When did Aptasia become such a big deal

[PharmrJohn]

I remember 15 years ago it wasn't considered such a big deal. Myself? I thought (and think) they are uglier than sin. I just don't think they give anything back to the ecosystem they share. The comments on sterile tanks are spot on. That's an annoying new goal. And I, also, had a few Peppermint Shrimp in my old 90. What aiptasia I had was food. And I had a good balance going there.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I don't think it's just aiptasia. I think there is a new generation of reefers that want sterile tanks with no hitchhikers. People freak out over a little algae, bristle worms etc. It's silly IMO but it seems to be the way some people try to run a tank these days.

Might be weird that I'm agreeing with you... given my name. I totally agree with you, and it's sad because I've had a lot of fun finding new hitchhikers even though it was just fish store live rock that I bought. I'm planning on buying some ocean rubble rock, solely to get more hitchhikers.

 

[Reeferbadness]

I can say confidently, my Aiptasia problem is not normal.

Every rock is like this, 75lbs. A batch of 5 Berghias added a week ago.

Edit: only one algae eating fish ever in the tank for over a year. I would like to buy fish, but can't bring myself to buy anything for the tank.

You can try an Australian Stripey. I have some friends that have had amazing results - I just added a very small one and hope he is up for the job

 

[Jmp998]

I think there are a few factors. Lots more aquaculture now, so they are spread around to more people. Aquaculture frags are smaller than wild colonies of old, makes the Aiptasia seem relatively bigger. Lots of people are keeping smaller tanks-Aptasia are more visually intrusive in a nano filled with small frags or zoas than a 180 with big colonies.

Also many people feed a lot more now, especially fine particulate coral foods, which make the Aiptasia grow much faster. I remember the days when "0" was the goal for nitrate and phosphate and many were starving their reefs (including me).

 

[aquadise]

Maybe because the rockwork/hardscape nowadays looks "man-made", I meant not natural. Hence, aiptasias are more ugly.

If it is a natural hardscapes, with sand, IMO, aiptasias may look more natural and maybe people will just let they grow...

Anyway, a predator could be good to control their number at bay.

 

[corihill92]

Personally I think some of the newcomers to reefing are babies about pests. I've been in the hobby for 15 years, yea I don't WANT pests, but people cry over beneficial cuc like fireworms. It's crazy. I used to have benign basic flatworms that never hurt anything, my wrasse ate them for snacks so I left em. I was blasted on FB for selling coral out of an "infected tank" made sure to nuke them after that I guess for ease.

 

[cilyjr]

I think there are a few factors. Lots more aquaculture now, so they are spread around to more people. Aquaculture frags are smaller than wild colonies of old, makes the Aiptasia seem relatively bigger. Lots of people are keeping smaller tanks-Aptasia are more visually intrusive in a nano filled with small frags or zoas than a 180 with big colonies

Yeah I can see a case for that.

 

[SeaDweller]

I had THOUSANDS in my old 240 at one point. I needed them gone for coral so I used berghia. In a few months they wiped them all out, completely.

I have an aiptasia eating file that keeps them in check, and I’ve seen it eat them. Just not whole in one bite, kinda nips and rips.

They’re just annoying but shouldn’t keep one from enjoying the hobby even if they’re present. Wish they looked cool instead of ugly brown.

 

[Cliff717]

I agree with the o.p. People freak out about everything nowadays; maybe I did when I first started, I don’t remember. But I think if you’re in the hobby long enough things like aptasia are inevitable. I view them as a challenge; I’ve faced almost every invasive pest I can think of; I put in the work to defeat them, and that has given me some perspective. Aptasia is the easiest one to fix, nothing a bit of elbow grease; some kalk and a filefish won’t fix. Slow and steady will fix almost every problem in the reef.

 

[Chrisv.]

I have been doing this since 1998 and consistently since 2006. So I've been around for a while. I sort of take breaks from the forums from time to time and it seems like when I popped back in right around pandemic era I've noticed this trend of Aptasia being described as a horrible plague.

