Re-start aquarium with Aiptasia

Psul2006 · 07/10/2016, 06:31 AM

So i have recently purchased my first marine tank. I have bought a complete setup from someone second hand, and am picking it up in a couple of weeks. I have noticed that his live rock is covered in Aiptasia. As i am going to be pulling all the rock out in order to move the tank im thinking i should completely kill the rock and re-cure it to get rid of the Aiptasia. Should i be doing this and how should i do it?

abIngenui · 07/10/2016, 07:01 AM

How big is the tank and how much live rock is there?

There are a couple animals that will eat them, like the copperband butterfly or various nudibranches. Peppermint shrimp can eat small ones.

Depending on the amount of aiptasia, you can either kill the big ones with kalk or boiling water via turkey baster and then let livestock eat the rest, or maybe -and here is something I haven't tried - make a bucket full of NaOH or kalk, and dip the rocks in there and then rinse well. Of course doing so will murder everything on the rock (except for maybe bacteria deep inside the live rock), so it might be better to just start with dry rock.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

hmgaudino · 07/10/2016, 07:11 AM

If i was you i would kill everything on that rock.. you dont wanna start of your new tank with problems right out of the gate.

Tisbe · 07/10/2016, 08:01 AM

Yes, kill everything and re-cure. I will go one step further and say check the rocks for built up nutrients. Put a piece of rock in some top off water for a day and test the water the water for phosphate. If you have some depending on how much, you may want to take care of that issue before you put them in the tank to cycle.

Also if you are getting sand, most people will recommend just to throw it out and get new or go BB. If you use it, then rinse it in a bucket with a hose until the water runs clear. Sand tends to build up nutrients.

gone fishin · 07/10/2016, 08:11 AM

There are a few options. Leave the rock out in the sun to dry thoroughly for a few days then give it rinse and scrub. Some folks like to use muriatic acid to clean the rock, read up on this procedure before using it. Some folks will do the above then re-cure it in a separate container or just put it in the tank to start the tank cycling. Personally I would deal with the rock before setting the tank up. Good luck just my 2 cents.

choco24 · 07/10/2016, 08:35 AM

Kill kill kill. I tried getting rid off them...... If you leave one.. They'll be back like nothing

ravenr108 · 07/10/2016, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choco24

Kill kill kill. I tried getting rid off them...... If you leave one.. They'll be back like nothing

i agree get rid of them now!

rt67ghy · 07/10/2016, 03:57 PM

I'd let the rock dry and re-use that after scrubbing it and washing it. I would also wash the sand thoroughly to remove all the dirt and let it dry to kill the aiptasia (yes, there will be baby aiptasia in the sand also) before I put that in the tank. It's true that your sand and rocks will no longer be alive but that's easily fixed by buying some live sand and adding it to the tank when you're cycling. This is better than having to deal with aiptasia which is actually almost impossible to eliminate once you have it.

Psul2006 · 07/11/2016, 02:03 PM

Thanks for the info. So you have convinved me to completely kill the live rock. I've read up about using bleach and acid dipping which i am thinking about doing. Is this necessary or is just drying it out sufficient? And after completely killing my rock, however i doi it, will i be able to put it straight back in the tank with my livestock or will i need to cycle it in a container outside my DT before putting it back in.

gone fishin · 07/11/2016, 05:14 PM

First let me say do not mix the bleach and muriatic acid, there is a good chance of getting chlorine gas which could ruin your day.

Lets back up a step. You have livestock with the tank you purchased and this is the rock that is in the tank?

If so then some more discussion may be needed. Basically if this is the case then you will be killing off your biological filter and could have a hard time maintaining the livestock.

What livestock do you have?

Psul2006 · 07/11/2016, 06:49 PM

Yes sorry the setup comes with a purple tang, lipstick tang, some chromis, rabbit fish, bird nose wrasse, a couple of starfish and clam etc.

The rock is currently in the tank with these livestock but to move the tank everything will be coming out to help with the move. I will be keeping most of the salt water to reuse when i get to my place.

gone fishin · 07/11/2016, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psul2006

Yes sorry the setup comes with a purple tang, lipstick tang, some chromis, rabbit fish, bird nose wrasse, a couple of starfish and clam etc.

The rock is currently in the tank with these livestock but to move the tank everything will be coming out to help with the move. I will be keeping most of the salt water to reuse when i get to my place.

