Aiptasia and it's spores in a dry tank

[layer3switchguy]

Folks,

I’ve taken the drastic step of starting to drain my entire system and start fresh with dry rock and sand. The tank was OVERUN with Aiptasia, and nothing seemed to correct the problem. I’ve thought about running say a cup of bleach into my system to kill any spores, but using bleach scares the heck out of me, as I’m sure within the confines of my plumbing, some bleach will remain. So, if the display tank and sump are fully drained, how long can Aiptasia spores live in a dry system? Would I be safe to drain, let dry for 24 hours and start anew, or should I wait a bit longer than that?

Any advice is appreciated.

L3

[firebirdcrzy]

I can tell you 24 hours isn't enough time to kill off aptasia. Rock is shipped from accross the world dry and it doesn't die. Bleach will not be a problem with your plumbing, bleach will evaporate out of the water table and there are additives you can purchase to remove it from your water.

[matt880305]

have you tried a copper banded butterfly?

[layer3switchguy]

Thanks guys... All my livestock is out of the tank and in my QT. I'm past the stage of trying to salvage the rock and sand. Sounds like bleach may be the option to truly know I've killed the damn aiptasia. Still on the fence... If I do go the bleach route, any idea on how much to use? Total system volume is about 105g.

[jdthomas24]

there are products that work on killing it w/o removing the rock from the tank. Aptasia X is one i used and it effectively killed mine. If you have a lot it may take a little bit of time but would be worth it.