Aiptasia Control

phantomg23 · 04/02/2013, 06:45 PM

On this thread I will go over various ways to control or completely rid of your aiptasia anemones. I know that most of you know this, but hopefully someone learns something from this. I just got through my invasion.There's probably a thread like this out there but whatever. Feel free to comment your success stories or questions.

Natural Remedies

-Peppermint shrimp are probably the most common ways to rid of aiptasia anemones. Peppermint shrimp are sold at most local fish stores. The price is usually anywhere from 5-15 dollars per shrimp depending on size, i would recommend going for the smaller shrimp, they can get into hard to reach places. Beware when buying though, as many other species like camelback shrimp are sold as peppermint shrimp, make sure they are true breeding peppermints or else they will not even look at your aiptasia.

-Copper band fish are a very good choice for tanks with larger fish such as triggers that may eat shrimp. This is the method I chose for taking care of my aiptasia, he only ate the little ones because he was little,but ill discuss what i did to take care of the bigger ones. Copper band fish are beautiful to look at in a reef aquarium, so that's why they are the second most popular fish bought for aiptasia control.

-Filefish- This fish is much better at eating aiptasia than copper bands, but they aren't always the prettiest things. The most popular is the bristle tail filefish. They are relatively cheap and will remove aiptasia and won't let them come back.

Chemical

Chemicals can be a very quick and easy way to burn or melt aiptasia anemones, but there a few drawbacks. I recommend commercial chemicals as the last resort. Some chemicals may be non reef safe, so make sure you check and read the packaging to make sure. Also some chemicals may burn your skin if it comes in contact, so wear gloves and goggles so you minimize the risk of injury.

A few chemicals are:
-Stop aiptasia
-aiptasia X
-Joe's Juice

Home Remedies

What you will need
- syringe
- liquid of choice

- I recommend home remedies unless there are so many, its illogical. Basically what you do is choose a killing agent and take a syringe, fill it and then shoot it into the aiptasia. This is often a good choice because it is reef safe, with a few exceptions, and also its FREEE! Here is a short list of liquids you can choose from
-lemon juice
-boiling water
-kalk paste
-bleach (not reef safe)
-vinegar
-peroxide

What not to do

When hunting aiptasia, please do not do the following
-scrape it, this will only help it spread faster
-be careless with chemicals
-expect overnight results

What I did

When i tried to get rid of aptasia, I went out and bought a copper band fish for my tank, and it did great.......for the little ones. I had big nickel sized aiptasia on my rocks and even on my sand, so what did I do? I decided to break out the epoxy. I kneaded little balls of epoxy and rubbed it over their tentacles, then when they receded, I stuck the balls of epoxy over it, now they will die because lack of food and light. Be careful using this method in small tanks because there may be an ammonia spike due to the dead anemones, do a water change 3 days after this and test for ammonia and nitrates.

Follow these tips and BE PATIENT
Thanks for reading and hope you had good luck!

Jaffy · 04/02/2013, 06:51 PM

Aiptasia X killed a small on one of my rocks completely, but an infant one that I thought I hit good on Friday is now back. I'm thinking of letting it grow a little to get a better injection, it's a pain when really tiny to hit.

phantomg23 · 04/02/2013, 06:52 PM

I just saw your thread lol i was going to post a link to this, dont let it grow too long or else you will have a million of them LOL

Jaffy · 04/02/2013, 07:09 PM

I know lol they're ugly suckers ..good thread here though

phantomg23 · 04/02/2013, 07:21 PM

thanks

Rogue sub · 04/02/2013, 07:46 PM

I used a hyper dermis needle with vinegar with lots of success. The small needle lets you get to the base before they close up and give they a good dose. They all that day.

ipunchgoats · 04/02/2013, 08:44 PM

Lemon juice for me. works great!

Joel_155 · 04/02/2013, 09:44 PM

I wasn't able to get a syringe. I went to my local drug store ( CVS ) and without a prescription they wouldn't give me one. When I swore it was for my reef tank they looked at me even weirder. So it's still a problem in my tank. I'm going to get a file fish

elder luis · 04/02/2013, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel_155

I wasn't able to get a syringe. I went to my local drug store ( CVS ) and without a prescription they wouldn't give me one. When I swore it was for my reef tank they looked at me even weirder. So it's still a problem in my tank. I'm going to get a file fish

Maybe a Copperband can help you

Jaffy · 04/02/2013, 11:26 PM

A syringe comes with aiptasia x

CAPSLOK · 05/09/2013, 10:24 PM

Brief question - presumably the aiptasia would close up if removed from the water (for injecting with a liquid), so I'd want to do it in the tank, correct? Or is it possible to take it out if it is conveniently located on an unattached frag?

Jstdv8 · 05/09/2013, 11:14 PM

Keep in mind copperbands are fairly difficult fish to keep.

Boboli · 05/09/2013, 11:23 PM

3w 445nm laser

MedRed · 05/09/2013, 11:33 PM

What about adding Scats to this list?

