input needed,Aptaisa

[pico1966]

I have a rather large aptaisa coming out of one of my LR .My bright idea is to wait till the lights are off,remove the rock carefully and boil the heck out of it,scrub it and put it back.i have approx 130 lbs of LR in a 90 gallon tank,the rock is about a 10 lb rock.What do you think?I dont want to go with the seringe,its in a hard place to get at.:blown:

[mdntrdr]

Why wait?

[pico1966]

is it okay to do that?

[cveverly]

I would get it out asap. Boiling it should do the trick. I have found a butane lighter to be an effective way to eradicate them. Turns them into a little charcoal spot. :lol:

[mdntrdr]

Rather than remove it why not reposition it so you can use syringe?

[sedor]

If you can remove the rock do it and do it quick. Aiptasia are one of the most annoying parts of this hobby and i've been fighting them for years. Today i'm actually picking up a CBB (Copper Banded Butterfly) that I ordered as a last step in getting rid of my problem.

[mdntrdr]

Good luck with CBB.

I have a 3 1/2" has never touched Aptasia,,,,,,,,,RRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[fixx198]

if you can try Peppermint shrimp. they will eat aiptasia. they are also more hardy than copper band.

[firebirdcrzy]

Why wait?

Agreed!! Do it and do it quick. I would also not recomend putting the rock back in the tank after boiling it as there will be dead organics and could cause a ammonia spike. Recure the rock.

[bertoni]

It's probably safer to cover the Aiptasia with some epoxy. Instead of boiling the rock, I'd just let it sick outside and dry out for a few days. If you're in a cold area, letting it freeze outside would do the trick, too. I'd be afraid of contamination when boiling it.

[Cuby2k]

Wow, boiling the rock seems a bit excessive. Aptasia are a normal part of the life cycle in a marine aquarium, yes they can get out of hand but why ruin a piece of rock to ensure death?

Joe's Juice is the cat's meow but it is over priced. There are plenty of options that can be administered via a syringe that are very effective in controlling the stuff.

Good luck!

[danielsreef]

I agree with cveverly. Remove the rock and use a butane BBQ lighter to burn it off. Guranteed gone, plus you get the satisfaction of watching it burn to death. I have done this on 4 seperate occasions. Never had a problem with a spike and never had a single one come back. This for me has been the only sure thing solution.

[lordofthereef]

Wow, boiling the rock seems a bit excessive. Aptasia are a normal part of the life cycle in a marine aquarium, yes they can get out of hand but why ruin a piece of rock to ensure death?

Joe's Juice is the cat's meow but it is over priced. There are plenty of options that can be administered via a syringe that are very effective in controlling the stuff.

Good luck!

I wouldn't call them a normal part of the life cycle of a new tank at all. Normal would imply that everyone setting up a new tank gets them and that is simply not true.

[purge43]

Im an apstasia killer too,look bevis its fire, fires cool.

[lighthouze08]

i injected it with lemon juice and it was gone

[Hartdude]

I have four Peppermint Shrimp in my 75g, and haven't seen any aptasia in months.:bounce3:

I think that boiling the rock would be a last ditch effort instead of a first line defense. I think cveverly's butane lighter method would be less drastic in the long run, and help to preserve any of the beneficial goodies in your rock.

[Cuby2k]

I wouldn't call them a normal part of the life cycle of a new tank at all. Normal would imply that everyone setting up a new tank gets them and that is simply not true.

Just you wait grasshopper.

[JTL]

I have used concentrated lemon juice in a syringe and it has worked every time. On a few occasions it took two doses but it is easy to do if you can reach the little beast.

[Reefugee]

If you boil the rock, you will kill everything on the rock. Beside bacteria, I don't know what other life form you have on the rock. I wouldn't consider boiling the rock. Like several people said, consider just using a butane lighter and spot cooking that aptasia. If you can inject the aptasia, you can also use vinegar. Unfortunately, I found that trying to inject them doesn't always work since I can't always reach them.

As far as controlling aptasia, I have had very good luck with peppermint shrimps. Since they are very cheap, I usually put a few (4-6) in my 120G tank. Peppermint shrimps are usually very shy, so don't be surprise if you never see them. If I see a new aptasia, I add 4-6 more peppermint shrimps. I also consider aptasia part of my cleaning crew, so they serve dual purposes. The only place I occasionally see aptasia now is in my overflow.

