Aptasia infestation. How do I handle this?

88rxna · 06/21/2015, 11:35 AM

So I believe I lost the battle to aptasia. Large ones have taken over sump and display. I also have a large amount of gsp that is ruining any chance of growing any other coral in that area. I have a bunch of other rock I can cook and start over to swap but I am not sure how to approach this? I dont want to lose the fish and Coral I already have to "start over". Any good reads on how to do this task? I have a feeling its.going to be a pain.

whosurcaddie · 06/21/2015, 11:40 AM

Have you tried injecting them with kalk paste. It will take some time, but if you stick with the injections you will start to win the battle.

The GSP could always be fragged. It grows in a mat, and its not hard to remove. You just get an exacto knife and cut around a large section and basically peel it off the rock.

itche_scratche · 06/21/2015, 01:07 PM

Copperband butterfly, file fish or bergia nudi

Dkuhlmann · 06/21/2015, 02:48 PM

Buy a small nuclear warhead, place in center of tank, detonate small nuclear warhead, go buy new tank setup

Everything else I was going to say was said soooooo.....

88rxna · 06/21/2015, 02:51 PM

That has crossed my mind!! Lol
I had a file fish. He jumped one night when I forgot to put the screen back on. Maybe ill try another.

whosurcaddie · 06/21/2015, 06:14 PM

Watch the kalk method. You can see they take it in like food and poof they will die. You will need stick with it for any new nem's that pop up but you can win.

robertifly · 06/21/2015, 08:50 PM

1+ for the file fish, he does the work for you while you play! Works wonders and they're kinda neat fish, imo.

DavidinGA · 06/22/2015, 08:39 AM

Matted filefish +1000

killinit123 · 06/22/2015, 08:58 AM

get some berghai nudies and put them in your sump let them reproduce over the course of a month or so down there and then start placing them into your display as long as they have a steady supply of aptasia in your sump they will keep reproducing

steallife904 · 06/22/2015, 09:02 AM

berghai nudies did the trick for me. once the aptasia is gone though they die.

DavidinGA · 06/22/2015, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steallife904

berghai nudies did the trick for me. once the aptasia is gone though they die.

...and then that one tiny little aptasia they missed will then repopulate your entire tank and you'll have to start over with more nudies

Dkuhlmann · 06/22/2015, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidinGA

...and then that one tiny little aptasia they missed will then repopulate your entire tank and you'll have to start over with more nudies

Thus the reason I suggested a nuke and start over

lance1337 · 06/22/2015, 10:47 AM

Copperband Butterflyfish and a team of the correct peppermint shrimp.
I personally wouldn't use a filefish, I've heard too many stories of it eating all the other corals as well as the aptasia. Copperband is a definite win.

cookie851 · 06/22/2015, 10:59 AM

I had an aip attack a little while ago i tried aip x, peppermint shrimps and aip eating file fish none worked. The only true and efficient way is nudi's work a treat. 100% recommend them.

cookie851 · 06/22/2015, 10:59 AM

oh and the file fish pecked at a few corals too.

Dkuhlmann · 06/22/2015, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lance1337

Copperband Butterflyfish and a team of the correct peppermint shrimp.
I personally wouldn't use a filefish, I've heard too many stories of it eating all the other corals as well as the aptasia. Copperband is a definite win.

This is key the Correct peps. Most people end up with the wrong once and why they are so hit or miss. SO how do you tell if you have selected the right ones before you leave the LFS? Or that you will get the right ones when ordering online?

88rxna · 06/22/2015, 11:57 AM

My last file fish was a great addition. I have had a butterfly fish and it did nothing to my aptasia. He just forced me to feed frozen food a lot.

Wesus · 06/22/2015, 12:15 PM

I had luck with peppermint shrimps. Three of them cleaned 57 gal tank

HirshE · 06/22/2015, 12:22 PM

I used kalkwasser, a copper banded butterfly, and peppermint shrimp. The kalkwasser paste for the larger ones and then let the butterfly and peppermint shrimp take care of the rest. I haven't seen one since about 2 weeks after adding the butterfly. My tank was so bad that I was ready to give up and nuke the whole thing.

