New method for aiptaisa removal?

[melas]

I was helping a friend with his 120 gallon tank a month ago. He was having trouble with his tank so I offered to help him rebuild his plumbing and reef structure for better flow. He had red cyano really bad as well as a TON of aiptasia. We pulled all of the live rock out and placed it in a clean cement mixing tray (those huge 8" deep abs plastic trays you can get from lowes) that I have for just such a purpose. While I removed all of his old sand from the tank he proceeded to scrub the rock with a dish brush. The live rock sat in the air for approximately 2 hours while we continued to work. It was still damp when we finally returned it to the tank. I had purchased a bottle of Joe's Juice for him. I told him how to use it and left. A week later i asked him how the tank was doing and he said that it was great and that the aiptasia were gone. I couldn't believe it! Now, nearly a month later, there is not a single anemone to be found. I'm not positive but i'm thinking that being exposed to the air for that period of time was enough to kill off the entire population (with no apparent negative effects on the live rock). I thought this was pretty interesting and just wanted to share!

 

[Anonymous]

Hehe, I'm glad for your friend's experience but there is no way on Earth that that's what killed his Aiptasia. They can survive for days unsubmerged.

 

[melas]

interesting. . . hmmm. . . then maybe the vigorous scrubbing out of water? they were definitely killed by the process. There were literally hundreds of individual anemones before we pulled the rock. They never reappeared when the rock was replaced.

 

[Anonymous]

The srubbing of the rock out of water would make more sense, but I kind of doubt that he is truly rid of them. Cells hang on in little nooks and crannies, and 6 months later you have Aiptasia again.

Keep in mind that removing rock from water, scrubbing it, leaving it baking in the sun, and then letting it sit dry for days is basically what ALL live rock goes through on its way over to the US.