Battling Aiptasia

[TwistedPharaoh]

Reefing community, been doing things for quite some time and i've got to a point where I'd rather find balance instead of using aiptasia x to fend them off. I know there are many solutions to ridding them, I'd like to stick with a natural means of control and everything I have attempted has not been successful.

I have attempted to use peppermint shrimp, every one I have bought over the years has been killed by my pistol shrimp(bought multiple at a time). I have tossed around the idea of getting a filefish, however I do not want my zoas to be part of that menu. I have found the Berghia Nudibranchs can be an effective way, unfortunately I do not want my possum wrasse to be on the menu either or the nudis to be on my flame hawks menu. I have considered trying to get another copperband, I had poor luck with my first one trying to get him to eat. (I was aware of their special diet requirements but still didnt have luck with it. Maybe try again??)

I have a 73 gallon system (reefer 350) that has been running for about 2 years now. My mixed reef is stable with vibrating coral coloration and healthy growth from all my corals. The aiptasia just seem to have a head near about every one of the corals where they are becoming a tyrant in the tank preventing further growth. I know aiptasia eradication is not the goal as they are in my overflow too but I'd like to find a way to neutralize the effects with natural balance rather than chemically. I will most likely take the route of removing the pistol shrimp and relocating it to another one of my display tanks, I figured I'd hear from other's experiences or point of view before disrupting the live rock in order to catch the pistol shrimp.

Thanks in advance: I will list my livestock to help find any light of possibly with current tank inhabitants that I may be overlooking:

- Yellow belly regal tang
- tomini tang
- purple tang
- foxface
- pair of clowns
- possum wrasse
- lunar wrasse
- purple dottyback
- flame hawk
- pistol shrimp
- 2 feather dusters
- various snails and crabs for cuc

Happy Reefing

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Berghia nudibranchs worked very well for me, so that's always my first reccomendation. Since you can't keep berghia or peppermint, I'd recommend to remove the predators ( peps - pistol shrimp; nudibranchs - wrasse and flame hawk). Whichever is easier for you should work. I have never tried peps though, so I can't tell you how well they eradicate aiptasia. Also, peps have other food sources than aiptasia, so they won't starve out like berghia do. Berghia however do find their way into sumps; especially when their food source is low. If all the water that goes into the sump goes through something like a filter sock, I can't imagine anything going into the sump then. So if you are sure the berghia won't be able to get into the sump, then I'd go for the peppermint shrimp. Just my 2 cents.

 

[TwistedPharaoh]

Yeah I have two socks the water first runs through before the rest of the sump. The reason I haven't committed to just doing the peps is i've heard from quite a few that they only will feed on the smaller/new aiptasia and wont touch the larger heads. I don't have any experience with them which is why I'm looking for some answers. Reefing doesnt have the one size fits all method lol

 

[exnisstech]

Peppermint and CBB keep my aiptasia confined to the overflows in all 3 tanks. CBB can be difficult to get eating. I like to place them in a more natural setting away from any other fish that will compete for food. IME they do not do well being placed directly in the DT with other fish and sterile settings with pvc causes too much stress. The rock I keep with them also has life on it for them to feed on temporarily. This is mine I'm working with now. Day 11 and eating PE mysis, live black worms and earth worms.

 

[thedon986]

Could try either Reef Delete or Majano Wand. I have the wand and it works if you use it right and long enough on the anemone. Either of these will take a while to chip away at a large infestation, but they are good tools to have in the long term as well.

 

[TwistedPharaoh]

Could try either Reef Delete or Majano Wand. I have the wand and it works if you use it right and long enough on the anemone. Either of these will take a while to chip away at a large infestation, but they are good tools to have in the long term as well.

I'll look into it, I try to steer away from chemically treating the tank. I'd like to find a natural predator to feed on them if possible.

 

[TwistedPharaoh]

Peppermint and CBB keep my aiptasia confined to the overflows in all 3 tanks. CBB can be difficult to get eating. I like to place them in a more natural setting away from any other fish that will compete for food. IME they do not do well being placed directly in the DT with other fish and sterile settings with pvc causes too much stress. The rock I keep with them also has life on it for them to feed on temporarily. This is mine I'm working with now. Day 11 and eating PE mysis, live black worms and earth worms.

When you first got your CBB what did you get to make it eat? I take it that your CBB has grown to feed on pellets and worms.

 

[thedon986]

I'll look into it, I try to steer away from chemically treating the tank. I'd like to find a natural predator to feed on them if possible.

The reef delete is basically an overpowered UV flashlight that melts them, and the majano wand I believe works by sending a low voltage current into the wand where positive and negative are separated and it turns the H2O molecules in the aiptasia to oxygen and hydrogen and kind of explodes their cell walls. Neither is a chemical but I think the wand releases hydrogen peroxide or something close to it into the water, but that dissipates. The bubbles do make my arm itch if enough of them hit it.

 

[exnisstech]

When you first got your CBB what did you get to make it eat? I take it that your CBB has grown to feed on pellets and worms.

They are not a fish to be dumped in a display and hope they eat IME. Post 4 above is the environment I set up. No sterile pvc etc. No other fish to compete. I like to start with live black worms just to get them some eating something and stay healthy. I start introducing mastick spread on a rock. I also gut load brine shrimp with spiralina powder and feed them. I start adding PE mysis which mine have taken too. My main goal is to get them fat and healthy feeding whatever they will eat before trying to transition them to the food I normally feed the tank. I would love if they would eat pellet or flake but I've had one over two years and it will still only eat live or frozen. But it's eats frozen great and competes with the tangs. I mix pellet in with the frozen and if the CBB gets one she just spits it out.

 

[TwistedPharaoh]

The reef delete is basically an overpowered UV flashlight that melts them, and the majano wand I believe works by sending a low voltage current into the wand where positive and negative are separated and it turns the H2O molecules in the aiptasia to oxygen and hydrogen and kind of explodes their cell walls. Neither is a chemical but I think the wand releases hydrogen peroxide or something close to it into the water, but that dissipates. The bubbles do make my arm itch if enough of them hit it.

Interesting, just watched videos on both. Never heard of them before, learn something new everyday. They appear to be work as you describe... only problem is I personally don't want to be the ones to continue battling them and let someone else take the job lol

 

[thedon986]

Interesting, just watched videos on both. Never heard of them before, learn something new everyday. They appear to be work as you describe... only problem is I personally don't want to be the ones to continue battling them and let someone else take the job lol

lol yeah. I tried berghia and I think my wrasse ate them. I tried peppermints and they ate some but they always die relatively shortly in a few months. I tried a CBB but it lived two days and then started swimming upside down and passed. I almost got a filefish but between the possible coral eating and strong flow I backed down. The wand has been the only thing to work so far. Also F Aiptasia works well but not for anemones on the side of rocks or under an overhang.

 

[SaltyWalty]

Have you considered Australian stripey I’ve heard people having good luck with them taking out aptasia, and being less likely to eat corals.
I’ve also had experience using file fish and found they tend to go after the aptasia and once it is all gone then start targeting corals, however they are easy enough to catch you can just remove them once the job is done.
As far as CBB I would just suggest getting it form a credible source where it has been treated and is already accustom to tank life. Marine collectors is a solid place to get a really well sourced fish.

 

[DHK-BHWNJ]

My juvenile Stripey decimated my aptasia issue in two weeks.

 

[TwistedPharaoh]

My juvenile Stripey decimated my aptasia issue in two weeks.

I would love if you could find one in stock somewhere lol. I’ve kept an eye out but from what I saw nobody can get them right now.