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Aiptasia

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:12 am
by sandym
What's the best way to get rid of this stuff? I tried store bought stuff which the name escapes me right now but it seems to be a temporary fix.

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:18 pm
by strout
You will here different thoughts on this but I had the same problem as you. My LFS told me to get, and sold me a Copper Banded butter fly fish, said it would do the trick. The fish started eating my zoas and polyps, I had to pretty much destroy my tank to get him out. I then got some peppermint shrimp and they are doing a great job. No, they don't get all of them but instead of going thru a bottle of the stuff you buy at the LFS every 3 weeks, I go thru a bottle every three months. I would get some for your tank, and maybe another two for your sump and one or two for your overflow if you have one.

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:40 pm
by lowrider
hey my name is lewis my tank was full of them big to small ones. i mean full so i bought a Copper Banded butter fly fish and boy did he go to work :D :D but he also took out my feather dusters :roll: but its life he was fast about it too he also looks good hope this helps

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:38 am
by rkelley_10
3:1 RO water to kalkwasser mix. This paste has a pH of about 20. Take a syringe with an 18 gauge or less needle or a small pipette and lay some on the plate near the mouth. Be careful not to release too much excess into the tank. The CBB is a huge hit or miss. Remember, fish should be evaluated on an individual basis. Also, IME with peppermint shrimp, they will usually take a month or two to start working on aptasia. They will also conserve some of the population as to insure a consistently available food source.

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:32 am
by Fishfood
I don't know about them conserving them for future food. I had about 4 aptasia in my small tank and joes juice and or kalk mix only took care of 2 of them. It caused one of the others to split into about 3 or 4 new ones. I put a pepermint shrimp in and it took all of them out in a matter of days. Now they were very small ones. The peppermints don't typically go after the really big ones.

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:50 pm
by sandym
Thanks everyone for your help. Peppermint shrimp with the kalk mix I shall try. Maybe both together I can at least keep them under control. I had to catch a misbehaving fish from my tank a few years ago and the only choice is destroying the tank which is not fun so thanks for the tips on the butterfly fish.

Re: Aiptasia

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:09 pm
by rkelley_10
That was only an assumption. I had about 60 aptaisa an. The peppermints leave about 5 or so smaller ones in various places