Aptasia control - shrimps and slugs unavailable

[AnotherGoldenTeapot]

The shrimp L. wurdemanni and the nudibranch that eat aprasia are not available in New Zealand.

For them to become available someone has to fork out about $200US to apply to have them approved for import - there's no guarantee they would be allowed even having paid this money.

I'm sure fish like the copper banded butterfly are not going to be reef safe (am I wrong?).

I have a small population of aptasia - it gets bigger each time I try to eradicate it.

I've tried a blow-torch and Salifert's aptasia killer. Neither work.

I've seen it suggested that burning them with Kalk works.

I'm considering using a two-part epoxy to fill in the holes they live in.

Who uses a non-biological form of control that *really* works?

 

[chris_h]

I have never had luck with non-biological methods of controling them, but I have a biological way to eradicate them without using shrimps or slugs. Simply place a mushroom polyp so that is is touching the anemone and leave it there for a while. The anemone stops opening up until it dies and very little harm if any is done to the mushroom polyp. I completly eradicated a 30 gallon tank using this method.

There is another more obvious way to control them. Feed your tank in a way that the anemones dont get any food dropping on them. You might be able to acomplish this by floating the food on the surface for the fish to eat instead of sinking it. By not feeding them, you wont kill them but you will greatly slow their growth.

 

[tazdevil]

Chris, if I'm reading this right, mushroom anenomes will win the war over aiptasia? I have a small pop. of aiptasia now, and have some peppermint shrimp, but would like to add mushrooms to the tank and am worried about both the shrimp and the aiptasia with this, safe or not??

 

[chris_h]

Yes, in my experience the mushrooms have no trouble winning. But my mushrooms are thriving and if the mushroom are unhealthy to start with it might not work as well.

 

[gerowe]

I've used Copperbands as a control in 2 different tanks and they have never bothered any corals even after all the aiptasia have been eaten. This is the only form of control that has worked for me. The Butterfly is also IMO a great fish. They will, however, eat tube worms.

George

 

[AnotherGoldenTeapot]

I have a recollection that I read that a copperband might see my clam as a tasy treat.

Are they clam safe too?