Aiptasia laser questions

[Bpb]

I see lots of different models people are using.

Any consensus on what laser specs are the most effective? I’d also like to clear out a lot of small discosoma shrooms that are problematic.

500 mw? 1000 mw? 1500 mw? 3000+ mw? What works?

Spectrum? 445 nm? Green? 660nm? Which color is most effective?

Is there a risk of damaging or weakening the actual tank glass with these lasers?

What type of safety goggles are needed? Anyone got a link?

And because I know it’s coming.
Too many wrasses for berghia’s
Too many wrasses for peppermints
Chemical means are only doable for about 1/10 the aiptasia I have, most are in too hard to reach spots, or completely vertical and retract too fast, or I just physically cannot reach them
Too many territorial old fish to introduce a butterfly
Last resort would be a filefish but I fear for the future of my Zoa and lps keeping.

These aiptasia are surrounding just about every sps colony I have, preventing further lateral growth. Massive colonies behind the rocks. This tank is beyond a full eradication. I just want to keep the numbers in check.


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[scuzy]

Always wonder would the laser be bad for glass?


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[Bpb]

Right? I know people use them but all I can imagine is the glass bursting right there before me


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[scuzy]

How are you preventing your fish from going blind


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[Bpb]

By not pointing it directly at their eyes


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[ReefsandGeeks]

I'm not an expert, but have been a laser enthusiast for over a decade. TO generalize, 500mW could work on things that are very dark in color, but if they are brighter colored, or more transparent, than the laser energy is not converted to heat nearly as efficiently, so you will need a stronger laser. the power you'd need would also depend on how far into the water you need the laser to go. it will lose power quickly as it has to go through more water to reach the back of the tank, so if your tank is deep you'd want a stronger one. 1,000mW or 1,500 would be a good start.

As far as color/wavelength, the longer the wave length, the more readily the laser will be converted to heat (good thing) so Don't do the green ones, instead do the red. Also, some lasers have a focus-able lens that will greatly reduce the power needed to burn, however will require fiddling around with the focus every time you use it at a different distance, so that may be more trouble than it's worth.

The lasers will not damage glass or acrylic because they are so clear. The laser passes right through, which means the glass does not heat up. Same reason the lasers do not work well on transparent things or brightly colored things.

For safety glasses, they make them specific to the color/wavelength laser you chose, so you'd have to have your laser picked out before your glasses. safety glasses that work for red lasers do not work for green...etc.

[tlc]

the lasers used for this application are extremely dangerous. i am sure you already know they can blind fish and people to. even a reflection off the glass can damage anybody in the room. the guy ( cant remember his name) who started using lasers for aiptasia stopped using the laser method. the aips always came back and even worse. file fish are amazing at eating them especially the captive bred ones. in my tank they ate the aips first then went after my zoas. to date they have not touched any of my lps. maybe introduce a few file fish and see if they go after the aips first then remove the file fish before they get to the zoas.

[scuzy]

Originally Posted by tlc

the lasers used for this application are extremely dangerous. i am sure you already know they can blind fish and people to. even a reflection off the glass can damage anybody in the room. the guy ( cant remember his name) who started using lasers for aiptasia stopped using the laser method. the aips always came back and even worse. file fish are amazing at eating them especially the captive bred ones. in my tank they ate the aips first then went after my zoas. to date they have not touched any of my lps. maybe introduce a few file fish and see if they go after the aips first then remove the file fish before they get to the zoas.

Do they only go after zoas? They don't go after any other corals?


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[Ron Reefman]

I think I was the first to post about using a laser to kill aiptasia.

I now know it's a 50/50 deal at best. And I have 2 lasers to prove it (and haven't used either one in an aquarium in several years). Not because they work so well, but because they hardly work at all! If you have a good clean shot at the ENTIRE aiptasia and can go after it all the way down to it's foot, the laser can work. However, if you can't get down the hole where the aiptasia has it's foot, the laser will just not do the job and the aiptasia will grow back in just a few days!

IMHO, it isn't even close to being worth the cost of a laser to try and use it in the aquarium.

Yes, it is perfectly safe to use through CLEAN glass or acrylic. However, coraline will block the laser and heat up the glass or acrylic, so make sure the surface is clean.

You will not blind the fish as long as you are careful to keep it away from them.

Long story made short; it's not even close to being worth the cost of a good laser!

[tlc]

my file fish have not gone after any of my lps or sps corals. i only had a few zoas in my tank at the time i introduced the file fish. i never really saw them eat them but they were gone shortly after all the aips were eaten

[Bpb]

Anyone used these lasers to manage pest discosoma mushrooms? Kalk paste is too annoying, messy, time consuming, and has too much collateral damage


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[karimwassef]

I've tried. Same issue as Ron mentions above.
Temporary damages- doesn't remove.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by Bpb

Anyone used these lasers to manage pest discosoma mushrooms? Kalk paste is too annoying, messy, time consuming, and has too much collateral damage

They barely are able to take on aiptasia, they just can't do much to bigger polyps like a mushroom. They just aren't worth the cost as an aquarium tool IMHO.

[karimwassef]

Well... they can hurt the mushrooms if you focus on their mouths. I've forced some to shrivel up for weeks but they always come back. Sometimes they even split.

[Bpb]

To be fair I’ve yet to find a solution. That solves the problem entirely, outside of a full tank do-over. Every method eventually results in them coming back. I’m looking for an easy form of MAINTENANCE & MANAGEMENT of populations with minimal mess and collateral damage.


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[karimwassef]

Same boat... even started a thread about it looking for a biological or chemical solution

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=xenia&page=2

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...shrooms&page=2

[Bpb]

Doesn’t appear you were able to find a solution. Even melting them down with kalk paste am smothering the remnants with superglue and epoxy resulted in a mushroom or two sliding out from under the hard epoxy tomb and growing back in a couple days. It’s too labor intensive. I’m amazed that NOTHING seems to win a battle vs rhodactis shrooms


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[karimwassef]

I think physical extermination is the only solution. I'm going to try the dog de-worming medication too.

[Bpb]

Well I’ll keep my eyes out for an ORA filefish and hope he likes the taste of mushrooms too


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