How much rock can I remove from aquarium to get rid of aiptasia - Help

[MAH]

Buy berghia and add to the tank. When they reproduce sell the babies.

 

[Clanger]

Buy berghia and add to the tank. When they reproduce sell the babies.

Hmmm I shall research are they asexual ?

 

[Jmp998]

Berghia are hermaphrodites but not self fertile. Growing them in a bucket is very easy as long as you have A LOT of aiptasia. If you are taking the rock out anyway, it is worth considering. They don’t need anything but some circulation, air pump is easiest and best. Temp 67F or above is fine (maybe lower but that is as cold as my house usually gets in winter). Buckets of rock have no predators, pumps, or other threats so they breed well.

 

[Mikeltee]

I always think they look like a sea horse that's had its body removed ha ,no aiptasia since I got it though

Great observation. They do look like a seahorse. I was like what the heck when I put him in the tank a couple of years ago. I've grown to love that little guy. He's a big hit with the other fish as well. They get along great. He's always got his beak pointed to the rock hunting for aphasia, but I haven't seen one in years once the dinos took over. I'm sure he will get his chance to taste some aphasia soon enough. One is bound to get it as a hitchhiker. I think a file fish should be a staple in any mixed reef tank. They are as important as CUC. Once that aphasia sets in, there's no getting rid of it. There's only control.

 

[Clanger]

Definitely a character fish ..just minds its own business ,hanging around ha ha

 

[Reeferbadness]

I use F Aiptasia for spot eradication - very effective and no need to remove rock. I also have peppermint shrimp and has Berghia Nudies when the infestation was high.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

I am at the end of my patience with aiptasia in the tank and have tried everything. My last option is to remove two large rocks from my tank that seem to be the last rocks with large aiptasia on them. There is a file fish in the tank as well as peppermint shrimp which seem to keep one half of the tank clean but do not attempt to clear these two rocks. My thought is to take the rocks out and put them in a quarantine tank to kill off the aiptasia. I understand it will basically kill the rock as well. I will try killing the aiptasia in the Q tank with aiptasia-X then give it some time to make sure they're gone before putting back in.

I have tried aiptasia-X which does kill it, but what it really does is spread the aiptasia in the tank. When the big one dies it shoots off tons of babies and I have them everywhere.

These two rocks are probably 30% - 40% of my live rock in the tank which has been running for ~6 years. There is minimal coral in the tank at the moment as I had a slight crash last year during a change in salt. The fish are doing fine, total of 6 in the tank.

Looking for advice if this will be a drastic mistake or given it's longevity if it will be fine to take the rock out, kill the aiptasia and basically the rock and then put back in? Will this start a whole new set of new tank problems with dinos, algae and other more annoying issues?

Thanks for your help

I had same issue. Get a REAL peppermint shrimp. Some lfs try to pass other shrimp off as Peppermint when they really aren't. I had a somewhat bad Aptasia issue. I thought I would need 2 but my LFS had only 1 so I brought him home and in 24 hours ALL GONE!! Honestly I haven't seen a single one since he ate them all!
Moving the rock no matter what is on it will really distract the eco system that has been created. Good luck!

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

I just added Berghia today. Hope it works. $16 a pop i can handle.

 

[Roatan Reef]

F-Aiptasia. Do it correctly, and nothing will shoot off.

Also, simple and easy get coral Putty make a ball and smother all aiptasia...works just as good, and no worries about F-Aiptasia dripping down and killing coral. Then get a decent amount of peppermint shrimp. Worked for me.

 

[Clanger]

I just added Berghia today. Hope it works. $16 a pop i can handle.

I believe you need to find someone you can sell onto as it will eventually starve ,so I would make arrangements with another local hobbyist ,just a thought ha

 

[Dburr1014]

Having used many types of control in the past, I would remove and qt.
How you do the elimination in QT is up to you.
I have done berghia, lemon juice, F-aptaisia, Kalk paste, bleach, dental tools, and Hammer and chisel to try and remove the pests.
What worked best for me in order...

Bleach, when you have a lot and you just can't reach. IE, pipes. Yes, I have poured bleach in my running reef tank. Long story, nothing died(but the aptaisia).

Nudies, when you have a full tank of aptaisia this is what worked the best. One or two rocks probably won't work good. They need time to roam the tank. To much roaming, and they starve.

Lemon juice, my go to for one or two aptaisia. Pull the rock off you can and do it over the kitchen sink. If you can't pull the rock, stand by with a turkey baster and tweezers. Sometimes they let go of the rock and suck them up. One squirt of lemon juice and they close up and I grab them with tweezers. Keep working the lemon juice at the foot of the aptasia and suck up the floaties. If your patient, you will get it.

Personally, if it were my tank and it was 2 good size rocks, I would bleach one, get all the bleach out and put it back. It may take a couple weeks in the sun. Wait a week and do the other. Your bacteria in the system will sustain a 15% reduction.

I have seen 1 aptaisia currently in my tank in the last 3 months. Sometimes they are hard to see. Fingers crossed. The last two I took out were on my clam and used the lemon juice trick.

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

I believe you need to find someone you can sell onto as it will eventually starve ,so I would make arrangements with another local hobbyist ,just a thought ha

not sure they would be that easy to catch to pass along. otherwise I'd do that.

 

[hexcolor reef]

Get new rock, put old rock in sump,
It’s still connected to system so all live rock will still benefit the main display.
New rock will cycle in a week or two

 

[pjr]

After trying all types of solutions to deal with aptasia, i have found only one method that works with 100% certainty: removing the rock from the tank and let it sit in an empty buck for about a month.

Aptasia is spawn of the devil and comes straight from hell, and must be dealt with accordingly.

 

[LOVEROCK]

I used to have at least 300 aip living side by side with my corals , until I added a copper band and it destroyed it within a month !

 

[mrjoe]

personally I have Berghia waste of money and time... never helped in my tank....

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am at the end of my patience with aiptasia in the tank and have tried everything. My last option is to remove two large rocks from my tank that seem to be the last rocks with large aiptasia on them. There is a file fish in the tank as well as peppermint shrimp which seem to keep one half of the tank clean but do not attempt to clear these two rocks. My thought is to take the rocks out and put them in a quarantine tank to kill off the aiptasia. I understand it will basically kill the rock as well. I will try killing the aiptasia in the Q tank with aiptasia-X then give it some time to make sure they're gone before putting back in.

I have tried aiptasia-X which does kill it, but what it really does is spread the aiptasia in the tank. When the big one dies it shoots off tons of babies and I have them everywhere.

These two rocks are probably 30% - 40% of my live rock in the tank which has been running for ~6 years. There is minimal coral in the tank at the moment as I had a slight crash last year during a change in salt. The fish are doing fine, total of 6 in the tank.

Looking for advice if this will be a drastic mistake or given it's longevity if it will be fine to take the rock out, kill the aiptasia and basically the rock and then put back in? Will this start a whole new set of new tank problems with dinos, algae and other more annoying issues?

Thanks for your help

Keep it simple. I know , we know it can be a war. For Aptasia- You cant beat a Kleini Butterfly BUT must be the bluehead- NOT the yellow version. The yellow will go after coral too but bluehead as pictured will eat aptasia like candy, then eat all dry and frozen food offered, colorful, friendly and stays small. I will note that a couple of persons who got the blue had their kleini nip zoa. if so- easy sell, or place in sump as aptasia have likely made it down there already. After aptasia is gone, which they will be, turn some of the rocks to assure the fish did not miss any

 

[Jelbin]

i had luck with a filefish but sometimes they pick on corals