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View Full Version : Aiptasia control methods - Poll


asylumdown
06-27-2013, 08:32 PM
There are a myriad of products out there that can/claim to control aiptasia. This poll is to find out what methods people have employed to successfully and permanently eradicate aiptasia from a system, and which methods they've tried but failed. The criteria: The top part of the list is all the methods that have worked for you, the bottom is for all the things that you've tried but experienced failure. Only check 'success' if the listed method has actually led to the complete removal of aiptasia from a system. No more. Gone. Temporarily reducing their numbers for a time but needing ongoing re-application by the aquarist doesn't count, so please also make sure you've given each of the listed methods enough time to know if they've worked or not. If you've managed to eliminate aiptasia from a display using one of the fish listed but they're still present in a sump/overflows, I would also count that as a 'success', as the aquarist no longer needs to intervene with their time, muscles, or money. In the comments section, please elaborate on how much time, effort, and money the method that worked for you required, and how bad the aiptasia problem was before you achieved 'control'. The last three questions are general questions regarding your experience with aiptasia.

asylumdown
06-27-2013, 08:43 PM
oops, I didn't realize we had a poll section. Perhaps this can be moved there!

ScubaSteve
06-27-2013, 09:11 PM
Combo of aptasia x and Berghia did the tick for me. Haven't seen aptasia in months.

gobytron
06-27-2013, 09:19 PM
you have to mix in some mysis juice (or similar) to initiate the feeding response in the anemone if you want the kalk paste to work.

Reef Pilot
06-27-2013, 09:29 PM
A few years ago, I inherited a tank that had hundreds (maybe thousands) of aiptasia. They were everywhere, even the back glass was totally covered. Got a Copperband, but he didn't touch them. Too many to try any type of injection method.

Then I got a couple Pearlscale Butterflys and they went after the aiptasia like crazy. Even my Copperband then started to join in. It took several months, but they got rid of all the aiptasia (that I could see), except for the ones in the overflow and in the sump (which are still there). The advantage of the Pearlscales is that they leave my corals alone (didn't at first). I have all kinds of softies, LPS and SPS and no problem.

Unfortunately, I have now seen a few aiptasia reappear (I now have 2 tanks, so one Pearlscale in each), and the Pearlscales seem to have got lazy and won't go after them anymore, as when I first got them. However, there aren't a lot of aiptasia (maybe 4 or 5 that I can see), so maybe they are still keeping them under control. I suspect the Pearlscales may have got used to being fed, and their tastes have changed.

I also got some Peppermint Shrimps, but they don't see to be doing anything either. I tried Aiptasia X on a few that I could see and get at. They disappeared for a few days, but then reappeared, in the same spot. So that doesn't seem to work.

If I don't get anymore Aiptasia, I'll be happy, as I can live with just seeing a few in my tank. My overflows and sumps still have then, though, and have not cleaned them out of there yet.

reefme
06-27-2013, 09:34 PM
Tagging along. Aiptasia X - Didn't work/made worse.

Nano
06-28-2013, 12:32 AM
Tropic marin- aiptasia killer worked for me. I had a few when I first set up and it took care of it. I didnt even blast inside of the pests just surrounded them with it and when they came back out the ate it then shriveled up.

gregzz4
06-28-2013, 01:57 AM
I don't think my experience is on a large enough scale to qualify, but I voted anyway
I squirted lemon juice straight from the fridge with an Elos syringe and the few I had never came back
I've also had it work on 2 Mojano

Sneak up on 'em slow so they don't feel you coming, then squirt very quickly dead center and keep squirting 'till they're completely receded
I probably used 5ml per pest

asylumdown
06-28-2013, 05:27 AM
well, this is super unscientific, but so far the results are very interesting. C'mon people, keep voting!

as for my experience:

90 gallon aquarium was over-run with aiptasia. By the time I broke it down, I had probably close to 10,000. I tried:
joe's juice
Aiptasia X
Lemon Juice
One of the strong acids (sulphuric I think)
Peppermint shrimp
Removing every single rock and blowtorching all aiptasia I could see
Aiptasia zapper
epoxy