That changes things a bit for me. That is a pretty good bio-load. In that case I Think I would make sure the rocks stay submerged for the trip to preserve as much of the bio filter as possible. I would now suggest one of the in tank treatments for the aiptasia, there are numerous threads on these or we could discuss them here as well. Going this route will more than likely result in a long term battle with aiptasia. My reasoning is if you "killed" the rock to get rid of the aiptasia, then you would need to start a new cure/cycle period for the rock/tank. If you went this route I believe your success at keeping the live stock would be greatly reduced. If you still want to pursue removing all the aiptasia outside the tank then I would suggest trying to trade in all the livestock at a LFS for some store credit, more than likely the credit will be greatly reduced in comparison to the value of the livestock. Out of curiosity what is the tank size, some of those will be very large fish. good luck just my 2 cents.

Psul2006 · 07/11/2016, 08:27 PM

Thanks, the tank is 395 Litres (approx 100g). I was thinking this maybe an issue. I was contrmplating seeing if my LFS would hold on to the livestock whilst i went through this process, not sure if they would or what they might charge to do so. How long would it take to cycle the tank if i went down this path?

I have read about a few other treatments that dont require killing the live rocks such as injecting the Aiptasia directly. I suppose if i am taking all the rock out i would have easy access to do this to as many as I could find and then purchase some livestock that will help keep it from coming back?

johnike · 07/12/2016, 04:25 AM

Aiptasia killers.

Most Butterflyfish love them.
My Raccoon and Double Saddle are killers.

Shawn O · 07/12/2016, 10:03 AM

The Tang Police say 100 gallons is too small for those tangs. Either way, best to just donate them to your LFS in exchange for holding your other fish until you're ready. If you have the option of keeping them in a large QT tank at home, just as good. A brute trash can or two might work.

I'd get rid of the sand, completely nuke the rock and start over. If not Muriatic acid, straight white vinegar may work if you soak it for a while then pressure wash it. Bacteria will eat vinegar so this may help your cycle if any remains in the center of the rocks. Use bacteria in a bottle to speed it up.

I'll be cycling some replacement rock in a few weeks, to replace my current rock, trying to get rid of pest strawberry anemones infesting my tank. I'll post about it if it works.

MarkWest · 08/27/2016, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psul2006

So i have recently purchased my first marine tank. I have bought a complete setup from someone second hand, and am picking it up in a couple of weeks. I have noticed that his live rock is covered in Aiptasia. As i am going to be pulling all the rock out in order to move the tank im thinking i should completely kill the rock and re-cure it to get rid of the Aiptasia. Should i be doing this and how should i do it?

Have found 100% Safe and effective method of destroying Aiptasia. No chemicals or special livestock.
Do you know how I post to General forum? Never used before.

gone fishin · 08/27/2016, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkWest

Have found 100% Safe and effective method of destroying Aiptasia. No chemicals or special livestock.
Do you know how I post to General forum? Never used before.

upper left corner of the forum page, hit the "new thread" button"

07/10/2016, 06:31 AM	#1
Psul2006 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4	Re-start aquarium with Aiptasia So i have recently purchased my first marine tank. I have bought a complete setup from someone second hand, and am picking it up in a couple of weeks. I have noticed that his live rock is covered in Aiptasia. As i am going to be pulling all the rock out in order to move the tank im thinking i should completely kill the rock and re-cure it to get rid of the Aiptasia. Should i be doing this and how should i do it?

07/10/2016, 08:11 AM	#5
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	There are a few options. Leave the rock out in the sun to dry thoroughly for a few days then give it rinse and scrub. Some folks like to use muriatic acid to clean the rock, read up on this procedure before using it. Some folks will do the above then re-cure it in a separate container or just put it in the tank to start the tank cycling. Personally I would deal with the rock before setting the tank up. Good luck just my 2 cents. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

07/10/2016, 03:57 PM	#8
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	I'd let the rock dry and re-use that after scrubbing it and washing it. I would also wash the sand thoroughly to remove all the dirt and let it dry to kill the aiptasia (yes, there will be baby aiptasia in the sand also) before I put that in the tank. It's true that your sand and rocks will no longer be alive but that's easily fixed by buying some live sand and adding it to the tank when you're cycling. This is better than having to deal with aiptasia which is actually almost impossible to eliminate once you have it. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.

