How do you feed corals without aptasia going crazy?

[MarsReefer]

I’m trying to feed my corals reef roids to get better growth but after a month of feeding once a week I’ve gone from 5-6 aptasia to 500+. The aptasia had been previously stable for 6 months with my peppermint shrimp keeping them in check.

I don’t see how feeding could possibly be sustainable like this.

I mix 1tsp of reefroids with some salt water and use a tube to target feed each coral in my 130 gallon tank.

Am I doing something wrong with feeding? How do you feed without destroying your tank?

 

[elysics]

You don't beat aiptasia by starving them (well you could but you'll starve everything else too and aiptasia will probably die last)

You beat them by stocking your tank with things that eat aiptasia. So if the feeding makes aiptasia grow, that's just more food for the fish, shrimp, slugs that eat aiptasia

And you should have gotten those animals when you only had 5-6 aiptasia, not doing that is what you did wrong. How many peppermint shrimp do you have and which ones? But getting them now is still better than getting them later

 

[twentyleagues]

Unfortunately it seems they are a part of reef keeping. It would be great if biological means of control worked well or at all. You have to be proactive in their control manual removal or chemical but obviously this isnt foolproof either. I have never had a peppermint shrimp control aiptasia just like an emerald crab to control bubble algae. Maybe nudis would work but then its possible fish will eat them. In a large enough tank you can get fish that will handle them but if the tank isnt large enough you cant get the fish. If the tank is large enough do you have tasty corals that fish will enjoy. Maddening! I currently have a tank with lfs lr so yeah aiptasia and bubble algae. I have removed most of the corals only rfas currently I added 3 peppermints and 3 emerald crabs none of them have touched either of those pests. Tank is only 30g. I figured I wouldnt be feeding the tank so the biological control units would be faced with eating what they are supposed to eat or starve. They are definitely going the starve route. I saw two of the emeralds eating a peppermint yesterday did the shrimp die or did they catch and eat it? I see them all picking at the rocks but not where the stuff they are supposed to eat is. I guess they will have to get fed (more regularly yes I have fed them once a week I dont want them to die) and returned to lfs, I dont want them in with my lps. Maybe Ill breed berghia to offset the cost of f-aiptasia and a laser thingy, they cant go in my reef my timor would eat them as soon as they are added. Currently manual removal of both because yes its almost inevitable you'll get them in your tank even if you are careful. I was, I cleaned and dipped and cleaned all corals that were transferred. I used all dry rock. Still have a bit of both get transferred over. Weekly spot removal and f-aipstasia use. I find 1 maybe 2 aiptasia weekly and afew small chunks of bubble algae weekly....

 

[dr_vinnie_boombatz]

No personal experience with aiptasia thankfully, have you tried Berghia nudibranchs?

 

[MarsReefer]

Yeah I had aptasia for a while so I got peppermint shrimp from algae barn. They actually cleaned up the tank fairly well. But over time they either got an appetite for fish food or ended up in the sump. I had 6 in my 130 and I only regularly see two these days. It still wasn’t bad until I started reef roids. It went from a few here and there to hundreds everywhere in just two weeks.

I stopped feeding the corals and kalk pasted the ones I could get to without hurting corals. I guess I need to restock shrimp.

I haven’t tried nudis yet since I have a fairy wrasse and that’s an expensive snack. I have all fleshy lps so I haven’t tried a filefish or copperband since I don’t want them eating my corals.

 

[Outlaw Corals]

Yeah I had aptasia for a while so I got peppermint shrimp from algae barn. They actually cleaned up the tank fairly well. But over time they either got an appetite for fish food or ended up in the sump. I had 6 in my 130 and I only regularly see two these days. It still wasn’t bad until I started reef roids. It went from a few here and there to hundreds everywhere in just two weeks.

I stopped feeding the corals and kalk pasted the ones I could get to without hurting corals. I guess I need to restock shrimp.

I haven’t tried nudis yet since I have a fairy wrasse and that’s an expensive snack. I have all fleshy lps so I haven’t tried a filefish or copperband since I don’t want them eating my corals.

Bro, before you go out and waste more money and time buying different critters and methods to get rid of that stuff just get yourself a Australian stripy and depending on the size of your tank, it will be all gone within 3 to 7 days. Guaranteed.

 

[tbrown]

Have you tried shutting off the flow and spot feeding the corals instead of broadcast feeding the tank?

 

[Formulator]

I’m not sure feeding the reef roids is the culprit in the way you think it is. Aiptasia always explode like that when left unchecked. I suspect the reef roids are giving the shrimp full bellies and they no longer have a desire to deal with the hassle of feeding on the aiptasia. For an infestation like you have now, you will need berghia nudibranch or an aiptasia eating file fish. I lost my entire 120g tank to aiptasia a year or 2 ago. And I mean almost every inch of rock and glass was covered in them. File fish ate every last one of the buggers in about a month. Unfortunately when I started restocking my corals after the aiptasia induced crash, the filefish immediately went after the zoas and a bubble tip anemone I added. So if you have any LPS or softies you are fond of, be cautious.

 

[ronsonb]

Berghia Cleaned my tank of the aptasia (for now at least.) Emeralds and pithos have done nothing for the bubble algae. I’m the bubble algae guy

 

[Lavey29]

Defeating aptasia is personal for me now. I've made it my reef life's mission and will never stop fighting until they peel the aptasia X syringe from .my cold dead hand.

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Defeating aptasia is personal for me now. I've made it my reef life's mission and will never stop fighting until they peel the aptasia X syringe from .my cold dead hand.

... that got real

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

... that got real

Sorry that sounded rude

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Sorry