Need Recommendations: Unwanted Aptaisa in sump/refuge

[globaldesigns]

Well my Display Tank is aptaisa free, as I do nuke the odd one I find. I have noticed quite a colony of them on one of my bubble traps in my sump/refuge.

They are in a place where it isn't easy to get at them, amongst the tube worms, sponges, snails and other critters I do want, but there are quite a few of them. I am not worried about them going into the display, but do want to get rid of them.

Since I cannot easily inject them with Kalk paste, what critters can I buy to do the job. I was thinking of some peppermint shrimp, but they may get snagged by one of the many pumps.

Any thoughts! Or am I just being fussy... As I said, the display is doing well, should I just leave them to help clean the water in the sump?

[Murminator]

I'm tagging on I have the same problem none in the display but my sump and overflow have a bunch

[Buzz]

If they aren't hurting anything and not going to spread to a undesirable location I would just leave them. I read a post on another forum where someone was looking to add some to his sump as they are supposed to be good filters.

[naesco]

You are being fussy.
Don't risk harming other critters in your tank or introducing an aptaisia eater that will starve when she eats the few remaining in your sump.

[Zoaelite]

You are being fussy.
Don't risk harming other critters in your tank or introducing an aptaisia eater that will starve when she eats the few remaining in your sump.

+1, they make great filter feeders and if they are out of the display tank I would just let them grow.

[JonT]

+1, they make great filter feeders and if they are out of the display tank I would just let them grow.

+1 =2?


They are right where you want them. By them being there, that is an indication you have "food" going through the sump. By them being there, they are removing that "food" from the system. There are setups that use these and other "pests" as natural filtration. Until the day they start to take over the display tank, I wouldn't worry about it. Perhaps stick a couple peppermint shrimp in the display to help if any show up.

[globaldesigns]

Thanks everyone... I will take the advice and leave them alone.

[fkshiu]

I'm of the opposite view. You've got a bit of a ticking time bomb if you allow aiptasia to thrive in your sump. Since they constantly clone themselves and reproduce eventually some aiptasia will be sucked up your return pump and into your display.

Since they are in your sump, you've got more options to get rid of them there assuming you aren't keeping any corals down there. Pick up a couple of reef unsafe camel shrimp and they'll go to town on the aiptasia.

On the zeovit forums, I think, this was a technique someone stumbled onto to get rid of aiptasia: place aiptasia covered rock in sump with camel shrimp then remove the rock as soon as they were done eating the aiptasia but before they started to snack on any corals on the rock.

[naesco]

I'm of the opposite view. You've got a bit of a ticking time bomb if you allow aiptasia to thrive in your sump. Since they constantly clone themselves and reproduce eventually some aiptasia will be sucked up your return pump and into your display.

Since they are in your sump, you've got more options to get rid of them there assuming you aren't keeping any corals down there. Pick up a couple of reef unsafe camel shrimp and they'll go to town on the aiptasia.

On the zeovit forums, I think, this was a technique someone stumbled onto to get rid of aiptasia: place aiptasia covered rock in sump with camel shrimp then remove the rock as soon as they were done eating the aiptasia but before they started to snack on any corals on the rock.

What happens to the couple of camel shrimp when they finish eating the aiptasia?
Also don't you mean peppermint shrimp? I know they eat aiptasia and you can put them in your main tank. I was not aware that camel shrimp eat aiptasia.

[intarsiabox]

If you want to get rid of them you could try sucking up a little kalk paste in some air line tubing that will reach far enough and then gently blow the paste onto the aiptasia and they will suck it in. Basically same idea as using a long syringe.

[parkinsn]

What happens to the couple of camel shrimp when they finish eating the aiptasia?
Also don't you mean peppermint shrimp? I know they eat aiptasia and you can put them in your main tank. I was not aware that camel shrimp eat aiptasia.

