can't get rid of aiptasia

[scarf_ace1981]

i've tried everything to get rid of my aiptasia.

1st- kalk worked but they just multiply to quickly

2nd- peppermint shrimp- did nothing but steal food from corals

3rd- CBB doesn't seem to care for them. unless he's eating the ones i don't see. he's been in there for a couple of days so i'm not sure if he will or won't do the job

4th- contemplating aiptasia eating nudis that Ronen can get

all i have to say is don't by an animal to rid yourself of another. it won't work...or has it worked for others?
:Thinking:

 

[Deanos]

Let's go back to the beginning where you say kalk worked. Did you kalk all the aiptasia? Dead aiptasia don't multiply.

 

[jhale]

I use kalk. Once they get hold of your tank they never really go away.
I just had to face facts that killing the little suckers is now part of my tank maintenance.

the sad part is that I did not have them for a long time. they came in on a frag

I agree, the nudi's are the lazy way out, and not fair to the nudi once they deplete the food supply. no matter what the aiptasia will come back, then what? kill more nudi's?

 

[nanoreefer22]

I use kalk. Once they get hold of your tank they never really go away.
I just had to face facts that killing the little suckers is now part of my tank maintenance.

the sad part is that I did not have them for a long time. they came in on a frag

I agree, the nudi's are the lazy way out, and not fair to the nudi once they deplete the food supply. no matter what the aiptasia will come back, then what? kill more nudi's?

Gotta disagree, I was sucessful in getting rid of them. Kalk + Peppermints that actually ate them did the trick.

 

[Zoous]

I read this on Reef Central. What you can do is take out the rock where the aptasia is on. Heat up a paperclip and stick it to the aptasia. He said it was effective. They never come back once this is done.

 

[jhale]

Gotta disagree, I was sucessful in getting rid of them. Kalk + Peppermints that actually ate them did the trick.

well that's good news to me.
I don't want to put shrimps in my tank, trigger, so I'll just keep kalking.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Experience with couple CBBs is that you should have to see them eat the aptasia first before purhcase, because they will prefer other food over aptasia such as small worms and so. I never seen them eating big ones either. If your CBB is spoiled to begin with then tough luck. Most vendor would try to tease the animal to eat by providing the best food a/v then no time re-train them back to the more convenient food, not to mention there may not be any aptasia in the selling tanks. I guess same goes for other animals your are thinking of getting.

Therefore, if you trade out your CBB and plans to get another one, try to get one from a member who have actually saw his eating aptasia. I have none now, all mine gone work for other reefers.

Good luck

 

[MDharmony]

what does CBB stand for?

 

[scarf_ace1981]

deanos and jonathan you guys are right i guess i will have to just stay on top of them and kalk them every chance i get. they are so many. i just don't want to kalk so much that it throws my params off. i always like the CBB so it didn't really matter whether it ate aiptasia or not. i thought if it did it would be a plus.

md harmony- CBB= Copperbanded butterfly

 

[jhale]

I agree on the CBB, a small one might be a good choice.

 

[loismustdie]

I agree that it is the lazy way out, but they work. Listen, during my 1st deployment to Iraq, we had the big blackout here. There was nothing my wife could do. I came home to a tank loaded with aptasias. I tried the kalk, but there were too many. I pulled the rock out and burned them, dug them out, did everything short of dipping the rock in boiling water. I won 1 nudibranch in an auction. I'm against buying one animal to control another, but there were too many and I couldn't throw 200 lbs of rock away. 1 nudi cleaned up the tank in about 2 weeks.
With that being said, you also have to figure out what is causing them to grow out of control. What is wrong with your water? Don't say "nothing, my water tests perfect" because if it did, they wouldn't multiply as fast as you say. These things are going to grow in your reef no matter what. They are a part of maintenance. Good water quality low in nutrients will slow their progression to make them manageable.

 

[loismustdie]

Just to throw my disclaimer out there:
I'm not supporting starving one animal to death to control another. It can get it under control for those who have it really bad, but overall if you have a reoccuring epedemic, you should find out what is wrong with your tank before you keep killing these nudis. 1 in a 90 gallon got it done for me. You don't need 3 or 4. Aptasias still pop up in my tank. One or two at a time which is checked with kalk. More nudis should not be wasted. Find out what is wrong with your water. If it is bad enough for aptasias to keep popping up, it may be unsuitable for the delicate nudis.

 

[Deanos]

Aiptasia can flourish in dark if the nutrient level is high enough or in low nutrient water if there's enough light. Kalk them! It may take weeks if you do a couple every opportunity, but I feel it's failsafe.

 

[jhale]

GARFs answer to aiptasia.

The CBB

 

[Deanos]

Find out what is wrong with your water. If it is bad enough for aptasias to keep popping up, it may be unsuitable for the delicate nudis.

Water quality doesn't play a major role in aiptasia growth. They capture food from the water column when nutrient levels are too low for their survival. Also, they can sustain themselves totally on zoox production.

 

[jhale]

Water quality doesn't play a major role in aiptasia growth. They capture food from the water column when nutrient levels are too low for their survival. Also, they can sustain themselves totally on zoox production.

they are the the perfect pest :anger2:

Dean when they get large can they bother fish if they brush up against them? I got rid of some rather large ones, and now I'm wondering if there are more in the caves I have made for the fish.

 

[DEEPWATER]

Yet of not heard away to get to the one that are inbetween rocks ,where fish cant get to....


Jon i have a question for ya ,,,,when geting the psudeo from DVS ,,did you know that they are aggressive ,,im sure you did ,but yet you still putit in ,now its and is killing your tankmates right ,so in the long run ,you also put somethingin your tank ,thinking it wouldnt kill anything ,,,that being said ,,how do you get ones you cant see,,,I have 3 pep shrimp in my tank and nada ,had a CBB in my selling tanks and NADA

But yet you tell ppl to get a CBB and they infact are just as hard ,if not harder to keep then a nudi ,atleast with the nudi i can always give it away or reselll it to someone that needs it ,,,JM .2cent

 

[DEEPWATER]

GARFs answer to aiptasia.

The CBB

^^^ so this is ok ,,
they are a 50/50 chance if not less to survive ,:Thinking:
but a nudi isnt ,hmm :headache:

 

[loismustdie]

Aiptasia can flourish in dark if the nutrient level is high enough or in low nutrient water if there's enough light.

WHAT????
Just to get this straight... it is advised to take a CBB out of the wild, which has a pretty poor survival rate in the aquarium, add it to your tank because it MIGHT control aptasia, but there is an ethical dilemma about taking a captive raised nudibranch (there is a guy on LI who does it. Still in business. I can't remember his company name, but I'm sure Deanos can find his website) to control a pest?

 

[loismustdie]

Water quality doesn't play a major role in aiptasia growth. They capture food from the water column when nutrient levels are too low for their survival.

WHAT???