Aiptasia: the most infamous pest in aquarium

[hydor_italy]

The aiptasia sp. are an infesting pest in aquarium. Technically they are a sea anemones. Aiptasia sp. are considered pests because they are stressful to corals around them.

So the first thing when we see one into our aquarium, it is to try to extirpate it. We don't like the chemical solution, so we are here to speak about the biology solutions instead. The first and definitive way to get rid of them is to use some tiny nudibranchs called berghia verrucicornis. They eat only aiptasia, so you are very sure they will eliminate the problem. But when they complete the task, they'll die, and they are not so cheap. The second solution is based on a very curious fish, the Acreichthys tomentosus. A monachantidae fish that eats preferably all the aiptasia you have in your aquarium. It's better to have one in aquarium bigger than 200 litres, or better in 300 litres. It can eat also commercial food, so you have not worry about its life. It's cheaper but it can be a problem with some corals. In any case, if you have not luck with it, you can take out from aquarium easily during the night. The probability to have problem is anyway very low. The third solution is based on tiny shrimp, the Lysmata wurdemanni, that are used to eat aiptasia in the wild. The shrimps are small and pass time to hide themselves during day. You have to pay attention to other fish you have that can harm them, like the wonderful Calloplesiops altivelis. Last method is to use butterfly fish, like Chelmon rostratus, but it's very possible it can harm your corals and tridacna, and it's a very problematic fish to feed. But it's so beautiful! Which is your preferred method?