How to get rid of critters and aptasia of live rocks.

[lilkiwi930]

Hello everybody,
So I have a question. I have been dealing with a aiptasia problem. After a couple weeks I am finally getting it under control. Just keeps coming back because I am probably missing some under a rock. I have been killing it with AiptasiaX. But my question is in the future when I upgrade my tank and need to buy more live rocks, is there something I can do before putting them in my tank to get rid of all the critters and aiptasia without killing all the bacteria off the rock? I had a problem in the fast with hitch hiker start fish and wish not to go through that again.

Please give me your opinions or recommendations that you recommend that I do when I get a new live rock to prevent pest/critter problems. I know it still happens but things I can do to help decrease the chances. Thank you

 

[WIReefer]

Certain fish can be a successful but that is a hit or miss, I’ve had great luck with peppermint shrimp in the past. Berghia Nudibranch are used all the time by people as well with great success (probably easiest route).

 

[lilkiwi930]

Certain fish can be a successful but that is a hit or miss, I’ve had great luck with peppermint shrimp in the past. Berghia Nudibranch are used all the time by people as well with great success (probably easiest route).

Thank you for the tip.

 

[anth]

You could alway start with dry rock and sand. I did this in my new tank as my old rocks had aiptasia and used bottled bacteria to cycle my tank. Nearly 1 year in and no pests what so ever.

 

[Hilltopreef]

Berghia work every time but you must be patient and they’re not cheap.

 

[WIReefer]

Thank you for the tip.

Like stated, I started with all dry rock and still somehow introduced Aiptasia into my tanks. I’m careful with corals and dip everything. Sometimes it just makes its way in.

 

[lilkiwi930]

Berghia work every time but you must be patient and they’re not cheap.

Once the Berghia eat all the aiptasia I would have to return them correct? Since there only diet is aiptasia?

 

[lilkiwi930]

Like stated, I started with all dry rock and still somehow introduced Aiptasia into my tanks. I’m careful with corals and dip everything. Sometimes it just makes its way in.

When you say you dip everything, what do you mean by that?

 

[WIReefer]

When you say you dip everything, what do you mean by that?

Dip all new corals in a coral dip, removes unwanted things such as hitchhikers.

 

[PatW]

Most people dip corals in salt water that has a “dip” added to it. The “dip” is made up of any number of things. The idea is that it kills or knocks off pests of the coral that are on the corals preventing pests from getting into the tank. Usually, you take some tank water, add the dip, add the corals (after dip acclimating in tank water), hold for a period of time (usually 15 min) and rinse and toss them into the tank. Dips work really well on most pests. But they really do not work so well on aptasia because it is a coelenterate like corals. For a dip to zap aptasia, it would zap the coral. A way to handle it is to minutely examine the coral before dipping for aptasia (and you might miss). Another way is to remove the coral from the base and remount it on a clean base (not always possible).

 

[WIReefer]

Once the Berghia eat all the aiptasia I would have to return them correct? Since there only diet is aiptasia?

Once you add them you will probably never see them again there small once they eat Aiptasia they will die.

 

[Texas Rick]

I’ve been using Lemon juice. It takes them right out. Straight from a lemon. Not a bottle

 

[lilkiwi930]

I’ve been using Lemon juice. It takes them right out. Straight from a lemon. Not a bottle

Does that mess with any of the chemical levels of the water or bother the fish?

 

[DarylRib]

Joe's juice has always worked well for me ........its just very time consuming if it's a big amount......but it really works all the way into the rock.

 

[lilkiwi930]

Joe's juice has always worked well for me ........its just very time consuming if it's a big amount......but it really works all the way into the rock.

I had a bunch a week ago in one corner. I got to them all. But now I am getting to the harder part of pick up rocks and finding some hiding in nooks and crannys. Bonus is in I squirt the aiptasiax into a whole in the wrong where there is an aiptasia. I noticed hitch hiker coming out either dying or trying to escape.

 

[Texas Rick]

Does that mess with any of the chemical levels of the water or bother the fish?

My scoly scringed a little. But after I turned on all the pumps. Everything was ok. I did noticed the Acans shrink a little. But after it was said and done. They expanded even more

 

[DarylRib]

I had a bunch a week ago in one corner. I got to them all. But now I am getting to the harder part of pick up rocks and finding some hiding in nooks and crannys. Bonus is in I squirt the aiptasiax into a whole in the wrong where there is an aiptasia. I noticed hitch hiker coming out either dying or trying to escape.

I had that issue before and I had to carefully move all the rock around and just waited and blasted as I saw ......honestly worst case scenario if all cant be blasted. Would be a full restart. Apstasia is really terrible because any tissue, even if microscopic, remains in the tank it will begin to grow again.

 

[lilkiwi930]

I had that issue before and I had to carefully move all the rock around and just waited and blasted as I saw ......honestly worst case scenario if all cant be blasted. Would be a full restart. Apstasia is really terrible because any tissue, even if microscopic, remains in the tank it will begin to grow again.

When you mean full restart, what do you mean by that?

 

[DarylRib]

When you mean full restart, what do you mean by that?

Just as bad as it sounds .......everything out , rocks in a bleach soak and a full restart. I've done it before but I'm a nano reefer. Very easy for me . depending on the size of your system that may not be an option. You should try youtube also for solutions, there was a vid on there that I saw where a reefer with a bigger system had a lot of success.

 

[Bfragale]

I have only dealt with a few. I make a kelkwasser paste similar to tooth paste consistency, put a big blob over the aptasia and forget about it. The white blob usually goes away In a day or so and when it does- no more aptasia.

Hard part is reaching all of them if you have many in hard to reach places. also I wouldn’t treat too many at once or it will throw off the parameters.

For larger infestation I would agree on the aptasia eating nudibranc, or file fish or something similar that eats aptasia.

Good luck!