aptasia

[Salmon King]

Can you control aiptasia with joe juice.I seem to be finding a few everyday and shoot them.Can I erdicate them this way or do I have to get peppermint shrimp as I dont really want these shrimp in my tank.Any opinions appreciated

[surgeonfish]

I'm not sure there is any good way to totally eradicate these pests indefinitely. From my reading, most of the methods only temporarily control them. Once you stop using Joes Juice or get rid of the peppermint shrimp, CCB or Aiptasia Eating Nudibranchs (Berghia verrucicornis) they all come back. Anyone else been able to totally eradicate Aiptasia without them coming back over time?

[Chaloupa]

I have a couple of Peppermints in my 150g as when I first set it up I had quite a few Aiptasia....I have had none show up in the display since I first put them in BUT...I do have them in the sump so I would say they "control" what you can see but that's it...I had NO LUCK at all with Joe's Juice. There is a new product in Duncan that is comparable to Joe's Juice (supposed to be better) being made by a guy there....maybe that's something to try...I've tried many of his reef products and am THRILLED with the products...he isn't a site sponsor so I don't think I can directly name him but PM me if you want to get his name....

[EmilyB]

The correct spelling is aiptasia I believe. That would help people search more efficiently.

[Puff]

i found some aiptasia one day and really wanted to nuke them, but i didnt have time to go buy joe's juice, so i tried concentrated lime juice. i inserted it into the base of the aiptasia from the side and it detached itself from the rock and shrivelled up. i nuked one other as well.

they havent come back, but i did find one recently when redoing my rockwork, but i think it is one that i missed, not one that has sprouted up lately.

i also have a majano anemone, but i just cant bring myself to kill the little guy...he doesnt QUITE look like a majano as well..so its hard for me to kill it cause it's so cool. brown with a BRIGHT green mouth

[Black Phantom]

Lemon juice injected works quite good as well. Just dont go overboard with the juice if you have a small tank as it will throw your PH out.

[danny zubot]

I've had great success with using boiling water and a turkey baster. The hot water melts them with just one squeeze, then you can suck the remains out of the rock at the same time. Never had one come back.

[Salmon King]

Just wondering if you people eradicated them for good with your remidys or is it a daily battle.Do I have to get peppermint shrimp in the end.Any opinions appeciated thanks.ps is there a limit on lemon juice to the point it hurts your tank or no worys with it

[marie]

I have completely eradicated them with peppermint shrimp. The shrimp died last spring and there is still no sign of any aiptasia in my zoa/mushroom tank...now majano anemones on the other hand are evil :twised:

[danny zubot]

Hot water is cheepest, but you are limited to only killing the ones you can reach if ripping the tank appart is not an option. It is perminant if you get all of them.

[saltaddict]

Copper Band Buttefly works best if you have a large tank.

[kwirky]

joe's juice works for me. I make sure I get them while they're real small.

[Geofrog]

I used to use Joe's Juice but found that every week or so they would pop up again. Went with the peppermint shrimp and no sign of the aiptasia. Also, the shrimp tend to hide in the rockwork so I never really see them.

[kwirky]

I don't know if this is why it works, or whether I'm lucky, but I use this method albert explained to me when using joe's juice.

I turn off the tank's pumps and filters for 5 minutes to bring the water stagnant. I make sure the lights are off so nothing gets hot.

I then cover the aiptasia in a little pile of joe's juice so it's completely subsumed in it. It's like this little pyramid like pile of joe's juice completely covering it.

I let it sit like that for 15 minutes with the water stagnant so the joe's juice doesn't get blown away.

Afterwards I use another syringe and suck up the joe's juice pile and I make sure I get all the little bits of aiptasia with it. It kinda disintegrates into little pieces of aiptasia.

After I'm sure I have all the joe's juice and aiptasia bits, then I turn the pumps and lights back on.

And from my experience it's never been a daily battle when using joe's juice. I scour over all new rock and I usually find a little aiptasia polyp before it is even larger than 1/4". I find that aiptasia's quite common from my own experience but it's not a "daily battle." It's more something you have to watch for and be prepared for because I think most people will inevitably experience aiptasia in their tank at one point or another.

I'm kinda uneasy about buying rock from somone getting out of the hobby though. Sometimes somone's getting out of the hobby because certain things they haven't been able to control are just out of hand so they're getting out. I experienced some sub-standard rock from somone "getting out" of the hobby before; got some bad rock covered in aiptasia. Took some drastic measures to deal with it.

[surgeonfish]

i also have a majano anemone, but i just cant bring myself to kill the little guy...he doesnt QUITE look like a majano as well..so its hard for me to kill it cause it's so cool. brown with a BRIGHT green mouth

Puff
I would be nervous about leaving that majano anemone in the tank. Maybe it isn't, but maybe it is and it could cause problems in the future.

[Salmon King]

Kill it.Seen few tanks that were very infested with that.Rather have aiptasia any day,To kill those stick needle with joe juice right into its mouth.

[EmilyB]

Don't have any Joe's around right now, always thought it was just kalk mixed with fish food anyway. Never worked when I used it.

Been moving over some rock for a bit and trying to eliminate the aiptasia before it goes back in. Left it out overnite, put kalk on it, put salt mix on it, put vinegar on it, put it back in the tank. Instant aiptasia.

I've put the rock outside, now a damn chinook, I'm sure the aiptasia will survive....:twised:

[Salmon King]

Joe Juice works everytime for me.I think the trick to it is shoot it in slowly without touching it so it inhales it.

[fishoholic]

I'm not sure there is any good way to totally eradicate these pests indefinitely. From my reading, most of the methods only temporarily control them. Once you stop using Joes Juice or get rid of the peppermint shrimp, CCB or Aiptasia Eating Nudibranchs (Berghia verrucicornis) they all come back. Anyone else been able to totally eradicate Aiptasia without them coming back over time?

I had a peppermint shrimp that did the trick untill anout 6 months after he died and it started comming back. Now I have a CBB that seems to be getting rid of the aiptasia, and I told him he's not allowed to die so I should be aiptasia free forever lol :wink:

[Salmon King]

Copper Band Buttefly works best if you have a large tank.

I would try one buy I have seen to many die.Personally this is one fish I will leave in the ocean