Threadfin or Kleini for aiptasia?

[Aparker2005]

Hey everyone. Aiptasia is beginning to take over our mixed reef and our methods of removing it aren't keeping up. Our copperband got the small ones but won't touch the bigger sized ones. So now I'm trying to decide if I should (temporarily) try a Threadfin or Kleini. I know both aren't too reef safe, but at this point I just wanna get the aiptasia gone.

We do have a copperband, and a yellow long nose. Our tank is a 125. Which is more peaceful especially with the other 2 butterflies, the better aiptasia eater, and best overall?

 

[jtf74]

How big is your cbb? Mine is nearly full grown and will eat the largest aiptasia I can find. Nothing left in 300 gallons. I read your other thread and know you've not had it long, so I bet if you give it some more time it will probably take care of the larger ones too.

 

[Aparker2005]

How big is your cbb? Mine is nearly full grown and will eat the largest aiptasia I can find. Nothing left in 300 gallons. I read your other thread and know you've not had it long, so I bet if you give it some more time it will probably take care of the larger ones too.

It's not huge but not too small either. Maybe 3"? It's just I need something done sooner than later. My wife's zoas are being smothered, and the aips seem to be spreading way faster than the cbb is trying them anymore.

 

[Aparker2005]

The threadfin looks much better imo not hot sure how well they do on aiptasia and corals

 

[Aparker2005]

Any further opinions?

 

[Aparker2005]

Bump!

 

[AKL1950]

Not sure if you would, or could go this route, but I am having extreme success with Berghia nudiBranches. They are expensive, but are amazing. I had Aiptasia popping up everywhere after they snuck in on a coral Frag. Nudis hunt in groups, so you need to get a bunch, but they multiply like rabbits. Once you put them in, you’ll never see them because they hunt at night and hide during the day. within a few days of putting them in, the Aiptasia‘s in my tank started disappearing all over the tank. All the ones I can see are almost all gone.

downsides:

Berghia Nudibranchs only eat Aiptasia. Once they have eradicated them, they will starve.

Nudi‘s eat the Aptasia, but may leave part of the foot in the rock, so the Aptasia will regrow if the nudis all died off.

If you have Wrasses or other predator fish, they will eat the nudis.

 

[Aparker2005]

Not sure if you would, or could go this route, but I am having extreme success with Berghia nudiBranches. They are expensive, but are amazing. I had Aiptasia popping up everywhere after they snuck in on a coral Frag. Nudis hunt in groups, so you need to get a bunch, but they multiply like rabbits. Once you put them in, you’ll never see them because they hunt at night and hide during the day. within a few days of putting them in, the Aiptasia‘s in my tank started disappearing all over the tank. All the ones I can see are almost all gone.

downsides:

Berghia Nudibranchs only eat Aiptasia. Once they have eradicated them, they will starve.

Nudi‘s eat the Aptasia, but may leave part of the foot in the rock, so the Aptasia will regrow if the nudis all died off.

If you have Wrasses or other predator fish, they will eat the nudis.

Yeah we have wrasses so they weren't really an option unfortunately

 

[Mystersynyster]

I have 75g that was being infested with aptasia, bought 4 Peppermint Shrimp, all aptasia gone in two days. Took back 3 Peppermints and kept one, still no aptasia a year later

 

[Aparker2005]

I have 75g that was being infested with aptasia, bought 4 Peppermint Shrimp, all aptasia gone in two days. Took back 3 Peppermints and kept one, still no aptasia a year later

Wish our 5 would have touched any of ours. They just sit on them

 

[jimmypencil]

I have 75g that was being infested with aptasia, bought 4 Peppermint Shrimp, all aptasia gone in two days. Took back 3 Peppermints and kept one, still no aptasia a year later

man i wish this was my experience with peppermints lol, theres always a story like this regarding pep shrimp, file fish, and berghia but then within the same thread theres another story that says the exact opposite. where did you get your pepps? that the most important question.

 

[jimmypencil]

Wish our 5 would have touched any of ours. They just sit on them

my experience, this hobby can be merciless lol. had peppermints for 6 months and say absolutely no difference until one of them somehow snuck into my fuge chamber in my Aio and ate a bunch of them, even big ones. still not impressive considering how small the fuge is and how many aiptasia there still were. the only viable solution to aiptasia is getting lucky with something that will rid them from the display consistently and long term. once they make it into the plumbing and other hard to reach areas they will come back.

 

[Aparker2005]

my experience, this hobby can be merciless lol. had peppermints for 6 months and say absolutely no difference until one of them somehow snuck into my fuge chamber in my Aio and ate a bunch of them, even big ones. still not impressive considering how small the fuge is and how many aiptasia there still were. the only viable solution to aiptasia is getting lucky with something that will rid them from the display consistently and long term. once they make it into the plumbing and other hard to reach areas they will come back.

Problem is I like both of these fish in question, but also like our corals. I was hoping to get a model citizen, or sell them once they took the aips out, if they even did.

 

[jimmypencil]

Problem is I like both of these fish in question, but also like our corals. I was hoping to get a model citizen, or sell them once they took the aips out, if they even did.

yea i gotcha, i was just saying that i agree and relate to your experience with peppermint shrimp. if they actually work as well as some of these miracle stories suggest, then they would be priceless and be the only solution anyone would recommend. They are incredibly hit or miss just like file fish, and nudis. most people (just like i did) try manual removal or covering them with f aiptasia (usually makes it worse) then pepps, then file fish, then have to remove both for nudis, then nudis dont work and its game over. i just suck as many as i can out of my infested nano weekly during water change.

have a new setup i started in December and i am absolutely dreading the inevitable aiptasia to pop up. haven't seen one yet, knock on wood lol.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I had an Aiptasia issue and it took a a couple of steps to solve it. I put a medium sized CBB in the tank. I could see him picking at the rocks, but he wasn't nipping at the bigger Aiptasia. So, I ap-ssinated the bigger ones with AiptasiaX. Turns out the CBB was eating the small ones. Once I got rid of the bigger onee, my problem went away.

 

[vetteguy53081]

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.

 

[Aparker2005]

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 can't find any stores that even know what the blue head version is unfortunately. Where did you get yours? Thanks!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I can't find any stores that even know what the blue head version is unfortunately. Where did you get yours? Thanks!

At milwaukee LFS
They are typically kleini butterfly but the store should be able you see the distinct blue on their heads

 

[Mystersynyster]

man i wish this was my experience with peppermints lol, theres always a story like this regarding pep shrimp, file fish, and berghia but then within the same thread theres another story that says the exact opposite. where did you get your pepps? that the most important question.

Got them from LFS, The Aquarium Shop, I will only buy inverts from them though. Sometimes you just have to try different peppermints until you find some that eat them, guess I was lucky.

 

[AKL1950]

Wish our 5 would have touched any of ours. They just sit on them

I read that a lot of places sell shrimp as “peppermint“ shrimp that really aren’t true peppermints and won’t eat aiptasia. You have to make sure you get true peppermints .