aiptasia!!! Am I doomed?

[degibson84]

last weekend I bought a small rock that had to be split to transport down to me. One piece had one mushroom and the other had zoas and 3 mushrooms. As I was feeding the tank today I noticed 2 small aiptasia nems on the larger rock with only one shroom. So I reached in and pulled the rock out and took a dremel to cut the mushroom off. I put the new smaller piece back in the tank but now I am afraid that I am doomed.

what do you guys think?

[Flippers4pups]

Kalk paste, lemon juice always kills them quickly. Don't ever just tear them out!

[degibson84]

i didn't tear at them. i removed the rock and cut off the part with the two I saw. The part of the rock with the aiptasia went in the trash.

[ReefKeeper64]

Don't worry, you're not doomed! I was fighting them for a few months until I picked up a few $3 peppermint shrimp and put them in my display tank. The Aptasia has been gone for several months now but I keep the shrimp in the display tank just in case the Aptasia show back up. Give that a try and make sure your system is low in nutrients. I have read that these peppermint shrimp generally go after the aptasia more aggressively if they are hungry.

[degibson84]

Don't worry, you're not doomed! I was fighting them for a few months until I picked up a few $3 peppermint shrimp and put them in my display tank. The Aptasia has been gone for several months now but I keep the shrimp in the display tank just in case the Aptasia show back up. Give that a try and make sure your system is low in nutrients. I have read that these peppermint shrimp generally go after the aptasia more aggressively if they are hungry.well it is a brand new setup only been running for less than 2 months now. I will have to see if my LFS has any pep shrimp

[degibson84]

Anyone else think I'm ok or screwed

[havoc79]

if it was me your screwed but i think you are ok

[degibson84]

if it was me your screwed but i think you are ok

so since it was my tank not yours im safe? thats isn't how my luck goes though lol

[J2T]

Being in the tank that short a period of time I don't think you are doomed to be honest since you cut out those pieces that had them on it. Just keep an eye on it all but I think you will be fine.

[rssjsb]

No need to panic anyway. Wait and see if they come back. If they do, pick up some peppermint shrimp.

[GreenSaltyOne]

I just noticed about a half dozen very small aiptasia in my tank. Would you recommend cutting the rock up to get them out? Drilling them out in a separate container? Scraping? Peppermint shrimp? Or berghia nudibranch? I know there are a lot of options, but its near a mushroom thats been struggling and I think they are to blame so I don't want to hurt my mushroom. In the same boat as OP. Advice is appreciated!!

[rworegon]

Peppermint shrimp are hit an miss. Some will eat aptasia and some wont. The nudibrac's are a good option but when the aptasia are gone so are they. Thats the only thing they eat. I've had good luck with my copperband butterfly. No more aptasia and he eats frozen but leaves zoas and other corals alone.

[GreenSaltyOne]

I have a small nano reef (26 gal) and no fish in it. I'd be dooming the butterfly fish for such a small problem. I'd rather kill a nudi first I think, but once hes done his job I can give him away to my LFS. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. But I'm thinking of using a paste or some chemical warfare on them first. They are small and isolated so my problem is not out of control yet.

[degibson84]

I have a small nano reef (26 gal) and no fish in it. I'd be dooming the butterfly fish for such a small problem. I'd rather kill a nudi first I think, but once hes done his job I can give him away to my LFS. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. But I'm thinking of using a paste or some chemical warfare on them first. They are small and isolated so my problem is not out of control yet.

do not put a butterfly in a tank that small. If the LFS guy will let you bring back any livestock I would go that route. The only reason I asked was because it was just two and i dont want to have to add anything i dont want to . I will add peppermint shrimp or nudis if i have to but i have never dealt with aiptasia in my own tanks. I did use aiptasia X in my father in laws tank but it was only a 75 so i just shot up the ones i could see once a week until they were all gone

[rworegon]

I have a small nano reef (26 gal) and no fish in it. I'd be dooming the butterfly fish for such a small problem. I'd rather kill a nudi first I think, but once hes done his job I can give him away to my LFS. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. But I'm thinking of using a paste or some chemical warfare on them first. They are small and isolated so my problem is not out of control yet.

Didn't know the size of your tank. Nudi's are cool but I doubt you would be able to find them once they were done with their job. Aptasia-x or similar product is probably your best bet.

[rssjsb]

Try the peppermints first. They're easy to find (unlike berghias) and they've always worked for me. Even if they don't, they're good scavengers and they won't starve once the aiptasia is gone.

IMO&E, the problem with Aiptasia-X and similar products is that you have to find all the aiptasia. They sometimes grow where you can't see them. Until you get them all, they'll continue to reproduce in your tank. A hungry peppermint (especially if that's all that's in the tank) will track them all down.

[ReeferBill]

I have had good luck with Kent's turbo calcium mixed in a strong solution and injected with a syringe. Now I have ten peppermint shrimp in their to clean up the left overs.

[Jaffy]

I've had aiptasia on 3 rocks. Upon first recognition,
I used the aiptasia x. Sometimes it might come
Back in te same spot if the X doesn't get it, so just apply it again when the aiptasia pokes its ugly self out, and it'll go away. As long as you keep it in
Check as soon as you see it, zap it. Four months and I haven't seen any.

[kevin kaplan]

In my experience, the best way to eradicate aiptasia is a Copperband Butterfly Fish...thanks Beefy!

My peppermints never did the job, but I had lots.

[shrimpgal]

My peppermint shrimp do their job of keeping my tank aiptasia free:wavehand:

[degibson84]

Guess I better buy some peps. I bought a colony about two weeks ago and noticed another baby aiptasia. This on cant be cut off as it is in the middle of the colony. And it is so small I don't think I would be able to reach it and be able to see why in doing to hit it with aiptasia x

[Grandlotus]

my peppermint shrimp do their job of keeping my tank aiptasia free:wavehand:

+1.

[dinwiddie90]

Your ok. Get some aptasias x incase you see anymore

[degibson84]

I have it but the new frag has one and I don't want to aiptasia x the zoas

[Biocubehqi]

I have it but the new frag has one and I don't want to aiptasia x the zoas

I was nervous too... It will be fine! Aptasia x may kill a polyp but one polyp will grow back! Aiptasia will kill your polyp too... What I do is use a finger or a baster and make the polyps close up... I use aptasia x and will use a turkey baster to blow the excess off the polyp... I even dropped aptasia x on open polyps. They close up and brown for about a week to a couple of days then rebound!

[degibson84]

I bought 3 peppermints last night and added them when the lights were out so they could get into the rock work before being spotted by my Green Spotted Puffer. This morning when the moonlights were on i saw two of them running through the sandbed. When I was just down there the lights were on and I didn't see any of the peps but i dont see the aiptasia either.

So in my head i now have two scenarios

1. The peps got the aiptasia in the middle of the night and then the puffer found and ate them this morning

2. they found and ate the aiptasia last night and are now hiding in the rocks