None worked, either they made the problem worse, or the logistics of it made the method irrelevant to me. For example - watch the videos online of the Aiptasia zapper. The aiptasia that are clearly killed are always in the most convenient locations. If you have even one aiptasia on the underside of a rock you can't reach, or footed deep in a crevice, the device is useless. Same thing with injectables, they only work if you can reach the nem well enough to kill it completely, and more often than not they seem to be located in places where you can't guarantee a complete kill. By the time the problem was extreme enough to break down the whole rock scape, take everything out of the water and blowtorch it, there were so many that there was no way I could get them all without sterilizing everything, and I was right back to where I started a month later. By the time I bought berghia, I already had peppermint shrimp in the tank (which for me didn't eat a single hem), and the berghia didn't work. I can't say for sure why, but I suspect the peppermints ate them. After around $2500 and probably a hundred hours of effort, I broke down the system.

Second tank, aiptasia were introduced by accident. They spread rapidly. I tried to disturb them as little as possible, and when there were around 50-100 visible I ordered 20 berghia nudibranchs. 3 months later there wasn't a single aiptasia in the system. I've been aiptasia free since February. For me this is the method I'd use again, but I'm one person and therefore am an anecdote, so hopefully more people vote and give a better picture of what can work and what clearly doesn't.

gregzz4
06-28-2013, 05:36 AM
Wow, that's a huge amount of pests to deal with
Like I said above, my issue was really small, and I am so glad I cured my rock before throwing it in the DT
This gave me time to inspect it for pests and it served me well

fishoholic
06-28-2013, 01:53 PM
In smaller tanks (60g or less) peppermint shrimp have 100% worked for me, in my larger tanks matted filefish (takes them awhile but usually within a couple of months will get rid of it) and CBB's got rid of the aiptasia. However if the shrimp/filefish or CBB dies the aiptasia starts to come back within a few weeks to a month.

Myka
06-28-2013, 02:36 PM
My vote:

Peppermint shrimp - success (they don't all eat Aiptasia, so adding a few from different sources works better)

Joe's Juice - success

Matted Filefish - success

Kalk paste - success (just killed a few a couple days ago)

Parker
06-28-2013, 03:38 PM
I found it pretty easy to control them in my smaller tanks but once I stepped up to a larger tank it became much more difficult. Manual control was impossible, even with what I considered to be minimal aquascape I just couldn't reach everything.

Matted File Fish solved the problem for me but I went through three of them before I found one that would tackle the. It still took several months for him to start eating them. You have to be patient.

Regards

Madreefer
06-28-2013, 04:09 PM
Alot of stores cant really tell the difference from peppermint shrimps and camelback shrimps. Those with no success with the peppermints might want to take that in consideration. But I voted copperband butterfly for aptasia.

MarkoD
06-28-2013, 06:15 PM
Filefish worked for me. But after removing it. Aptasia came back

kien
06-28-2013, 07:58 PM
I'm currently in the process of culturing Designer and Limited Edition Aiptasia. These are species that you won't find anywhere else and will be highly sought after. Don't be fooled by imitations!

I'll let you know how they turn out! Currently taking pre-orders.

Din Gior
06-28-2013, 08:13 PM
I'm currently in the process of culturing Designer and Limited Edition Aiptasia. These are species that you won't find anywhere else and will be highly sought after. Don't be fooled by imitations!

I'll let you know how they turn out! Currently taking pre-orders.

Are they ok in the mixed reef or do you recommend species only tank?

dino
06-28-2013, 08:47 PM
i waited a while before adding much to the tank to see if i had any tag alongs i did find a couple and i removed that rock completley. thats my only experience with them thankfully

reefme
06-28-2013, 10:07 PM
When people say success is that means permanent? Example matted filefish is present the aiptasia is no where in sight. If filefish is gone and aiptasia came back that mean it not a successful. Aiptasia spreads when they died.

Carandiru
06-28-2013, 10:14 PM
I used aiptasia x it worked and rid my system completely
However you need to be persistent everyday if one pops up during the weeks following the first time you use it on all of the aiptasia in your tank. After about 1 to 2 months I no longer saw any more spawn up in random places. So you really have to tackle it for a while before you ate completely free of aiptasia

Reef Pilot
06-28-2013, 11:47 PM
I used aiptasia x it worked and rid my system completely
However you need to be persistent everyday if one pops up during the weeks following the first time you use it on all of the aiptasia in your tank. After about 1 to 2 months I no longer saw any more spawn up in random places. So you really have to tackle it for a while before you ate completely free of aiptasia
Interesting that Aiptasia X worked for you. Did you have to sometimes treat the same aiptasia more than once before it was gone?

