Help Please... Aptasia

[reefgeezer]

I now have my system doing pretty well. It's growing corals like crazy and they're coloring up pretty well. Unfortunately, there is a side effect... the Aptasia Anemones like it too. I used to be able to control them with lemon juice, but now they just laugh! I really don't have time to QT a Butterfly, and I've read differing opinions about inverts that might eat them so I don't know if they actually work. I've also tried Joe's Juice and kalk paste.

Anybody got any suggestions or a laser I can rent.

[zeebies]

Aiptasia Rx has worked for me every time. Last resort is to superglue them in their hole - make sure they don't have an escape route.

[sirreal63]

You won't like my method, muriatic acid, drop by drop on them, out of the tank of course. They dissolve, do not spread and they do not survive. My tank is 100% free of them, but you have to treat each rock. Yes it is extreme and aggressive, but it gives a 100% kill rate. Obviously the usual safety precautions apply, it is acid.

[Shallow Planet]

Get some berghia nudibranch in your tank. I had a tank that was taken over ny aiptasia. Purchased 5 of these guys for my 60 gallon cube and in weeks I noticed the aptasia dissapearing. After about a month you couldnt find one single aiptasia. In my opinion this is the easiest and safest way to treat them and unlike other fish/inverts, berghia only eat aiptasia.

[reefgeezer]

Originally Posted by Shallow Planet

Get some berghia nudibranch in your tank. I had a tank that was taken over ny aiptasia. Purchased 5 of these guys for my 60 gallon cube and in weeks I noticed the aptasia dissapearing. After about a month you couldnt find one single aiptasia. In my opinion this is the easiest and safest way to treat them and unlike other fish/inverts, berghia only eat aiptasia.

Did you remove them when their task was complete? Did you order them on-line?

[reefgeezer]

Originally Posted by sirreal63

You won't like my method, muriatic acid, drop by drop on them, out of the tank of course. They dissolve, do not spread and they do not survive. My tank is 100% free of them, but you have to treat each rock. Yes it is extreme and aggressive, but it gives a 100% kill rate. Obviously the usual safety precautions apply, it is acid.

Jack. I like your method for two reasons: sounds effective; and allows me to kill something! I plan on giving this a try on a the few rocks that have nothing much attached to them. How do you handle rocks with more corals attached?

[postshawn]

I never had them until my Peppermint Shrimp died. Then a couple of weeks later I had 3 Aiptasia appear. I used Aiptasia Rx on them and they were gone. Never saw them again. Got another Peppermint Shrimp soon after and still haven't seen any more Aiptasia. I'm not saying the shrimp did anything but it couldn't hurt as the shrimp of course have many other good beneficial things to do in the tank. I have my Aiptasia Rx ready though if I see any more.

What I liked about Aiptasia Rx is you can treat it right in the tank. If it's in a hard to reach spot you might have to move some rock around. Luckily for me my 2 were right on the side and top. The third was in the sand and I just scooped it out and put it in a container to watch it for a few days. After 3 days it turned into 3 Aiptasia in that container. I quickly applied the Aiptasia Rx to them too and they were goners.

Good luck.
-Shawn

[brubakron]

Originally Posted by sirreal63

You won't like my method, muriatic acid, drop by drop on them, out of the tank of course. They dissolve, do not spread and they do not survive. My tank is 100% free of them, but you have to treat each rock. Yes it is extreme and aggressive, but it gives a 100% kill rate. Obviously the usual safety precautions apply, it is acid.

I use muriatic acid in a syringe to make sure that I melt the entire thing. Proven very effective, but as stated you need to pull the rock out of the tank. I have also had peppermint shrimp that keep it in check.