Aiptasia control methods - Poll

[asylumdown]

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]

oops, I didn't realize we had a poll section. Perhaps this can be moved there!

[ScubaSteve]

Combo of aptasia x and Berghia did the tick for me. Haven't seen aptasia in months.

[gobytron]

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]

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]

Tagging along. Aiptasia X - Didn't work/made worse.

[Nano]

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]

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]

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]

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