Considering drastic measures to rid reef of aptasia

[Lakelivin]

I've been chasing/killing aptasia (the ones I can see) for months using aptasia-X. It seems to work but at this rate it will never totally eliminate them down to a more manageable level and it's become almosy a daily task trying to kill them one at a time. I kill 10 and 20 come back within a week or so.

I went away for a couple weeks letting my automatic fish feeder, APEX tank controller and ATO and other automated toys take care of my tank. I return to find hundreds of aptasia that I'm just tired of trying to kill individually. I admit my tank conditions with nitrates and phosphates were not optimal as I ignored my usual maintenance schedule while pursuing my other hobbies this summer.

Sooo, I'm very close to just shutting the tank down and possibly starting over. I have a lot of live rock and aptasia growing in places I can't see or get to without tearing apart the tank. Consequently, I kill what I can see but the ones I cannot see continue to grow and break off pieces and repopulate faster than I can kill them.

So here's my question... I know Cupramine should make short work of it and kill all the aptasia in one shot over a coupe week period. I have mainly cheap soft corals like polyps and mushrooms with nothing very expensive. So I'm thinking it will be less work to just dose the Cupramine and deal with the fallout and once the aptasia is gone and start removing the traces of copper and hope some of the good stuff survives the copper. Anybody done it or have advice.

I know most of you will probably say it's a bad idea but I'm at the point where i'm going to have to start all over again so if I get lucky with the cuppermine then great it will save me untold manhours and messes.

[coralfish]

Try an aptasia eating file fish. $30 from live aquaria


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[Walla2GSP]

^^ agreed although they may chew on some of your corals as well. I love my matted filefish.

[tanksfishtank]

+1 on file fish. We put one in our tank a few years ago when we had an aptasia issue. He didn't;t touch them for the first week, but woke up next morning and they were all gone! I gave him to a fellow reefer and he did the same in his tank.

[Lakelivin]

I bought a couple copper banded butterfly fish and some shrimp that are advertised that they eat aptasia but not the ones I have. I'll do some reading on file fish and see what I can find out. Problem is it appears that creatures that have been known to eat aptasia don't always eat it. It seems to depend on the creature and so far I have had no luck finiding anything that will eat it.

[Dizzle63]

I would say that no matter what you do, cupramine would be a terrible idea. If it soaks into the rock, it may not be useable again. I have soaked one rock at a time in vinegar before to lull the aiptasia. Need to be careful with how much is done at one time so as not to restart a cycle. I think that getting a fish to eat them would be the best idea.

[Lakelivin]

What did you feed you file fish when the aptasia was all gone or did you all just give them away when the job was done?

[DamonG]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my filefish eats mysis, krill, and pretty much any other meat I throw in the tank.. He's just another member puff the system that serves s great and unique function..

From note 5.. rip note 7

[Lakelivin]

I just ordered a pair from LiveAquaria. I live in Florida and they ship from Florida and I've had good luck with their stuff so I will give them a chance. They should arrive this week and after getting them acclimated I will see what they do after a couple weeks. Hopefully they wiil work and save me a whole lot of work. Thanks for the quick responses and advice I really appreciate it! I'll check back in a few weeks and give anyone who may be interested in this thread an update on effecive they were. Keeping my fingers crossedl

My advise is to always use coral dip each time you get a new piece to help prevent these guys in large nubers any

[coralfish]

They will eat frozen and flakes...as well


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[timnem70]

Again, and believe me o have no bias one way or the other but... I just went Aptasia hunting with Aptasia X and I'm telling you I had quite a bit and large ones at that, killed 95% of them in one swoop. Just turn your pumps off and fill the syringe. Give them a poke and they will retract a bit, just put the syringe right into the mouth and coat. Coat some more and smother. Repeat, until see no more. I have used this application for years and have severely mitigated their progress. I'll do it every few months, sometimes more, you're bound to miss some. Just give it like 1/2 an hour to kill and then turn your pumps back on, getting the "goo" up in the water column and into your sump/Skimmer. These are just my experience's, others have also effectively wiped them out by numerous means and variations.

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[timnem70]

If however, as I read on, you've that many, it may be okay to just take out the corals you do have and get the other live rock out that has the majority of the infestation attached. Start again

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[d2mini]

Getting 4 Berghia Nudibranchs for my nano worked for me.

[Spiffy]

Peppermint Shrimp worked for me. They took care of the problem overnight, and it took a couple of years for me to start see them again.

