eradicate, but they are pretty easy to control.

There are some decent products like Aiptasia-X, but they don't do any good against the ones you can't see/reach.

I think the best option is to add a predator to your tank. You have a few options:

1) Peppermint Shrimp
Pros: cheap, available locally
Cons: hit or miss

2) Copperband Butterfly
Pros: usually available locally
Cons: expensive, hard to keep, hit or miss

3) Berghia Nudibranchs
Pros: voracious aiptasia eaters (it's all they eat)
Cons: VERY expensive, not available locally, may turn into expensive tank food.

Good luck!

 

JB is dead on.

I had them in my old tank. I used a 2 attack approach on them.

I got a syringe & needs from the farm store & injected kalkwasser directly into the big ones.

I also bought 5 peppermint shrimp.

After about a month or so I was aptaisia free.

Nice side benefit of the Kalk is that is also helps keep your ph, alk, & kalk up.

 

I have not used the peppermint shrimp approach but did go the Copperband Butterfly approach and had great success in little time, I would stay away from the "joes juice" or "aptasia x" these do kill the visiable aptasia's but once they feel attacked  they dispurse eggs which causes more spread. The Butterfly is a great fish fish to watch and they mind their own business... Good Luck Aptasia's suck

 

I had some aiptasia in my nano and I used Aiptasia-X and Peppermint shrimp to get rid of them. I have not had any since. You don't have to inject them with the Aiptasia-X, just squirt some of the oral disk. In fact, the applicators that come with the bottle have blunt tips. They will likely try to retreat into the rock, but the stuff will still work. If nothing else, I think that it damages them enough so that the peppermint shrimp can get to them without getting stung.

I don't think that there is anywhere locally that sells Aiptasia-X, but I have a brand new bottle that you're welcome to use some of. It just takes a very small amount. Let me know.

--AJ

 

I have had outstanding results with peppermint shrimp. One or two in your 29 will clean them right out. Just make sure they are the lysmata wurdmani species. If you get them from a reliable dealer like liveaquaria.com you'll be okay. When the aptaisia is gone they will clean up any scraps of fish food that are left over.

Mark

 

copperband butterfly.

 

I have had good luck with AptasiaX, I have been able to keep them under control for a year or so, about twice a week I will 'kill' 3 or 4. For me thats acceptable.

 

I believe I picked my bottle of Aptasia X up at Adams Aquatics in Des Moines Iowa

 

Nobody in CR carries it that I'm aware of.

--AJ

 

Yep, that works too. Glad you got rid of them before they got out of control.

--AJ