effective way to kill aiptasia (now with moar lasers!)

globaldesigns · #1 12-09-2011, 08:47 PM

Personally I have always used a syringe and Kalk.

I take about 5ml of water, mix with about 1ml of Kalk and then suck it in the syringe. I turn off all pumps to calm the tank down, then go to work.

If I can actually stab the bugger I do, but if it pulls into the rock, I inject the rock area where it is with the Kalk and then also lay some of the mixture on the surface. It always works for me on the first try everytime.

Once applied I leave the tank calm for about 15 minutes or so, then power everything back up. Kalk will then be lifted and float around to eventually dissapear, but always works. Only catch is that if you have too many pests, then you need to do this in many attempts, as you don't want to add too muck Kalk to the tank.

You can go to shoppers to buy the syringes, I just bought 3 new ones with larger blunt needles for $1.62 incl/GST.

lastlight · #2 12-09-2011, 09:05 PM

Oh I thought you had to actually inject for kalk to work hence me never trying it. Sounds cheaper too so I may give the traditional method a shot if I find any new ones.

daniella3d · #3 12-09-2011, 09:09 PM

I use aiptasia X but it's expensive and they keep coming back. Your tric is good but must be pretty hard to do on the tiny buggers that hide within zoanthids colonies. I hate those with a vengance. They anoy my zoanthids and yet they are so small that they are very hard to kill as they retract too fast. It is also tricky to put aiptasia X or any other stuff in a zoanthid colony, so it is a real bummer. I am thinking of getting a few berghia.

lastlight · #4 12-09-2011, 09:17 PM

Luckilly I can't keep zoas alive for the most part

Hoping a larger playground for my tank means the Kole's harassing grazing will be spread out and they can flourish.

globaldesigns · #5 12-09-2011, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I use aiptasia X but it's expensive and they keep coming back. Your tric is good but must be pretty hard to do on the tiny buggers that hide within zoanthids colonies. I hate those with a vengance. They anoy my zoanthids and yet they are so small that they are very hard to kill as they retract too fast. It is also tricky to put aiptasia X or any other stuff in a zoanthid colony, so it is a real bummer. I am thinking of getting a few berghia.

That I can't comment on, as I have no more zoa's... My hippo tang developed a taste for them and basicaly ate thousands of exotic ones I had. Hence I have no more, except for the odd pest one.

Nudi's work well, I bought 2 for my sump, and they bred. They cleaned up the sump really well. But, they died off, because they had no more food. Time has passed, and some aptaisa have come back in the sump. I don't bother anymore, there are not many, and my DT is clean of them. I just keep on top of things.

Parker · #6 12-10-2011, 12:47 AM

I have a file fish that doesn't eat them, I have peppermint shrimp that don't eat them. I use Kalk paste a well, I coat them and it seems to work.

monocus · #7 12-10-2011, 01:50 AM

i always use berghia-tried peppermint shrimp-never worked,kalk paste or joes juice just released all the daughter cells,injected them with lemon juice.at least the berghia go everywhere and i don't have to do any work

Beverly · #8 12-10-2011, 01:57 AM

I don't think it matters what you inject them with - kalk, vinegar, liquid calcium, strontium - anything that's toxic to them when injected but reef-friendly should do the trick. I inject them when they're small and make sure I inject all the way in. It might take two or three injections to kill them dead so they detach and can be removed from the tank. Powerheads off, of course.

Reef Pilot · #9 12-10-2011, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parker

I have a file fish that doesn't eat them, I have peppermint shrimp that don't eat them.

My tank was totally infested with hundreds of aiptasia,... everywhere.... I got a Copperband, but he wouldn't touch them. Then I got a couple Pearlscales, and after a few weeks, they started to pick at them.

Three months later, you couldn't find any aiptasia in my tank. And what's great also, the Pearlscales taught the Copperband to eat them, too, and he started hunting them as well, and helped clean them out of the deeper holes with his longer beak.

globaldesigns · #10 12-09-2011, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

Oh I thought you had to actually inject for kalk to work hence me never trying it. Sounds cheaper too so I may give the traditional method a shot if I find any new ones.

Me thinks injecting is the best, but I have never had an issue with injecting around and layering on top. I think the key to my success is that I leave the talk calm for a bit, and the pest starts to come back out and injests.

Cheap and effective, give it a try.