I've, and most of the people I know who have been in for a long time consider them more of a minor inconvenience. Some I leave some I have to get rid of but I never see more than a few in the display tank. If they are in my sump or an overflow, I leave them because they're filter feeding is beneficial.

It seems like recently I see posts of people freaking out about them like it's a horrible thing. Or somebody will post asking what this is and people will tell them it's aptasia and they need to pull out half of their rock structure to deal with it.

My question is why are people billing them as these horrible villains? Is there some strain of aptasia that is particularly hard to deal with? Or what's going on?

Old timer here too. I think the big change happened when we started feeding corals. You know what aiptasia LOVE? Reef roids. The stung their neighbors back then too, but they were way more under control. That being said, I think I got my first aiptasia eating nudibranches around 2001.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Ugly, thats most of it really I think

They are actually quite pretty...

 

[steveschuerger]

I’ve had both aiptasia and bubble algae this past year and only decided to control/remove them when they became too pervasive and were starting interfere with or bother the corals . Lost at least I Acro to the aips. Used flux Rx to do in bubbles and have my Foxface eating it when it pops up. Copperband Butterfly had a slow start but now most of aips are gone. I don’t mind a little of either but they wee everywhere. As far as other “unwanteds” like bristle worms and such , I just think they’re part of the biota of the tank. Even left the mantis that came with live rock. Didn’t bother anything except a few snails here and there. Haven’t seen or heard the little bugger for a couple weeks so something might have happened to it, but that’s just part of reef owning to me.

 

[kingranch2003]

My tank has only "real" live rock and I'm very used to hitchhikers. Scared? No... Aiptasia stings my corals, and in my opinion looks like crap. I'd rather have the corals I purchased living happy and pest free, than to have something that I did not choose for ticking of the corals in my display.

 

[Solo McReefer]

I don't have a sterile tank, don't want a sterile tank

Just don't want pests, Aptasia is a pest

And I make effort to keep pests out of the tanks

BTW, the laser trick is cathartic, hearing them sizzle, but it will spread them pretty fast

 

[BetteMidler]

After I dumped in the Berghia. I left these on the back glass. You can see, leaving them completely untouched, baby spawn:

 

[BeanAnimal]

Sure. I have them irritate some corals from time to time and those are the ones that I have to zap.

Another thing, why do we all think they're so hard to get rid of?
I have been using kalkwasser paste on a q-tip for 15 years and it's been working fine.

Not that fine if you have still have then….

 

[Chrisv.]

Not that fine if you have still have then….

Also, WAY bigger PITA than getting a few nudibranches and letting nature run it's course.

 

[BetteMidler]

You can try an Australian Stripey. I have some friends that have had amazing results - I just added a very small one and hope he is up for the job

I would rather try a small 4 eye butterfly before a stripey. Way too much for a fish that would need a rehome.

 

[blecki]

You claim they are easy to get rid of. And yet, you still have them... 20 years later.

So clearly they are not easy to get rid of.

I have zero that I know of in my display, but there are some in my QT tank. And I see it go down the same way every single time: If I see one, and don't zap it, in a week it will be ten.

 

[Tamberav]

People freak out about asterina starfish, 99% of those eat algae and clean up your tank. It will be a photo of one on the GLASS clearly eating algae and people still be freaking out.

If you go a step further and look at scientific papers, they eat coral mucus and can even be beneficial as they eat old films coral needs to shed. This is why you will find them on toadstools that are getting ready to shed and at the base of paly's and yes.. on dying coral (because it was already dying/going downhill).

I remember a post of a tank where all the SPS were dying so the starfish (they had the whole time!) were now on the SPS because... well its dying.. and they blamed the starfish for their "crash" saying the starfish were eating the SPS - basically a scapegoat when the problem was probably something they did but who wants to admit that... - the starfish were there for years and your theory is overnight they all turned evil?

There are coral eater ones but they are rare so most people are just freaking out over nothing. They are not even ugly.