[tanksfishtank]

I can't say what the file fish eat for sure. He did not eat the flake or brine shrimp that I fed during the first week I had him. After he ate all the aptasia, I gave him to my buddy.

[moondoggy4]

Getting 4 Berghia Nudibranchs for my nano worked for me.

This I also had a infestion in my nano tank, bought one berghia ended up with a almost a hundred berghia's sold some the rest I put in my main tank. Buy 4 and in a month or so you will think you had been had, but then all of a sudden the apistia will start to disappear, they will completely wipe them out, a file fish will also keep them from coming back. So a two prong attack will work. Be careful with the file fish there top fin will get stuck in the net.

[Str8linespeed]

I put 1 peppermint shrimp in my tank, it wouldnt touch it, so I figure WTH, I'll try a few more. I have 4 in total and 1 or a couple of them found they liked the Aptasia. They wiped it out in a couple days. I've looked for the smallest sign of it and nothing. Im hoping they took care of all of it for good!

[saf1]

Matted filefish. Problem solved in less than 30 days or your money back. Can also add two or so peppermints. Depending on size of tank there is also an angel that will clear it out. No need to despair you have several options with variety of price points to rid it without your hands getting wet...

[Grayhead]

Matted file fish worked well for me. The only draw back is it may eat zoa's and plays. Mine cleaned out a major infestation in my old tank. But he cleaned my zoa's also. I had some fast growing plays that I hated. Took care of them to. He now resides in my 240. Eats like a pig and is fat as one to. Haven't tried to introduce any zoa's. So there is risk to the benefits of owning one. Berghias may be the safe bet.

[fishgate]

been there, done that, nuked the tank. Problem solved.

[deansreef]

filefish all the way- awesome

[pfoxgrover]

Peppermint shrimp worked for me but there are one or two aiptasia they skipped over. I have a really bad Majano anemone infestation and what is working for that right now is injecting them with a LYE solution.

[butesch]

Berghia nudibranchs. Takes a while but once they get through an egg cycle and hatch if sure is fun to watch the aiptasia disappear each day. I had them all over my tank 2 years ago. 4 Berghia and 60 days or less............bam. Haven't had one since. Aiptasia is the ONLY food Berghia eat so it's pretty much no fail in my experience.

[pfoxgrover]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but apparently you can't keep Berghia if you have wrasses as they will eat them.they are pretty expensive as well. As long as you rescue them from the tank when the aiptasia are all gone,I think it is a good solution. Just my two cents..

[rjjr1963]

Filefish devoured every single aiptasia in very short order. Haven't seen one since. He's going into the DT just as soon as QT is done. Loves brine shrimp too.

[Ifeelsick]

I've been chasing/killing aptasia (the ones I can see) for months using aptasia-X. It seems to work but at this rate it will never totally eliminate them down to a more manageable level and it's become almosy a daily task trying to kill them one at a time. I kill 10 and 20 come back within a week or so.

I went away for a couple weeks letting my automatic fish feeder, APEX tank controller and ATO and other automated toys take care of my tank. I return to find hundreds of aptasia that I'm just tired of trying to kill individually. I admit my tank conditions with nitrates and phosphates were not optimal as I ignored my usual maintenance schedule while pursuing my other hobbies this summer.

Sooo, I'm very close to just shutting the tank down and possibly starting over. I have a lot of live rock and aptasia growing in places I can't see or get to without tearing apart the tank. Consequently, I kill what I can see but the ones I cannot see continue to grow and break off pieces and repopulate faster than I can kill them.

So here's my question... I know Cupramine should make short work of it and kill all the aptasia in one shot over a coupe week period. I have mainly cheap soft corals like polyps and mushrooms with nothing very expensive. So I'm thinking it will be less work to just dose the Cupramine and deal with the fallout and once the aptasia is gone and start removing the traces of copper and hope some of the good stuff survives the copper. Anybody done it or have advice.

I know most of you will probably say it's a bad idea but I'm at the point where i'm going to have to start all over again so if I get lucky with the cuppermine then great it will save me untold manhours and messes.

Peppermint shrimp destoryed all mine. It's funny as my shrimp were small and they still attacked big aptasia.

[Nanighan]

been there, done that, nuked the tank. Problem solved.

Agree with this. Start over. Frag all corals with no rocks attached. Nuke the rocks. Once you have aiptasia, you will always have it once you remove the predator. I soaked mine in freshwater for 48 hours. Good Luck

Edit to add the rock will need to be cured again, as there will be a lot of die off.