Aiptasia

[mindi]

I am about to build a new tank and transfer my existing rock. I have previously killed Aiptasia on individual rocks by pouring vinegar over the infected area in the kitchen sink...then returning to the tank after a few minutes. The acid does kill the Aiptasia, but I wonder if I also killed all the bacteria inside the rock..? So I am not sure how to best deal with the Aiptasia in the opportunity the transfer presents.
This is a result of not maintaining my long term attention with Aiptaisa-X...once it proliferates you just cant get back in control with spot killing. Self inflicted injury...and the excellent Copperband Butterfly I have introduced has only eaten a few small ones.

I am determined to get rid of the Aiptasia during the transfer one way or the other, even if I have to nuke the rock and start again.

[JUNBUG361]

a file fish also eats aiptasia. I think acid bath will kill the bacteria in the rock

[mcgyvr]

Vinegar can be used as a carbon source to actually feed bacteria (carbon dosing)..
But in the undiluted state/in excess it can absolutely kill certain types of bacteria (gram-negative).. (but I don't know enough about bacteria to answer the question completely)

I "think" that the beneficial bacteria in our tanks is gram-negative and thus would be killed by disinfectants (like vinegar at higher levels)..

[mcgyvr]

Now having said that depending on how bad the infestation is there are better ways to eradicate aiptasia..
A localized dose of kalk paste (if just a few on a rock)..
To file fish, peppermint shrimp, berghia nudibranch,etc...

[mindi]

thanks for the replies

[ca1ore]

Once pest anemones get a good foot hold you really need to resort to a biological solution. Individual eradication simply cannot keep up unless you are incredibly diligent and consistent (I am not). I'm quite fortunate in that my pyramid butterflyfish eat them, along with Xenia.

[zeusfc]

+1 for the tasseled filefish

I've had one for about a month, and he's completely eradicated the glass anemones that have plagued me for about two years… I mean HUNDREDS!
He did nip at some bush corals, but there's plenty of that in the tank, so I look at it as "pruning"!
'Trouble is they're so well camouflaged; mine's been MIA for a whole week, and has just turned up while I was writing this about him, in the _past_ tense!


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[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by zeusfc

+1 for the tasseled filefish

I've had one for about a month, and he's completely eradicated the glass anemones that have plagued me for about two years… I mean HUNDREDS!
He did nip at some bush corals, but there's plenty of that in the tank, so I look at it as "pruning"!
'Trouble is they're so well camouflaged; mine's been MIA for a whole week, and has just turned up while I was writing this about him, in the _past_ tense!

Do you know how big the tasseled file fish will get? How big is your tank?

[zeusfc]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Do you know how big the tasseled file fish will get? How big is your tank?

sorry; my mistake;common names aren't always the same, and are frequently wrong over here... I 100% mean MATTED filefish! Maximum size about 3&1/2"!




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[dpras8]

Hi everyone, just wondering I have a clown fish ONLY tank and have a couple of rbt anenomes and was just wondering if the clowns will host it....i know it is seen as a pest but since I have only clownfish I was wondering if it is ok??

[dpras8]

Sorry wanting to know if they will host aptasia not rbt��

[mindi]

if your aiptasia are big enough to host clowns then you need to be attacking them with a shovel