Good luck!
Minh

[Lightsluvr]

If you can remove the rock do it and do it quick. Aiptasia are one of the most annoying parts of this hobby and i've been fighting them for years. Today i'm actually picking up a CBB (Copper Banded Butterfly) that I ordered as a last step in getting rid of my problem.

Unless you are really lucky, getting a CBB won't be your last step in fighting aiptasia... The CBB usually can't get to all of them in a tank (like your overflow) and only eats what's above the surface of the rock... they'll just keep coming back, and with a vengance...

If you have an infestation, get Berghia Nudibranchs...

Speaking from experience as a former aqua-farmer of glass anemones! :p

LL

[extremeshocks]

I never talk up any additive but joes juice worked awesome. I had a large aiptasia one shot of joes and it was gone. It has been about a month and still no return.

[stevegt]

I have a piece of green button polyp and seems i have way to many aptasia on it, i am not sure whether to use x or shrimp to get rid of them off this piece, my buttons have recently not been coming out much and sure the aptasia are the reason, sure not going to boil it or put out to dry or freeze so any help would be great.

thanks

[Drewhop]

I used lemon juice directed into mouth on a few and it wiped them out. The largers ones where back within two days. I local reef club member showed me how to make a kalkwasser paste it destroyed them very quickly and I have not seen any of them show back up in past week.

I guess using the paste can raise your ph but mine did not move at all.

[julie180]

If you are going to take the rock out, get a chisel and hammer and just break off the part with the aptasia on it. Boiling seems like a really bad idea to me.

[Jstdv8]

kalk paste is the way to go. even better (due to cost) is mrs wages pickling lime. Same thing as kalk and its 4 bucks for a lifetime supply of aiptaisa killing goodness. mix up a small amount with water and turn it into a paste. The thicker the paste the better as long as you can make it come out of a syrnge.
I like to gently touch the aip's tnetacles with the tip so it thinks its getting food and then blast it right in the face. once it retreats to its hole (they usually do, some never make it that far) i cover the entire thing with the paste and let it sit for 45 minutes. then take a turkey baster and suck the remaining paste and the evil pest out and dispose of it.
I dispatched over 300 on 100 lbs of infected LR I bought and after 2 months only has 2 come back (may those too RIP as well)
If you have alot of them only treat a couple at a time as the paste can cause a PH spike if you use alot of it.
I beleive this to be the best method because they cannot spread thier seed (wich they do once they get messed with) becuase I cover the whole face with the paste blocking the exit. also, by sucking them out of the hole it doesnt leave anything left of them to possibly grow anew.
Peppermint shrimp if used should not be of the californian species as apparently they don't eat aip's but I think the other one is from haiti or soemthing and they do. I keep a pepp in the tank for back up in case new ones were to pop up. also, they will not eat large ones so you will have to treat them on your own. with the paste or aiptasia x or whatever you choose.

Im with the other poster about removing the rock, i don't see a good reason to do this unless you were going to move it to anoteh tank for treatment so you ddnt get any excess paste in the tank if you're worried about that. but boiling is jsut going to kill all of the good stuff on the rock, and aiptasia isnt worth that for just 1 IMO

[ihavtats29]

if you boil the rock, it will kill the anemone , but you are killing everything in the rock along with it, after boil;ing the rock put it in a bucket with ro water and a 1/2 cup of bleach and let it sit over night, that will help with any left over oragnics . then another soak or 2 with clean ro agitating the rock to get all the deah out of it as possible, then a final ro soak with some dechlorinator to be safe, if you dont remove all the organics out of the rock you will have algea and cyano issues untill the nitrates and phophates from the dead organics are used up , i learned this from first hand exp....

ive used kalk, joe's, aptasia-x ,and all the other tricks of the trade , hitting them with this stuff will make them spread,for every one i would inject 10 more would pop up , they will dispearse larva from thier mouths and a infestation will soon take over, the only way to completely get rid of them is to get them all at the same time, out of 20 peps ive had only 1 eat them , copperband butterfly fish have to be near starved before the will eat them , and berghi nudi's do a great job if there are not allot of fish around and it is completely dark in the tank

others may have had differant results , most of the reefers i know have had simular

[bertoni]

There's no point in boiling the rock. You could use bleach or just let the rock sit out of the water and dry for a couple of days, if you want to kill all the Aiptasia.

