Is there a way to do collectral killing off aptesia?

Yoosuf · Jan 2, 2020

Hello and Happy new year Reefers.

I am having a really painful issue which is aptesia is poping here and there everyday even after i suck them using a turkybaster.

is there anyway to wipe out all without doing individual picking?

Malifry97 · Jan 2, 2020

Not that I know of but there are treatments...Aptasia-X works or for a more hands off approach nudis or peppermint shrimp could work

donfish2 · Jan 2, 2020

Aptasia-X does work if you use it correctly. If you miss the mouth it gets really upset and shoots out spoors, and thus baby aptasia. I like the peppermint shrimp, but you need three (3) or more to be effective, and they take there time and don't eat the bigger ones. I have tried the Berghia Nudibranchs but I have no idea if the are there and working anymore, plus they are costly. The Aptasia eating matted file fish is the best at eradicating these anemones. The main problem with these are they will eat the corals after the aptasia are gone. I would not recommend picking at them they might shoot out spoors.

Peace River · Jan 2, 2020

I encourage you to consider F-Aiptasia Killer. Good luck!

MikeyG · Jan 24, 2020

donfish2 said:
Aptasia-X does work if you use it correctly. If you miss the mouth it gets really upset and shoots out spoors, and thus baby aptasia. I like the peppermint shrimp, but you need three (3) or more to be effective, and they take there time and don't eat the bigger ones. I have tried the Berghia Nudibranchs but I have no idea if the are there and working anymore, plus they are costly. The Aptasia eating matted file fish is the best at eradicating these anemones. The main problem with these are they will eat the corals after the aptasia are gone. I would not recommend picking at them they might shoot out spoors.

I have seen several recommendations for getting rid of Aptasia. I was very skeptical about all of them however I went ahead and I started with what seemed to be the simplest and most successful way that would work in my tank considering all the fishes and other livestock I have. I started out with the Red Sea Aptasia X and it did absolutely nothing. so I went with the next best proven results from looking through the formums and that led me to the burgi nudie branches. I spent probably $250 on these little critters. put them in my tank, never saw them, never saw them destroy a single piece of aptasia so I considered that money down the drain. I moved on to the next best solution which was getting some copperband butterfly fishes. This one was very borderline because just about everybody said they may or may not eat that aptasia. Anyway I went to my local fish store bought four of them. it so happened that two of them survived. I put them in a tank.
After about 2 weeks I didn't see any activity. then all of a sudden I just noticed them starting to attack that aptasia piece by piece. Now after about a month going on two months since they've been in the tank I am 100% optasia free. I repeat I am 100% of aptasia free. These two copperband butterflies have seeked out every living breathing aptasia in the tank and consumed them. They were about 80 bucks out of pocket compared to the $250 I pay for a nudibranch that I haven't seen since I put them in. So I say, money well spent. I have a large 300-gallon display tank with a total body of water about 400 gallons including my 50 gallon refugium and my 48 gallon sump plus all the plumbing and other filtration stuff. In my refugium I have a lot of optasia growing in there.
I did not put any of the copper bands in there so they've still live in the refugium which is plumbed about 16 feet away from my display tank. Today I find myself manually pulling aphasia out of my refugium throwing it into the display tank just to make sure the copperbands have something to eat.... how ironic. So I would say for anybody out there looking for a know, natural, simple, and economical way to tackle aptasia I would highly recommend the copperband butterflies.
get more than one, because you can always sell one back to your local fish store or give one to your buddy if they do too good a job cleaning the stuff up.
but in my experience that was the greatest value for my money.
I could not put peppermint shrimp because I have triggers and other aggressive fish that would just eat them.
Good good in your eradication

Bacon505 · Jan 25, 2020

If you have access to medical supply, use a syringe and inject about 5-10ml of hydrogen peroxide directly into the aptaisa. Works for me. Some required 2-3 shot of the peroxide to kill.

motortrendz · Jan 25, 2020

Frank's F aptasia has been by far the most effective at killing off any aptasia in my system.

Dana Riddle · Jan 25, 2020

It's my opinion that natural methods of controlling/eradicating Aiptasia are best. Two Peppermint Shrimp in a 120 worked well for me. Took a few weeks but no Aiptasia whatsoever are present.

Nano man · Jan 25, 2020

Yoosuf said:
Hello and Happy new year Reefers.

I am having a really painful issue which is aptesia is poping here and there everyday even after i suck them using a turkybaster.

is there anyway to wipe out all without doing individual picking?

Well I will get strait to the point! My aiptasia was so bad that it was on top of snails in my reef! See pic. How I approached it is below!

My recommendation is 3 pieces!

1.) get a cooperband and let him take care of your problem, when he’s done take him back! Cheapest and easiest route. Considering he will eat aiptasia which most of the time they will!

2.) Go on eBay and buy a bunch of peppermint shrimp from saltybottomreefco.
Cheapest I have seen around, after they are done eating the aiptasia then catch them (2 liter bottle trap) and sell them off!

3.) big ones left or reoccurring ones use aiptasia X from there on!

Problem solved!