Biocubehqi · 05/10/2013, 05:59 AM

If you want a needle go to Walgreens, look up exactly which kinda needle you want, tip size and such, and walk in their like you do it everyday, all they do is scan your I'd and you pay and out the door... Piece of cake, don't go in looking scared or they will think you are a junkie... If they ask what for, but they never did for me, tell them they are for your insulin...

phantomg23 · 05/10/2013, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAPSLOK

Brief question - presumably the aiptasia would close up if removed from the water (for injecting with a liquid), so I'd want to do it in the tank, correct? Or is it possible to take it out if it is conveniently located on an unattached frag?

try to take it out first, and if that doesnt work, take it to the top of the water for easy access

04/02/2013, 06:45 PM	#1
phantomg23 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 624	Aiptasia Control On this thread I will go over various ways to control or completely rid of your aiptasia anemones. I know that most of you know this, but hopefully someone learns something from this. I just got through my invasion.There's probably a thread like this out there but whatever. Feel free to comment your success stories or questions. Natural Remedies -Peppermint shrimp are probably the most common ways to rid of aiptasia anemones. Peppermint shrimp are sold at most local fish stores. The price is usually anywhere from 5-15 dollars per shrimp depending on size, i would recommend going for the smaller shrimp, they can get into hard to reach places. Beware when buying though, as many other species like camelback shrimp are sold as peppermint shrimp, make sure they are true breeding peppermints or else they will not even look at your aiptasia. -Copper band fish are a very good choice for tanks with larger fish such as triggers that may eat shrimp. This is the method I chose for taking care of my aiptasia, he only ate the little ones because he was little,but ill discuss what i did to take care of the bigger ones. Copper band fish are beautiful to look at in a reef aquarium, so that's why they are the second most popular fish bought for aiptasia control. -Filefish- This fish is much better at eating aiptasia than copper bands, but they aren't always the prettiest things. The most popular is the bristle tail filefish. They are relatively cheap and will remove aiptasia and won't let them come back. Chemical Chemicals can be a very quick and easy way to burn or melt aiptasia anemones, but there a few drawbacks. I recommend commercial chemicals as the last resort. Some chemicals may be non reef safe, so make sure you check and read the packaging to make sure. Also some chemicals may burn your skin if it comes in contact, so wear gloves and goggles so you minimize the risk of injury. A few chemicals are: -Stop aiptasia -aiptasia X -Joe's Juice Home Remedies What you will need - syringe - liquid of choice - I recommend home remedies unless there are so many, its illogical. Basically what you do is choose a killing agent and take a syringe, fill it and then shoot it into the aiptasia. This is often a good choice because it is reef safe, with a few exceptions, and also its FREEE! Here is a short list of liquids you can choose from -lemon juice -boiling water -kalk paste -bleach (not reef safe) -vinegar -peroxide What not to do When hunting aiptasia, please do not do the following -scrape it, this will only help it spread faster -be careless with chemicals -expect overnight results What I did When i tried to get rid of aptasia, I went out and bought a copper band fish for my tank, and it did great.......for the little ones. I had big nickel sized aiptasia on my rocks and even on my sand, so what did I do? I decided to break out the epoxy. I kneaded little balls of epoxy and rubbed it over their tentacles, then when they receded, I stuck the balls of epoxy over it, now they will die because lack of food and light. Be careful using this method in small tanks because there may be an ammonia spike due to the dead anemones, do a water change 3 days after this and test for ammonia and nitrates. Follow these tips and BE PATIENT Thanks for reading and hope you had good luck!

05/09/2013, 11:33 PM	#14
MedRed Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,035	What about adding Scats to this list? __________________ 60 Gallon Current Solana XL 24x24x24 Cube: SPS/LPS/NPS/Softie/Invert Reef Candy Basslet Pair Showcase \| Minimalist Aquascape

04/02/2013, 06:51 PM	#2
Jaffy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 175	Aiptasia X killed a small on one of my rocks completely, but an infant one that I thought I hit good on Friday is now back. I'm thinking of letting it grow a little to get a better injection, it's a pain when really tiny to hit.

04/02/2013, 06:52 PM	#3
phantomg23 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 624	I just saw your thread lol i was going to post a link to this, dont let it grow too long or else you will have a million of them LOL

04/02/2013, 07:09 PM	#4
Jaffy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 175	I know lol they're ugly suckers ..good thread here though

04/02/2013, 07:21 PM	#5
phantomg23 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 624	thanks

04/02/2013, 07:46 PM	#6
Rogue sub Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Ny Posts: 76	I used a hyper dermis needle with vinegar with lots of success. The small needle lets you get to the base before they close up and give they a good dose. They all that day.

04/02/2013, 08:44 PM	#7
ipunchgoats Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: stuck in ohio Posts: 16	Lemon juice for me. works great!

04/02/2013, 09:44 PM	#8
Joel_155 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 1,402	I wasn't able to get a syringe. I went to my local drug store ( CVS ) and without a prescription they wouldn't give me one. When I swore it was for my reef tank they looked at me even weirder. So it's still a problem in my tank. I'm going to get a file fish

04/02/2013, 11:26 PM	#10
Jaffy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 175	A syringe comes with aiptasia x

05/09/2013, 10:24 PM	#11
CAPSLOK Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 308	Brief question - presumably the aiptasia would close up if removed from the water (for injecting with a liquid), so I'd want to do it in the tank, correct? Or is it possible to take it out if it is conveniently located on an unattached frag?

05/09/2013, 11:14 PM	#12
Jstdv8 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wasilla, Alaska Posts: 1,420	Keep in mind copperbands are fairly difficult fish to keep.

05/09/2013, 11:23 PM	#13
Boboli Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: The streets of Bakersfield Posts: 393	3w 445nm laser

05/10/2013, 05:59 AM	#15
Biocubehqi Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Illinois Posts: 777	If you want a needle go to Walgreens, look up exactly which kinda needle you want, tip size and such, and walk in their like you do it everyday, all they do is scan your I'd and you pay and out the door... Piece of cake, don't go in looking scared or they will think you are a junkie... If they ask what for, but they never did for me, tell them they are for your insulin...