Aptasia advice needed!

[220tang]

So Im getting ready to redo my 250 gallon aquarium. Only one problem there is a lot of aptasia! I'm redoing my aqua scape and doing a deep clean of the sand bed. So what's my best option how do I go about removing the aptasia from my live rock/sand bed/glass overflow??? I can take all the live rock out but do not want to want to kill the beneficial bacteria on the live rock! I can take some time and glue all the aptasia but that seems really time consuming is there a better option? Also this is a reef tank so I can treat it in another tank or Rubbermaid bin or something but obviously don't want to do anything in the tank. I will use peppermint shrimp to keep it under control but would like to do the best I can to remove it all before i revamp it!

[LuciDog]

Filefish.

[snorvich]

The only guaranteed aiptasia removal option is a racoon butterfly (either endemic). Either filefish or copperband are a roll of the dice. Some work, some do not. Berghia nudibranchs work, but they are a very slow option.

[johnike]

The only guaranteed aiptasia removal option is a racoon butterfly (either endemic). Either filefish or copperband are a roll of the dice. Some work, some do not. Berghia nudibranchs work, but they are a very slow option.

Amen, end of story.

[biomek]

I got lucky. One file cleaned up my 225g in a couple of weeks. Plus he's just a cool little fish who I can't see right in front of me half the time because of his camo

[risin]

The information I found on the raccoon butterfly suggest it is not reef safe.

[johnike]

The information I found on the raccoon butterfly suggest it is not reef safe.

Not whatsoever.

[LinkinReef]

I got lucky enough to have a peppermint shrimp get rid of all of my aptasia.

[220tang]

I'm looking for something to treat the rock or some way to remove it myself off the rock. I will place a quite a few peppermint shrimp in my reef tank to help keep the aptasia from coming back. I didn't know if I could soke the rock in a bin with aptasia x or something? I think I will just use a clay to cover them up or something

[nuxx]

The only guaranteed aiptasia removal option is a racoon butterfly (either endemic). Either filefish or copperband are a roll of the dice. Some work, some do not. Berghia nudibranchs work, but they are a very slow option.

What he said :wavehand:

[BrettH]

I put eight medium sized berghia in my 240 and they cleaned my tank right up. I also don't have any predators that can screw with the berghia, so maybe that makes a difference. I think the key for Berghia is that you need a decent amount to get things started. I had about 15-20 aiptasia that I could see, all gone in about a week.

And I am breeding 2 in a small 5g tank, they've laid about 10 eggs in less than a month and two have hatched so far. LFS is happy to supply me with free aiptasia to feed what I am breeding. Not hard to do at all.

[snorvich]

The information I found on the raccoon butterfly suggest it is not reef safe.

That is correct. I place my raccoon in a vat and move rock in and out for "cleansing".

[Lucky Lefty]

Copperband butterfly I have decimated a pretty large aiptasia population I had. So far seems to be reef safe, have him with a lot of different corals.
Hit or miss with reef capability as mentioned above.

[pledosophy]

If you are removing the rock anyways you can use a butane lighter and light them on a fire. :D Basically 3-4 seconds under the flame kills them without harming to much of the rock at all.

For future maintence you can inject them with lemon juice or boiling water (or boiling lemon juice). Hypodermic syringes are sold over the counter at most pharmacies. (I know seems like they shouldn't be but it's actually better for junkies to get clean needles). The one I use holds 300cc's and was a dollar. I bought 5, but reused the same one a couple times.

I wouldn't trust a fish to take care of it IME.

[fishgate]

I'm looking for something to treat the rock or some way to remove it myself off the rock. I will place a quite a few peppermint shrimp in my reef tank to help keep the aptasia from coming back. I didn't know if I could soke the rock in a bin with aptasia x or something? I think I will just use a clay to cover them up or something

AiptasiaX is a thick fluid that covers individual Aiptasia. It isn't something that can soak an entire piece of rock.

[snorvich]

Copperband butterfly I have decimated a pretty large aiptasia population I had. So far seems to be reef safe, have him with a lot of different corals.
Hit or miss with reef capability as mentioned above.

Well, not all CBB eat aiptasia (some never eat period) and they are not reef safe necessarily either.

[Lucky Lefty]

Well, not all CBB eat aiptasia (some never eat period) and they are not reef safe necessarily either.

As I said, hit or miss with reef compatibility. As far as not eating, I think that's up to you to find an actively hunting and eating copperband before you purchase it. I do that with every fish I get. If it's not eating and is acting strange/terrified/lost, I dont get it.

If you find one that's eating, you probably have a better chance of it not eating coral than a racoon.

Just sharing my experience. Seems everyones mileage varies for just about every fish you can get.