When did Aptasia become such a big deal
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Reef Puncher
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for me they are a NIGHTMARE. as fast as i can kill them they come back. every week i kill a dozen more with aiptasia x. i cant figure out why they multiple so fast. i wish my corals grew that fast sheesh.
If your tank has a very small/stable population of Aiptasia, Berghia are not appropriate, and I routinely tell potential buyers that. However for many, the Aiptasia population grows rapidly and becomes either an eyesore or frankly destructive to more desirable corals. In that situation Berghia are one of several reasonable options to try to control Aiptasia. Unfortunately none of the options are perfect or work for everyone.
Berghia work best when there are many Aiptasia so they can feed and breed.
My experience has been the opposite. Trying to eradicate them with kalk paste or other methods caused them to spread. I stopped trying to kill them all and they stopped multiplying and grew larger.
Now I keep CBB in larger tanks and peppermint shrimp in smaller tanks and that keeps the aiptasia confined to the overflow and sump. I have not tried nudibrachs because they would be an expensive treat for fish.
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Scottiemac
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Seems as though the OP hasn't been following the hobby much. Aiptasia is a nuisance that can get out of hand. If you have one you have a dozen. And if you can't keep up with the ones you can see they'll overrun the entire tank.
Aiptasia made me quit the hobby in around 2014. When I got back into it last year I swore I'd never put anything in the tank that wasn't thoroughly inspected first. No live rock whatsoever. No fish that might later consume the inverts I might get when aiptasia eventually did find its way into my tank.
Back in the early days of the hobby, aiptasia was sought after. It was a sign that the aquarist was doing everything right. It wasn't until later that we all learned what a nuisance these things are.
Aiptasia made me quit the hobby in around 2014. When I got back into it last year I swore I'd never put anything in the tank that wasn't thoroughly inspected first. No live rock whatsoever. No fish that might later consume the inverts I might get when aiptasia eventually did find its way into my tank.
Back in the early days of the hobby, aiptasia was sought after. It was a sign that the aquarist was doing everything right. It wasn't until later that we all learned what a nuisance these things are.
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cilyjr
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Well that's my point, I have never cared about a few here or there.Not that fine if you have still have then….
My tank is large and I cannot reach the bottom of the Middle of the tank towards the back. Anyone that's made it there gets to stay.
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cilyjr
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Wonder if some have gotten more resistant
They are ugly, kill corals I care to keep, spread like crazy, and can survive a nuclear war. They provide absoutely nothing positive to a system. Therefore, they are not wanted or welcome in any of my systems
timmyrules
Well-Known Member
Honestly, I’ve never had an aiptasia issue. There was one that came in on a frag plug….at the time, I didn’t know what to do, so I started scraping it. But that only caused it to multiply…so then there was four, so I destroyed them with aiptasia-X. And I haven’t seen any since then….but I agree with others in saying that they are ugly!
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cilyjr
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This has not been my experience in the last 20 ish years.
chip shop
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Not for us it wasn’t,used to use the boiling water or lemon juice to keep them in control people used to boil there rock to try and rid them so don’t think it’s a new thing because of man made rock there just not a good thing to have in tank and never have been
kingranch2003
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Some actual pieces of the ocean are loaded with plastic and pollution. I guess it's just what piece of it you want to sink your hard earned money into and look at everyday.
Jaden9933
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pieces of the ocean, sure. reefs, not really. but like you said, to each their own
Scottiemac
Active Member
Then you've been fortunate and know what you're doing. Lots of people get one or two as hitchhikers and are able to keep it from becoming an infestation.
The problem is more for newer reefers, of which I was one of on my first tank. We didn't realize that what we were doing might be aiding the infestation, and by the time we figured all of that out it was late. Even getting the right peppermint shrimp (as opposed to camel shrimp, which are often sold as peppermint) has no effect once the infestation gets out of control.
An experienced reefer now knows to do whatever it takes to prevent the introduction of aiptasia in the first place. I'm more alert for them now than I was with my first tank, and so when I eventually do get hit I'll know what to do.
But for the inexperienced reefer who has put in a few thousand on livestock and now has a tank full of aiptasia? Yeah, that's a problem.
It's not just since the pandemic, as per your original post. We had been discussing the problems with aiptasia for years before I left the hobby in 2014.
Scottiemac
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I remember my uncle in 1978 with the first saltwater tank I'd ever seen. He was showing it off to me and pointing out all of the glass anemones that he was so proud of.
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And that is my point
The real answer to your opening question is simple. Aiptasia is highly prolific and not easy to get rid of once it takes hold. The same (or worse) holds true for any prolific coral or anemone, be it mojano anemones, mushrooms or leathers. etc. I can walk away from my tank for 6 months and not worry about coming back to an aiptasia or majano farm. You can't.
I wish that I could say the same about the danged red mushrooms in my case... but I can't.
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