Last time I checked the diet of a peppermint shrimp wasn't solely aiptasia. So worrying about them not surviving long term is not an issue. If you are that concerned about them long term throw them up to the DT when they have done their job in the sump. Im with fkshiu, I would throw a few pep. shrimp in the sump and when they do what they need to do throw them in the DT or back to the LFS

[globaldesigns]

Last time I checked the diet of a peppermint shrimp wasn't solely aiptasia. So worrying about them not surviving long term is not an issue. If you are that concerned about them long term throw them up to the DT when they have done their job in the sump. Im with fkshiu, I would throw a few pep. shrimp in the sump and when they do what they need to do throw them in the DT or back to the LFS

That is what I thought of doing, but with all the pumps I have going. 1 return, 3 reactors, 3 on the skimmer (ReCIRC), most likely they will get zapped by on of them. At $10-12 bucks a piece, it can get costly.

Hmmm, what to do? I have blown some Kalk paste on them, will see what this does. Then look at other solutions. I was going to leave them, but again, don't want them in the DT.

[parkinsn]

You could set up a egg crate baffle on the bubble trap, alternating the egg crate to create smaller holes that the shrimp cant make it through without restricting flow. Let the peppermints do what they have to do and deal with them later.

Also, Im not too sure they would get sucked into a pump they may have small brains but they are smarter than that. I have had various shrimp in the past go down my overflow into the sump. I fished them out months later when I cleaned the sump as I thought they were dead. (trigger and dotty back were not so nice to small shrimp) Its a gamble but I bought 15 peppermints from RC and got a good deal on them for buying quantity.

[fkshiu]

No, I actually mean camel shrimp. It was an article I saw on the zeovit forums that I can't seem to find now. They placed a piece of live rock infested with aiptasia but also encrusted with some coral. Camel shrimp are know to be reef unsafe because they will actively pick at corals causing coral death. However (the article noted) that the camel shrimp ate the aiptasia first. The rock was then quickly removed before the shrimp got a chance to attack the coral. They tried this with a few other rocks and the same pattern emerged.

At the end of the day, since it's in the sump you could use either peppermints or camel shrimp. The bottom line is that you should deal with the aiptasia before they have a chance to spread to the display tank. The shrimp will simply scavenge whatever else is in the sump when the aiptasia are gone. Throw in a bit of mysis every few days, for example.

[Jeff_]

The other choice is put in a UV sterilizer on the return pump line (depending on the flow) so any aiptasia clones don't make it through into the Display. I remember an article a while back where the tank had a cryptic filtration zone (no light) and they had a UV sterilizer to get rid of the budding aiptasia. Apparently they make pretty good filters just like sponges.

[Beccadawn]

Tagging along, I have the same problem..... but they've managed to get into the sump & the 2nd refugium/seahorse display tank on the same level. I have a feeling I helped with that though by moving rocks around, but none thus far in the main display tank. So far only little tiny ones all over the glass.

[globaldesigns]

Update:

K, I am not taking a chance and bought 6 peppermints from Kevin @ Red Coral... Thanks again Kevin!

Kevin brings in peppermints that do eat the unwanted critters, he will even show you before you buy... So hopefully these guys don't get sucked into pumps and can do their job.

Oh Yeah!!! One is about to have babies, so yippee!

[The Grizz]

Hey Rick, how much were the pep's at RC I need a few to get rid of some unwanted in my DT.

[othicx]

same here :)

[globaldesigns]

Well what a waste of money!!!!

Already found 2 peppermint shrimp in my skimmer intake pump. I can't see the other 4, maybe they are alive... But who knows!

No shrimp hovering around the aptaisa, so I think this isn't going to work. the fact I can't see them is maybe telling me they got sucked into my NP BioPellet Reactors (I have 3 of them).

That was a waste of money!!!!

[gsar]

That sucks.

I had the same problem with the aiptasia in my sump but the peppermints worked for me. I put them in the refugium where it was the worst and screened off the section where my skimmer and return pump are so they couldn't get in there.

I didn't feed them anything so they had to eat the aiptasia. Once they were done I moved them to the display tank.

It's not a sure thing i guess.

[globaldesigns]

As of today, I can only see one peppermint shrimp, $75 bucks worth of shrimp gone. Zapped by pumps.

Any other ideas besides Kalking the unwanted aptasia. I can see new ones... About ready to give up on this, none in the Display yet.

Any ideas?

[Madreefer]

Build one of those zappers. They work good. In the DYI section.