Aiptasia takeover

[kamuii]

welp, a few months ago when i started my tank, i had one little aiptasia. shot him with some boiling water and killed it. four months later i have AIPTASIA INFESTED TANK! they are all over! in the sandbed, in the SEASHELLS, even on the damn glass. my live rock is covered with them. I dont really know how to go about this.. aiptasia X them all? but there's so many.. at least 15. they are really big and now there's just baby ones all over... i don't know what to do!!

[mikem101]

Originally Posted by kamuii

welp, a few months ago when i started my tank, i had one little aiptasia. shot him with some boiling water and killed it. four months later i have AIPTASIA INFESTED TANK! they are all over! in the sandbed, in the SEASHELLS, even on the damn glass. my live rock is covered with them. I dont really know how to go about this.. aiptasia X them all? but there's so many.. at least 15. they are really big and now there's just baby ones all over... i don't know what to do!!

how big is your tank? you can try peppermint shrimp or if your tank is big enough a copperbanded butterfly?

[billwill]

Berghi nudibranchs


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[MrsReefK]

Peppermint shrimp have eradicated mine. I added 19 peps to my 290g and they're making great headway. It's been about a month. I bet another month and aiptasia will be gone


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[kamuii]

i forgot to mention my tank is 15 gallons and the aiptasia is pretty big... big enough where i have to watch where my hand is in the tank

[mikem101]

Originally Posted by kamuii

i forgot to mention my tank is 15 gallons and the aiptasia is pretty big... big enough where i have to watch where my hand is in the tank

Pictures would help get 2 peppermint shrimp they will eat em up eventually!


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[fishsuse29]

I've tried all the different solutions and I have found peppermint shrimp to be the best, since they will stay in the tank if any new ones pop up. I would add 5for your tank and reduce your feeding. You may also have to kill the really big ones manually

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by kamuii

i have AIPTASIA INFESTED TANK! they are all over! ........ at least 15.

15? infested?

[sde1500]

That isn't infested. I have some in my tank. A few very large ones that I can't reach with a needle to kill with AiptasiaX. The small ones I blast as I see them, some come back, some don't. Def have more than 15 right now, def don't consider it nearly as much of an issue as you do right now lol. I'll get some nudis to deal with them all at some point, just short on time right now. Probably your best bet, they only eat Aiptasia, get a handful, put them in the tank basically next to the biggest group of Aiptasia, then let them work.

[tazdvl]

Lasers are fun pew pew. Wear your laser safety goggles though, most burning lasers ship with them.

[xCry0x]

Peppermint shrimp always worked best for me.

I have a needle I use to inject aptasia with aptasiax or kalk paste.. whenever I do that the only result seems to be a new aptasia popping up along side the old one. It seems to me that in trying to kill them they end up going into survival mode and splitting or something. Literally, every time.

Heck, I have had this one single aptasia for about a month. Last week I decided to give the aptasia x another shot -- I nuked it, 5 days later the original one is back + a new one about an inch to the side of the first. E.v..e..r..y.....t..i...m..e..!

[sik_z33]

Oh boy, I have had good luck with control by injecting them with kalkwasser with a turkey baster. I was lucky that they never came back...

[Foundry]

Just run an Aiptasia species tank like my LFS.

No kidding, they let them get 3-4in in diameter all over some of their display tanks....we dont' buy much LS from them anymore.

We have a trio of peppermint shrimps and a filefish making work of our 40gal tall. The population crept up after the tank move a few months ago. The largest I treated with AiptasiaX. The filefish and shrimp keep new buds at bay. However I will say the filefish seems to be less interested in aiptasia by the day.

[kamuii]

hey again. i just counted how many i could see and it's about 25-30 of em... the biggest two is about 3-4 inches in length. i wish i could get some pictures but as of rn i cant since i'm on a hotspot and waiting for wifi to turn back on... i was thinking maybe to get about 5 peps and just aiptasia x the big ones? i can't fit anymore fish in my tank since i already have 3, or to maybe laser them?


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[Mike de Leon]

Restart the tank altogether

[sde1500]

Originally Posted by Mike de Leon

Restart the tank altogether

That's ridiculous when there are viable ways to clean up the tank.

I've tried peppermint shrimp twice. One ate them all and they were gone for a while until it died. They came back so obviously it didn't get them all. The next one I added hasn't touched one. Berghia nudibranches are going in soon. Aiptasia is all they eat. I'd suggest that route.

[Mike de Leon]

Originally Posted by sde1500

That's ridiculous when there are viable ways to clean up the tank.

I've tried peppermint shrimp twice. One ate them all and they were gone for a while until it died. They came back so obviously it didn't get them all. The next one I added hasn't touched one. Berghia nudibranches are going in soon. Aiptasia is all they eat. I'd suggest that route.

Hey that was just a suggestion, and one that would work 100%. No guessing games. For a smallish tank that won't be so hard.

[Leopardshark]

Infested with 15 aiptasias? wow you better pour 1 oz of chlorine in the tank and start all over again.

[Mike de Leon]

He has 30 in a tiny tank.

[Joe0813]

have fun with a laser... or you can buy two peppermint shrimp. I had a TON of those stupid things and bought 5 peppermint shrimp and they took care of every single one. have yet to see any come back