07/11/2016, 05:14 PM	#10
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	First let me say do not mix the bleach and muriatic acid, there is a good chance of getting chlorine gas which could ruin your day. Lets back up a step. You have livestock with the tank you purchased and this is the rock that is in the tank? If so then some more discussion may be needed. Basically if this is the case then you will be killing off your biological filter and could have a hard time maintaining the livestock. What livestock do you have? __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

07/12/2016, 10:03 AM	#15
Shawn O Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts Posts: 1,474	The Tang Police say 100 gallons is too small for those tangs. Either way, best to just donate them to your LFS in exchange for holding your other fish until you're ready. If you have the option of keeping them in a large QT tank at home, just as good. A brute trash can or two might work. I'd get rid of the sand, completely nuke the rock and start over. If not Muriatic acid, straight white vinegar may work if you soak it for a while then pressure wash it. Bacteria will eat vinegar so this may help your cycle if any remains in the center of the rocks. Use bacteria in a bottle to speed it up. I'll be cycling some replacement rock in a few weeks, to replace my current rock, trying to get rid of pest strawberry anemones infesting my tank. I'll post about it if it works. __________________ "55gal glass box full of water, rocks and some not-so-amused little fishes" 2x Occellaris, 1 Pajama, 1 Neon Dottyback. Current Tank Info: 55gal tank, sumpless, ReefOctopus Classic 90, Twin bulb T5.

07/10/2016, 07:01 AM	#2
abIngenui Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 50	How big is the tank and how much live rock is there? There are a couple animals that will eat them, like the copperband butterfly or various nudibranches. Peppermint shrimp can eat small ones. Depending on the amount of aiptasia, you can either kill the big ones with kalk or boiling water via turkey baster and then let livestock eat the rest, or maybe -and here is something I haven't tried - make a bucket full of NaOH or kalk, and dip the rocks in there and then rinse well. Of course doing so will murder everything on the rock (except for maybe bacteria deep inside the live rock), so it might be better to just start with dry rock. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

07/10/2016, 07:11 AM	#3
hmgaudino Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: philadelphia Posts: 50	If i was you i would kill everything on that rock.. you dont wanna start of your new tank with problems right out of the gate.

07/10/2016, 08:01 AM	#4
Tisbe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Coeur D Alene, Idaho Posts: 170	Yes, kill everything and re-cure. I will go one step further and say check the rocks for built up nutrients. Put a piece of rock in some top off water for a day and test the water the water for phosphate. If you have some depending on how much, you may want to take care of that issue before you put them in the tank to cycle. Also if you are getting sand, most people will recommend just to throw it out and get new or go BB. If you use it, then rinse it in a bucket with a hose until the water runs clear. Sand tends to build up nutrients.

07/10/2016, 08:35 AM	#6
choco24 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 34	Kill kill kill. I tried getting rid off them...... If you leave one.. They'll be back like nothing

07/11/2016, 02:03 PM	#9
Psul2006 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4	Thanks for the info. So you have convinved me to completely kill the live rock. I've read up about using bleach and acid dipping which i am thinking about doing. Is this necessary or is just drying it out sufficient? And after completely killing my rock, however i doi it, will i be able to put it straight back in the tank with my livestock or will i need to cycle it in a container outside my DT before putting it back in.

07/11/2016, 06:49 PM	#11
Psul2006 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4	Yes sorry the setup comes with a purple tang, lipstick tang, some chromis, rabbit fish, bird nose wrasse, a couple of starfish and clam etc. The rock is currently in the tank with these livestock but to move the tank everything will be coming out to help with the move. I will be keeping most of the salt water to reuse when i get to my place.

07/11/2016, 08:27 PM	#13
Psul2006 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4	Thanks, the tank is 395 Litres (approx 100g). I was thinking this maybe an issue. I was contrmplating seeing if my LFS would hold on to the livestock whilst i went through this process, not sure if they would or what they might charge to do so. How long would it take to cycle the tank if i went down this path? I have read about a few other treatments that dont require killing the live rocks such as injecting the Aiptasia directly. I suppose if i am taking all the rock out i would have easy access to do this to as many as I could find and then purchase some livestock that will help keep it from coming back?

07/12/2016, 04:25 AM	#14
johnike Moved On Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bureau County Illinois Posts: 5,406	Aiptasia killers. Most Butterflyfish love them. My Raccoon and Double Saddle are killers.