[warnutts]

injected mine with vinegar my CBB didnt do anything ive had some success with peppermint shrimp!

[ihavtats29]

Just you wait grasshopper.

how true it is

ive tore down and re done 3 tanks due to the buggers, i use nothing but base rock now and seed it with bacteria or a piece of rock and a cup of sand from a tank with out aptasia.

[Jstdv8]

if you boil the rock, it will kill the anemone , but you are killing everything in the rock along with it, after boil;ing the rock put it in a bucket with ro water and a 1/2 cup of bleach and let it sit over night, that will help with any left over oragnics . then another soak or 2 with clean ro agitating the rock to get all the deah out of it as possible, then a final ro soak with some dechlorinator to be safe, if you dont remove all the organics out of the rock you will have algea and cyano issues untill the nitrates and phophates from the dead organics are used up , i learned this from first hand exp....

ive used kalk, joe's, aptasia-x ,and all the other tricks of the trade , hitting them with this stuff will make them spread,for every one i would inject 10 more would pop up , they will dispearse larva from thier mouths and a infestation will soon take over, the only way to completely get rid of them is to get them all at the same time, out of 20 peps ive had only 1 eat them , copperband butterfly fish have to be near starved before the will eat them , and berghi nudi's do a great job if there are not allot of fish around and it is completely dark in the tank

others may have had differant results , most of the reefers i know have had simular

But did you suck them out after you treated them or jsut leave them in there because they looked dead?
I think this is the key to the success of the lime/kalk system

[ihavtats29]

There's no point in boiling the rock. You could use bleach or just let the rock sit out of the water and dry for a couple of days, if you want to kill all the Aiptasia.

you have a point there

[ihavtats29]

But did you suck them out after you treated them or jsut leave them in there because they looked dead?
I think this is the key to the success of the lime/kalk system

sure did , when they are threatened they spit out thier larva,

[ihavtats29]

you can put anything in consentration on them or in them and it will do the same thing , mag , calcium , ph+ , alk it will all kill them but whats to stop them from spreading

in fact how many reefers are still using these treatments to rid the aptasia ? it will only keep them in check not completely get rid of them

[Ritten]

kalk paste is the way to go. even better (due to cost) is mrs wages pickling lime. Same thing as kalk and its 4 bucks for a lifetime supply of aiptaisa killing goodness. mix up a small amount with water and turn it into a paste. The thicker the paste the better as long as you can make it come out of a syrnge.
I like to gently touch the aip's tnetacles with the tip so it thinks its getting food and then blast it right in the face. once it retreats to its hole (they usually do, some never make it that far) i cover the entire thing with the paste and let it sit for 45 minutes. then take a turkey baster and suck the remaining paste and the evil pest out and dispose of it.
I dispatched over 300 on 100 lbs of infected LR I bought and after 2 months only has 2 come back (may those too RIP as well)
If you have alot of them only treat a couple at a time as the paste can cause a PH spike if you use alot of it.
I beleive this to be the best method because they cannot spread thier seed (wich they do once they get messed with) becuase I cover the whole face with the paste blocking the exit. also, by sucking them out of the hole it doesnt leave anything left of them to possibly grow anew.
Peppermint shrimp if used should not be of the californian species as apparently they don't eat aip's but I think the other one is from haiti or soemthing and they do. I keep a pepp in the tank for back up in case new ones were to pop up. also, they will not eat large ones so you will have to treat them on your own. with the paste or aiptasia x or whatever you choose.

Im with the other poster about removing the rock, i don't see a good reason to do this unless you were going to move it to anoteh tank for treatment so you ddnt get any excess paste in the tank if you're worried about that. but boiling is jsut going to kill all of the good stuff on the rock, and aiptasia isnt worth that for just 1 IMO

This has been my experience as well. I love Mrs. Wages Pickling lime mixed into a thick paste. If you want to go with peppermints, I have also had really good luck with the peppermints at reeftopia.com.