How to propagate aiptasia by sixty_reefer

[sixty_reefer]

Your LFS pays you for your aiptasia haha your a legend

No they just like the nudibranch that eat Aipatasia, i had a lot of free high end corals that year

 

[NowGlazeIT]

No they just like the nudibranch that eat Aipatasia, i had a lot of free high end corals that year

 

[Double monti 61]

Hi this is not the first time I posted a thread similar to this I have some aptasia that live in one of my aqua clear 30 gallon per hour hang on back filters I use on my 15 gallon tank I had some in the tank proper but I eliminated them using aptasia x and eventually a peppermint shrimp they still survive in my one filter and I leave them alone.I had read an article in reef hobbyist magazine about a reef system that the author said there were aptasia living in the sump but not in the tank and believed that the aptasia helped in the filtration process and I think that may be possible the system was awesome.I had purchased some nudibranchs online at one point and it was a waste of money!

 

[samb5590]

I once noticed a small aiptasia toward the bottom part of a frag plug after I had transported it into my display tank. Buried the thing in the sand, and haven't seen it since.

 

[Luiza Saad]

A uncommon subject from an uncommon reefer, you may wonder why do we want to culture aiptasia wend this is one of the primary pests in our hobby since the very beginning . The answer is fairly easy. By understanding aiptasia propagation we can a) create a thriving culture of aiptasia eating nudibranch and b) understand how we can slow down the growth of aiptasia in our reef tanks.

1. How to set up a tank for aiptasia
2. how to propagate aiptasia
3. How to feed aiptasia
4. How to keep a sustainable source of aiptasia
5. Tools

1. How to set up a tank for aiptasia


My preferred method is to set up a shallow container, no more than 4” tall set up in a small sump with a 6 mm air line as a return from the display, with a small layer of activated carbon as a substrate. Ideally you will want the temperature in this container to range from 27c/80.6f to 29c/84.2.


2. How to propagate aiptasia


Once you have collected some aiptasia from your display, I recommend you to cut the aiptasia in half or in quarters once a week. This can easily be done with a pair of tweezers and long scissors. Gloves and goggles are recommended when you are fragging any coral, and aiptasia is no exception so please use adequate ppe.


3. How to feed aiptasia


From experience I have noticed that aiptasia will prefer smaller foods as they are easily digestible. I feed mine a mixture of daily hatched artemia and frozen lobster eggs. Other foods might work also as long as they are small. You would be surprised on how effective hunters aiptasia can be.


4. How to keep a sustainable source of aiptasia


As for keeping a sustainable source of aiptasia I recommend that once your tray is full to just give half of the aiptasia to your nudibranch. I tend to wait until they are expanded and just cut the top half were the tentacles are, and keep the foot in my tank to regrow, in average it takes 7 days to grow back to the original size. This way my number of aiptasia keeps on growing and the nudis getting enough food.


5. Tools


My favorite tools are long stainless steel tweezers and a long curved scissor

Pic updated weekly

Hi! This is really impressive. I’m a postdoc researcher at MIT. I’m currently developing research on the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. I’m trying to understand their regeneration capacities, and how they accomplished regenerating their bodies and ceratas. I currently have a big aquarium with 9 reproductive adults. But my main issue is that my Aiptasia colony is not keeping up with the Berghia hungry. They are eating them way too fast. I will try your tips for raising them. But I was wondering, do you think about selling one of these full boxes for me?

 

[TobysTank]

Hi! This is really impressive. I’m a postdoc researcher at MIT. I’m currently developing research on the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. I’m trying to understand their regeneration capacities, and how they accomplished regenerating their bodies and ceratas. I currently have a big aquarium with 9 reproductive adults. But my main issue is that my Aiptasia colony is not keeping up with the Berghia hungry. They are eating them way too fast. I will try your tips for raising them. But I was wondering, do you think about selling one of these full boxes for me?

There is a guy on eBay selling huge clumps of aiptasia for this exact purpose.

 

[krollins]

OH, anemone you say. I am going to get a bunch for clownfish.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Hi! This is really impressive. I’m a postdoc researcher at MIT. I’m currently developing research on the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. I’m trying to understand their regeneration capacities, and how they accomplished regenerating their bodies and ceratas. I currently have a big aquarium with 9 reproductive adults. But my main issue is that my Aiptasia colony is not keeping up with the Berghia hungry. They are eating them way too fast. I will try your tips for raising them. But I was wondering, do you think about selling one of these full boxes for me?

Hi I’ve only done it as an experiment and to help folks keep this hungry animals feed.
One of the main tips I can give you is to add fish to the system you growing Aipatasia or to connect it to a system that contains fish, they do need all the other parameters as other corals to sustain life and to be able to regenerate fast preferably high nutrients conditions and often fed.

 

[SBB Corals]

where do you buy lobster eggs i checked online but everybody seems to be sold out LOL

 

[sixty_reefer]

Hi! This is really impressive. I’m a postdoc researcher at MIT. I’m currently developing research on the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. I’m trying to understand their regeneration capacities, and how they accomplished regenerating their bodies and ceratas. I currently have a big aquarium with 9 reproductive adults. But my main issue is that my Aiptasia colony is not keeping up with the Berghia hungry. They are eating them way too fast. I will try your tips for raising them. But I was wondering, do you think about selling one of these full boxes for me?

Hi probably a bit late, as i dint got the notification somehow.
I’ve only done the Aipatasia farming concept to illustrate that can be easily done as long as the steps are not modified.
One of the most important steps is that you have to have a bioload in the system to produce nutrients that Aipatasia can utilise just as any other coral needs, regular water changes etc. as it would be impossible to grow any coral successfully in a shoe box alone kinda system.
That said if you still researching and need large quantities of this to feed your Nudibranchs, I would recommend setting up a system that can recreate reef conditions including fish. A shallow AIO system would be ideal for the tank, use activated granular carbon as substrate in the display and the usual medias in the back sump. add a few fish to the system and feed the fish as normal with the supplement of freshly hatched brine shrimp. Every few days frag the aiptasias and it should give you plenty of food to sustain a large group for your research.