I only tried Aiptasia X once on about 4 different aiptasia. At first I thought I was successful, as I did not see them for a couple days. But then they came back, in the exact same spot. So, I just came to the conclusion that it doesn't work, and didn't try a 2nd treatment. Maybe I was too hasty with that?...

reefme
06-29-2013, 12:18 AM
Interesting that Aiptasia X worked for you. Did you have to sometimes treat the same aiptasia more than once before it was gone?

I only tried Aiptasia X once on about 4 different aiptasia. At first I thought I was successful, as I did not see them for a couple days. But then they came back, in the exact same spot. So, I just came to the conclusion that it doesn't work, and didn't try a 2nd treatment. Maybe I was too hasty with that?...

I tried 4 times with Aiptasia X with the same aiptasia and still doesn't work.

fishytime
06-29-2013, 01:01 AM
Way to go Adam.... I believe you just set the record for most options in a poll...:mrgreen:


Filefish worked to a degree for me.... He also worked on most of my LPS :neutral:

LoJack
06-29-2013, 02:51 PM
I tried Aiptasia-X ... I swear it was counter productive.

I had approx 1000 aiptasia in my tank about 1 week ago. Today I see maybe 100 ... All I did was add a 4" Copperband. I guess I was one of the lucky one, this guy doesn't stop eating them all day. I can see him plucking them off the rocks and outta the sand at all times throughout the day.

I can't call it a success just yet ... maybe he'll get sick of them, maybe they'll mount a come back, but it has been a very dramatic reduction in a very short period of time.

--Tyler

Aquattro
06-29-2013, 02:56 PM
Filefish worked to a degree for me.... He also worked on most of my LPS :neutral:

I've had 4 or 5 of these (suicidal f'ers) and had varying degrees of success. My first one cleaned my 90g of hundreds of aiptasia in a couple weeks. Others were less ambitious, but still did the job. My last one did an ok job, but developed a taste for SPS polyps. Had to go :)

Overall though, I think keeping a nutrient free tank goes a long way in avoiding these pests.

Carandiru
06-30-2013, 06:48 AM
Interesting that Aiptasia X worked for you. Did you have to sometimes treat the same aiptasia more than once before it was gone?

I only tried Aiptasia X once on about 4 different aiptasia. At first I thought I was successful, as I did not see them for a couple days. But then they came back, in the exact same spot. So, I just came to the conclusion that it doesn't work, and didn't try a 2nd treatment. Maybe I was too hasty with that?...

A did apply it once to each aiptasia just above it so it would drip in then it would close and swollel it had a couple of Mojano too. Aiptasia would pop up in other spots. I did apply quite a bit each and turned off wave maker too. I just kept up with them every day spot ones here and there. It seems that if you just let them be more sprout up so you have to be persistent. Eventually no more new sprouts.

Din Gior
07-02-2013, 02:19 AM
I just want to share videos of my copperband eating aptasia:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVzPa4U7Psk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TqqJLXJD-8

lastlight
07-02-2013, 02:51 AM
I woke up in my tent last night on our family camping trip because I'd had a nightmare my aiptasia all came back. This thread must have been on my mind!

ScubaGirl
07-02-2013, 03:23 PM
I tried peppermint shrimp and they MAY have worked but my 2 wrasses had it as a snack within 5 minutes of it being in there. They had a more expensive entre than me that night.

cbrine
09-02-2013, 06:06 PM
Using a 5cc syringe and a 22gauge needle (it was on a small lonely piece of dried LR I had placed maybe a week prior) took out of tank found the side and stuck it there and injected about 2-3cc (mL) of just plain lemon juice. Never came back after that. I have heard if placing dried rock ontop to get then to move to a piece that is easier to remove and then tx that piece.

MrTreat
09-08-2013, 03:17 AM
I tried Aiptasia X and even lemon juice but they were both very time consuming AND you won't ever get 100% of them.

matted filefish loved to eat them!! but he also loved to eat my sea cucumber and nip at corals.

best success came from throwing a few peppermint in the tank! ...they ripped up them aptasias!! I loved watching them tear it up