Aptasia

[dont know jack]

We have a terrible case of Aptasia, it has taken over the tank and is on all live rocks as well as growing from the sand, inverts and glass...

We plan on moving fish & inverts to hospital tank while trying to get rid of the Aptasia.

Any suggestions on how to kill all Aptasia with one tank treatment without killing the live rock.

We were told Copper is the solution; Has anybody done it this way?

Don't Know Jack

[Der_Iron_Chef]

If you use copper in a tank with live rock, you'll ruin your live rock! For SURE!

Have you tried introducing anything that will eat the aiptasia? Many have tried peppermint shrimp with success, as well as a copper banded butterfly (although they're not always reef safe for your corals).

You can always get some Joe's Juice or Kalk paste and go to town on them with a syringe....but I'd try a peppermint shrimp (or two) first.

[Reefer Rob]

I used the small pointy syringe that was in an old Salifert KH test kit to inject kalk paste into them. They haven't been back yet. Just don't do too many at once, or you may cause a PH spike.

[Dragonsteeth]

Here is a treatment.
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/aptasia.htm
I have no experience with this. Good luck.

[draco]

JOES JUICE works every time

[Todd]

I have not tried Joes Juice, but have heard that it works for some, not for others. I have also heard that it is essentially Kalk paste. But Again, I have no experience with Joes Juice.

I battled mine by injecting them with boiling hot RO/DI water causing them to release their foot, I would then suck up the bodies into the syringe. I then added a peppermint shrimp. Although you may never see the shrimp he does a great job of getting the small ones, but I have found he wont touch the biggins.

[Chaloupa]

I have had 3 tanks with aiptasia...my 150g, 14g, and 65g...I added Peppermint shrimp to each tank and now have no aiptasia, in the 14g it was most dramatic because it had LOTS, we added 2 Peps, came back to work 2 days later as this tank is in my office and the aiptasia were completely gone, even teenie tiny ones...and they are a nice addition to the tank anyways. I'd try that first as I had no luck with joe's juice, boiling water, vinegar etc.

[kwirky]

yeah I think if you have lots, introducing an animal that will eat it is the best choice. that way you don't run the risk of causing weird stuff happening in your tank from various chemicals being added.

heard if you go with the peppermint shrimp method, you gotta add at least four so that you have the highest chance of getting at least one that develops a taste for it

[DJKoop]

My son had a very bad case of them in his tank. A 35 gal. and they had covered everything, a giant carpet. He picked up a Racoon Butterfly and within 3 weeks they were almost completely gone.

[PoonTang]

Get some peppermint shrimp or a copper banded butterfly fish. They both love eating aptasia.

[EmilyB]

I bought 10 peppermint shrimp. They haven't touched a single one...:twised:

[dont know jack]

thanx for all your suggestions, but I don't think you understand how much aptaisa has develpoed I'd need 100 pepermint shrimp and 40 copperbands or a 5 gallon bucket of joe's juice. I've used the juice with little success and for some reason I seem to have more now then before I started treatment.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Well, for starters lets address what is making them grow so fast, I'd say you are probably WAY over feeding, cut way back on the food. Copper is not the way to go unless you want to toss all your live rock and buy a new tank, the copper will stay in the silicone and leach out slowly so the tank will not be suitable for corals ever.
There are two shrimp commonly sold as peppermint, one is a true peppermint, the other isn't, don't remember which is which, I bought 4 peppermints from J&L and put two in my 60 and two in my 10 gallon tank, I only had a couple aptasia in each but the peppermint shrimp ate them all right away. If you decide to go with a copper band perhaps you should consider not feeding it, I've never tried a copper band so I don't know how likely it will eat them out of hunger.

Doug

[Johnny Reefer]

....
There are two shrimp commonly sold as peppermint, one is a true peppermint, the other isn't, don't remember which is which, ....
Lysmata wurdemanni is the true one.
Lysmata californica is the imposter.

[PoonTang]

The trick with a copper band butterfly is not getting it to eat aptasia but feeding it when the aptasia is all gone. you can get them to eat food but it is difficult, Mysis seems to have the best success. You need lots of rock as they are rock pickers. They will also nibble at some LPS corals.

Well, for starters lets address what is making them grow so fast, I'd say you are probably WAY over feeding, cut way back on the food. Copper is not the way to go unless you want to toss all your live rock and buy a new tank, the copper will stay in the silicone and leach out slowly so the tank will not be suitable for corals ever.
There are two shrimp commonly sold as peppermint, one is a true peppermint, the other isn't, don't remember which is which, I bought 4 peppermints from J&L and put two in my 60 and two in my 10 gallon tank, I only had a couple aptasia in each but the peppermint shrimp ate them all right away. If you decide to go with a copper band perhaps you should consider not feeding it, I've never tried a copper band so I don't know how likely it will eat them out of hunger.

Doug

[briansmyth]

http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=31136

This previous thread has some pretty good opinions and ideas, I think.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

So, perhaps if your aiptasia invasion is so severe, you need to take really drastic measures. They ARE anemones, and require light, no? What about removing any corals from the rock structure and putting the rock in a dark bin with heater and circulation? Would't the aiptasia die off?

Seems pretty invasive/disruptive, but perhaps it would work? Anyone care to chime in?