Aptasia

paveni · 02/14/2007, 03:32 PM

I have a 90 gal reef & fish tank about 160 lb. live rock.The tank is a year old. Coral and fish do well reef is establishing well. Problem is I am loaded with Aptasia. I have used a number of products which I must inject and they help. My problem is there are many spots I can't reach with a syringe. Is there any fish that will eat Aptasia. I am being overtaken! HELP!!!!!
Thanks Pat

sammyp · 02/14/2007, 03:43 PM

peppermint shrimp and also nudibranch

rustybucket145 · 02/14/2007, 03:48 PM

if you have as much as you say you have a Copperband Butterfly fish will take care of them. But..... when they are gone the Copperband will usually starve to death. So it's a good idea to have another home lined up for him after he has done his job.

paveni · 02/14/2007, 03:53 PM

Thanks for the advice. Will Peppermint shrimp or a Nudibranch eat coral? Also is here any commercial food that I could feed the Copperband Butterfly?

Zestay · 02/14/2007, 04:03 PM

nudibrachs have been known to plow down some zoas
same with the shrimp.. but prolly can give em back to the LFS after the aptasia is gone

bertoni · 02/14/2007, 05:06 PM

The Berghia nudibranchs and similar species that are sold for Aiptasia removal are fine, although they don't seem to get 100% of the anemones. They won't eat other animals.

mosesbrown · 02/14/2007, 05:22 PM

I was told by a local fish store that there is a shrimp that is sometimes sold as peppermint shrimp that is actual a "camel shrimp" I beleive is the name I was told. They look very similar but the back on the camel is more pronounced. The camel is also more proan to eating things you want to keep. I just added some peppermint shrimp from that LFS and so far no problems, but they have not been in the tank for that long. Hope that helps.
Also, I once read that there is some difference in where the peppermint shrimp are from Atlantic Ocean or other location that can have some bairing on what the peppermint shrimp will eat. I appologize but I can't remember the details.

Does anyone else know about this? Inquiring minds want to know

hmello@bermexin · 02/14/2007, 06:28 PM

Lysmata wurdemanni is the kind that eats aiptasia.

nick063 · 02/14/2007, 09:17 PM

peppermint shrimp but dont get discouraged if they dont eat it right away i noticed in my tank that they ate the aiptasia when the lights were off slowly but surely it disappeared

mosesbrown · 02/14/2007, 09:19 PM

I was also told that if you keep you tank feed a lot that the shrimp will stay full on fish food, etc... and will tend not to the aptaisia as quickly.

02/14/2007, 03:32 PM	#1
paveni Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Beaufort,South Carolina Posts: 31	Aptasia I have a 90 gal reef & fish tank about 160 lb. live rock.The tank is a year old. Coral and fish do well reef is establishing well. Problem is I am loaded with Aptasia. I have used a number of products which I must inject and they help. My problem is there are many spots I can't reach with a syringe. Is there any fish that will eat Aptasia. I am being overtaken! HELP!!!!! Thanks Pat

02/14/2007, 03:43 PM	#2
sammyp Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Long Guy Land, NY Posts: 81	peppermint shrimp and also nudibranch __________________ There he goes. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. Just another freak, in the freak kingdom. Humans are just smart monkeys. If you think about it, the earth is just a big piece of live rock. Current Tank Info: 10 gallon AGA

02/14/2007, 03:48 PM	#3
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	if you have as much as you say you have a Copperband Butterfly fish will take care of them. But..... when they are gone the Copperband will usually starve to death. So it's a good idea to have another home lined up for him after he has done his job. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

02/14/2007, 05:06 PM	#6
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The Berghia nudibranchs and similar species that are sold for Aiptasia removal are fine, although they don't seem to get 100% of the anemones. They won't eat other animals. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/14/2007, 05:22 PM	#7
mosesbrown Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 165	I was told by a local fish store that there is a shrimp that is sometimes sold as peppermint shrimp that is actual a "camel shrimp" I beleive is the name I was told. They look very similar but the back on the camel is more pronounced. The camel is also more proan to eating things you want to keep. I just added some peppermint shrimp from that LFS and so far no problems, but they have not been in the tank for that long. Hope that helps. Also, I once read that there is some difference in where the peppermint shrimp are from Atlantic Ocean or other location that can have some bairing on what the peppermint shrimp will eat. I appologize but I can't remember the details. Does anyone else know about this? Inquiring minds want to know __________________ "I just want to be loved is that so wrong" -John Lovitz Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon Reef; Leather Coral, Xenia, Star Polyps, Button Polyps, Mushrooms, Tounge Coral. Clown, Six Line Wrasse, Chromis, Clnr Shrimp Peppermint Shrimp, Sand Sifting Star, Misc Snails & Hermits.

02/14/2007, 03:53 PM	#4
paveni Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Beaufort,South Carolina Posts: 31	Thanks for the advice. Will Peppermint shrimp or a Nudibranch eat coral? Also is here any commercial food that I could feed the Copperband Butterfly?

02/14/2007, 04:03 PM	#5
Zestay Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: gainesville, FL Posts: 1,622	nudibrachs have been known to plow down some zoas same with the shrimp.. but prolly can give em back to the LFS after the aptasia is gone

02/14/2007, 06:28 PM	#8
hmello@bermexin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,205	Lysmata wurdemanni is the kind that eats aiptasia. __________________ Henry Somewhere something incredible is waiting to be known. Current Tank Info: 29g BioCube, AI SOL 12" Super Blue

02/14/2007, 09:17 PM	#9
nick063 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ocala, Florida Posts: 246	peppermint shrimp but dont get discouraged if they dont eat it right away i noticed in my tank that they ate the aiptasia when the lights were off slowly but surely it disappeared

02/14/2007, 09:19 PM	#10
mosesbrown Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 165	I was also told that if you keep you tank feed a lot that the shrimp will stay full on fish food, etc... and will tend not to the aptaisia as quickly. __________________ "I just want to be loved is that so wrong" -John Lovitz Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon Reef; Leather Coral, Xenia, Star Polyps, Button Polyps, Mushrooms, Tounge Coral. Clown, Six Line Wrasse, Chromis, Clnr Shrimp Peppermint Shrimp, Sand Sifting Star, Misc Snails & Hermits.