Looking for a fish that will keep aiptasia at bay

[Zante]

I have excluded peppermint shrimps and berghia nudibranchs.
I have a Fiji biotope and these are strictly Atlantic.

I have seen the following possibilities:

Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
Fiji species, not exactly attractive, but I've read it has bags of personality. Could be reef-unsafe as I have read that it has wiped out soft corals in some people's tanks.

Copperbanded butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)
Fairly reef-safe (with caution they say). And will probably eat aiptasia. I am considering it anyway because I like it, but despite being very common on the great barrier reef, my sources say it's not a Fiji species (can someone confirm?)

Double-saddled butterfly (Chaetodon ulietensis)
Pretty much the same as the CBB, only less reef-safe. It is definitely found in Fiji though.

My tank contains a Heteractis magnifica, some SPS and will contain two LPS (a trumpet coral and a hammer coral). I have one soft coral, a polyp of some kind that hitchhiked on the rock. Not very nice and won't be missed if it goes.

I was planning on some big clam, but with a pair of coral beauties that possibility has gone out of the window.

So... does anyone have any experience to share with the above fish?

From what I've read (not much admittedly) they are not quite reef safe, but only for soft corals and LPS. SPS seem to be fairly safe, is my info correct?

Tank is 150 gallons.

Current population:
1 pair of coral banded shrimp
6 cleaner shrimp
1 pair of pistol shrimps
1 Heteractis magnifica anemone
some montiporas, some pocilloporas, a seriatopora
1 lawnmower blenny
1 pair of randall's gobies
1 pair of percula clowns
4 mccosker's flasher wrasse
4 firefish
1 yellow tang
1 pair of coral beauties
Plenty of macroalgae that hitched a ride on the rock.
Plenty of feather dusters that hitched a ride on the rock.
A selection of snails.

[saf1]

Well when I had the issue dealing with this pest I used peppermint shrimp and also the berghia's. Both with great success.

However, when I was watching some video's from IPSF they posted a video of Chaetodon aurega eating it. Obviously tank size for this fish would be a concern but you have 150 I think so should be fine. Just not sure who friendly they are since I've never owned one.

Not sure but assuming it is allowed since it is just a video, here is the one I was talking about with the founder of IPSF.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qltXI0l3M9E

[Zante]

Thanks for the info, it does look like an interesting fish, but I doubt it is reef-safe even with caution.

I will have to do some research on it.

[ca1ore]

I have used an Asfur Angel for aptasia and majano control to great effect in the past. Definitely not zooanthid safe, but never bothered anything else.

[Zante]

I have used an Asfur Angel for aptasia and majano control to great effect in the past. Definitely not zooanthid safe, but never bothered anything else.

I'm liking it, but my tank is too small for it.
Also it's found nowhere near Fiji.

[Megatrev62]

Fellow reefer had a full blown explosion of aiptasia and picked up a file fish. Matted file fish I think and every last bit of aiptasia was gone in 2 weeks. This was a softy reef at 130 gallons. I could not believe it until I saw it myself.

[SecretiveFish]

I have excluded peppermint shrimps and berghia nudibranchs.

Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
Fiji species, not exactly attractive, but I've read it has bags of personality. Could be reef-unsafe as I have read that it has wiped out soft corals in some people's tanks.

I currently have one of these in my 150, and he is a cool fish in that he is so alien looking and changes his pattern often. He leaves the SPS alone, has not messed with the frogspawn, hammer coral, favia, goneastrea, platygyra or trumpet coral, and has left the soft corals alone. The macro algae has been left alone.

That said, I am pretty sure he has taken out most of the cleanup crew, i.e. snails and hermit crabs. He also kept tearing at a bubble coral; it had to be moved to another tank to save it. He is suspect in damaging a fungia and trachyphylia but that is not confirmed. I am also pretty sure he chowed done on the feather dusters that were in there... there are not any left.

Our cleanup crew consists of 3 starfish, one very large coral banded shrimp, a tuxedo urchin and a few snails.

He has kept the display tank aiptasia free though! :)

[Zante]

What about the blackwedged butterflyfish (Chaetodon falcula)?

It is listed as reef safe with case, more or less as a CBB, it's found in Fiji, and it is described as hardy and that usually leaves ornamental corals alone.

Does anyone have experience with this fish to share?

[ca1ore]

I'm liking it, but my tank is too small for it.
Also it's found nowhere near Fiji.

Indeed not, failed to note that point in your original post. Still a nice fish though.

[Salinity01]

We used the filefish and he did the job. After all of the aptasia was gone we left him in for an additional 3 months. He ate fish food and then we sold him back to the LFS to help out somebody else. Tanks been doing good since with no aptasia. Tank was is a 140 gal.

[GroktheCube]

I've heard many people rave about filefish, most of them saying they didn't go after corals (save perhaps zoas), but I have no personal experience.

[barry_keith]

I currently have a CBB in my reef, so far so good. He began going to work on the aiptasia after a few days of being in my tank.

I have kept a matted filefish before but it acquired a taste for my zoas, and before I knew it colony's were wiped out completely.

Both are cool fish, and I had success with both, but IMO the CBB is going to be considered more reef safe. Only time will tell.

Good luck!