88rxna · 06/22/2015, 01:51 PM

Out of the two (butterfly and file fish), I like the file fish better. They are so nwat looking. At night he would stay at the surface of the water and he would let me touch him.

ReefSmarts · 06/22/2015, 11:00 PM

Aptaisia is such a pain in the butt! I have done kalkwasser injections when it is a localized spot and I can get to it easy. There was one time where I bought 5 peppermint shrimp and had a 5 gallon tank for them. I would remove a rock with aptaisa and only put that in the tank with them for them to feast on and after a couple times of doing this and not supplement feeding they were monsters and unleashed a fury on my tank like no other in the battle of aptaisa. I also like copperband butterfly fish.

Cosmojo · 06/22/2015, 11:35 PM

berghai nudies

Chaddiusmaximus · 06/23/2015, 12:21 AM

Time! and one predator.

I had a tank with Copperband butterfly. Worked well, but what a pain of a fish! sorry it is very needy.

Had a different tank and tried peppermints. lots of them. started eating my croals!
Tried nudi's in same tank very bad Idea. waste of money and time.

I would suggest one predator, time and under feeding your tank.

"Time and pressure builds mountains and reef tanks."
If only I got this in the heat of the moment.

alton · 06/23/2015, 05:21 AM

In the last ten years I have used Beghia's in three different tanks. One took almost six months to clear out all of the aptasia, but they never came back in any of the three tanks. The only rule I was told when adding Berghia's is no wrasses or Peppermint Shrimp. My last tank it was funny I would wake up and several aptasia's would be on the glass, and by the next morning they where gone. I only add 3 to 4 in a tank, not the 10+ like some advise.

06/21/2015, 11:35 AM	#1
88rxna Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: ludlow,PA Posts: 605	Aptasia infestation. How do I handle this? So I believe I lost the battle to aptasia. Large ones have taken over sump and display. I also have a large amount of gsp that is ruining any chance of growing any other coral in that area. I have a bunch of other rock I can cook and start over to swap but I am not sure how to approach this? I dont want to lose the fish and Coral I already have to "start over". Any good reads on how to do this task? I have a feeling its.going to be a pain. __________________ 90 gallon display, CSC bean animal overflow/30 gallon sump (in basement) SWC 160 skimmer reeflow dart external pump reefkeeper lite a pair of ocean revive S026 led fixtures

06/21/2015, 01:07 PM	#3
itche_scratche Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 58	Copperband butterfly, file fish or bergia nudi __________________ Breathe in Calm... Breathe out Smile ...

06/21/2015, 02:48 PM	#4
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Buy a small nuclear warhead, place in center of tank, detonate small nuclear warhead, go buy new tank setup Everything else I was going to say was said soooooo..... __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

06/21/2015, 02:51 PM	#5
88rxna Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: ludlow,PA Posts: 605	That has crossed my mind!! Lol I had a file fish. He jumped one night when I forgot to put the screen back on. Maybe ill try another. __________________ 90 gallon display, CSC bean animal overflow/30 gallon sump (in basement) SWC 160 skimmer reeflow dart external pump reefkeeper lite a pair of ocean revive S026 led fixtures

06/21/2015, 08:50 PM	#7
robertifly Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Milan, Tn Posts: 867	1+ for the file fish, he does the work for you while you play! Works wonders and they're kinda neat fish, imo. __________________ reefracer Current Tank Info: none

06/21/2015, 11:40 AM	#2
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Have you tried injecting them with kalk paste. It will take some time, but if you stick with the injections you will start to win the battle. The GSP could always be fragged. It grows in a mat, and its not hard to remove. You just get an exacto knife and cut around a large section and basically peel it off the rock.

06/21/2015, 06:14 PM	#6
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Watch the kalk method. You can see they take it in like food and poof they will die. You will need stick with it for any new nem's that pop up but you can win.

06/22/2015, 08:39 AM	#8
DavidinGA Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,393	Matted filefish +1000 __________________ Giant money pit, but it's a happy pit ;) Current tank: 6ft 210gal SPS, 3~eBay led boxes, 4~80w T5's, sro3000int, RW20's, Reef Angel, reactors, pumps, rocks, sand, yadda yadda yadda...

06/22/2015, 08:58 AM	#9
killinit123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: upstate New York Posts: 611	get some berghai nudies and put them in your sump let them reproduce over the course of a month or so down there and then start placing them into your display as long as they have a steady supply of aptasia in your sump they will keep reproducing

06/22/2015, 09:02 AM	#10
steallife904 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 944	berghai nudies did the trick for me. once the aptasia is gone though they die.

06/22/2015, 10:47 AM	#13
lance1337 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 143	Copperband Butterflyfish and a team of the correct peppermint shrimp. I personally wouldn't use a filefish, I've heard too many stories of it eating all the other corals as well as the aptasia. Copperband is a definite win.

06/22/2015, 10:59 AM	#14
cookie851 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 12	I had an aip attack a little while ago i tried aip x, peppermint shrimps and aip eating file fish none worked. The only true and efficient way is nudi's work a treat. 100% recommend them.

06/22/2015, 11:57 AM	#17
88rxna Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: ludlow,PA Posts: 605	My last file fish was a great addition. I have had a butterfly fish and it did nothing to my aptasia. He just forced me to feed frozen food a lot. __________________ 90 gallon display, CSC bean animal overflow/30 gallon sump (in basement) SWC 160 skimmer reeflow dart external pump reefkeeper lite a pair of ocean revive S026 led fixtures

06/22/2015, 12:15 PM	#18
Wesus Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Cromwell, CT Posts: 104	I had luck with peppermint shrimps. Three of them cleaned 57 gal tank

06/22/2015, 12:22 PM	#19
HirshE Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 24	I used kalkwasser, a copper banded butterfly, and peppermint shrimp. The kalkwasser paste for the larger ones and then let the butterfly and peppermint shrimp take care of the rest. I haven't seen one since about 2 weeks after adding the butterfly. My tank was so bad that I was ready to give up and nuke the whole thing.

06/22/2015, 01:51 PM	#20
88rxna Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: ludlow,PA Posts: 605	Out of the two (butterfly and file fish), I like the file fish better. They are so nwat looking. At night he would stay at the surface of the water and he would let me touch him. __________________ 90 gallon display, CSC bean animal overflow/30 gallon sump (in basement) SWC 160 skimmer reeflow dart external pump reefkeeper lite a pair of ocean revive S026 led fixtures

06/22/2015, 11:00 PM	#21
ReefSmarts Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 40	Aptaisia is such a pain in the butt! I have done kalkwasser injections when it is a localized spot and I can get to it easy. There was one time where I bought 5 peppermint shrimp and had a 5 gallon tank for them. I would remove a rock with aptaisa and only put that in the tank with them for them to feast on and after a couple times of doing this and not supplement feeding they were monsters and unleashed a fury on my tank like no other in the battle of aptaisa. I also like copperband butterfly fish.

06/22/2015, 11:35 PM	#22
Cosmojo Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: San Antonio Posts: 350	berghai nudies

06/23/2015, 12:21 AM	#23
Chaddiusmaximus Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 34	Time! and one predator. I had a tank with Copperband butterfly. Worked well, but what a pain of a fish! sorry it is very needy. Had a different tank and tried peppermints. lots of them. started eating my croals! Tried nudi's in same tank very bad Idea. waste of money and time. I would suggest one predator, time and under feeding your tank. "Time and pressure builds mountains and reef tanks." If only I got this in the heat of the moment.

06/23/2015, 05:21 AM	#24
alton Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Zuehl, Texas Posts: 4,460	In the last ten years I have used Beghia's in three different tanks. One took almost six months to clear out all of the aptasia, but they never came back in any of the three tanks. The only rule I was told when adding Berghia's is no wrasses or Peppermint Shrimp. My last tank it was funny I would wake up and several aptasia's would be on the glass, and by the next morning they where gone. I only add 3 to 4 in a tank, not the 10+ like some advise.