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gsiegel
06/25/2017, 10:47 AM
I have a 300 gallon mix reef that as aptasia. I tried adding some peppermint shrimp but the wrasses enjoyed that snack. Thinking of adding a cooper band but do have a purple and Chevron tang that can tend to be bullies with new additions and know the Copperbend can be timid . I was actually thinking of adding 2 copper bands together to help try to defer that aggression and hopefully have a better chance of one or both eating the aptasia. I have tried aptasia x without success since it is hard to reach some of them, especially in this size tank. I have also seen the aptasia wand advertised, and have read about a filefish as well - so was also thinking of adding a file fish along with a copper band.

Any thoughts out there in the reefing community?
TIA

sra127
06/25/2017, 07:45 PM
Bergia nudibranches. Expensive for a 300 gallon but will work

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Heuristic
06/25/2017, 11:30 PM
Bergia nudibranches. Expensive for a 300 gallon but will work

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I've read to buy a few of them and then the eggs and they should be able to sustain themselves until they run out of their food source(Aptasia).

tmantaylor18
06/26/2017, 12:44 AM
Do wrasses have an appetite for those too?

mcgyvr
06/26/2017, 04:40 AM
well.. a matted filefish worked great for me years ago..

are the aiptasia causing any problem? maybe just leave them and don't worry about it.. Thats always an option too..

brett559
06/26/2017, 08:36 AM
The nudibranches are expensive. You can a Cooperband for like $30. If your other fish are mean to it, the butterfly will stay near the top of the tank and he'll be easy to get out. Filefish is cheap too. I'd try the two fish, then the nudis...


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scooter31707
06/26/2017, 09:07 AM
Do wrasses have an appetite for those too?

Wrasses and Angels, IME, ate them. Also if you have any shrimp in your tank, they will also have the possibility of feeding on them.

gsiegel
06/26/2017, 09:20 AM
I have heard of using nudibranches (sea hares?) to fight off hair algae but aptasia. They are also listed for sale at around $20 online. Is there a particular type of nudibranch you are referring to? By way of example here are the ones listed on live aquaria and blue zoo (they are cheap?)

http://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?w=nudibranch

https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productlist.asp?did=2&cid=83

scooter31707
06/26/2017, 11:08 AM
This is where I got mines from. All came in alive and good size.

http://saltyunderground.com/category/berghia-nudibranch

sdbc
06/26/2017, 11:31 AM
With most fish, it is hit or miss as to whether they will eat what you expect them to. I would keep going with the Aptasia-X. If you get it down to just a few aptasia, they're pretty easy to manage with a once a month hunting trip.

brett559
06/26/2017, 11:36 AM
My first tank had it bad. Aiptasia X almost seemed to make things worse. The only time I was able to get any real control over it (and it never totally goes away, as they are in your sump, pipes, fuge, etc.) was when I had some livestock eating them.

What worked best for me was a Copperband - he really cleaned them out. Even big ones. Once the visible aiptasia was in essence gone, I sold him to another reefer and got a bunch of peppermint shrimp. The pepps did a good job of keeping the new growing aips away.

However, in order to keep the pepps I had to part with some fish I really liked (mel. wrasse, candy hogfish), but it was worth it.

Good luck! Aiptasia sucks.

scooter31707
06/26/2017, 11:45 AM
I also had great success with 100% concentrated lemon juice and a syringe.

gsiegel
06/26/2017, 01:36 PM
Thx for the input - will try to copperband first and last resort splurge for the nudibranches

MOBlueDevil
06/30/2017, 02:01 PM
I always had 40-50 aptasia in my 350 gallon, I'd hit them with Kalk paste every week or two to keep the population in check. Finally bought a little filefish, the aptasia disappeared about a month later.

RiversideGator
06/30/2017, 10:05 PM
I had aiptasia out-of-control so I added a Copperband Butterfly. The timid Copperband was hazed by a Bristletooth Tang and a Yellow Tang for a week. The Copperband was hiding in the back of the tank laying low but had aiptasia to eat. It was very patient and the hazing subsized after about three weeks, reducing in intensity each week. After one month, I am aiptasia-free!

Heuristic
07/01/2017, 09:04 AM
I also had great success with 100% concentrated lemon juice and a syringe.

This is what I've always used and they go away for a few months and then I'll find 1 or 2 more and then I'll blast those.

Just be careful if you're doing a lot of them at one time, the lemon juice can cause a pH swing

JTL
07/01/2017, 01:03 PM
Lemon juice worked for me in the past.

jmm
07/03/2017, 10:03 AM
I've used peppermint shrimp. They got the aiptasia. Something ate the shrimp and the aiptaisia came back. I used berghia nudibranch. They got all but a few. The berghia disappeared and the aiptaisia came back. I had a tank with a juvenile harlequin tusk, a tiny juvenile emperor angel and some hermits and cleaner shrimp. There was no aiptaisia. The harlequin tusk ate all the shrimp and hermits. Still no aiptaisia. The harlequin tusk and juvenile emperor grew up in the next two years. And for two years there was still no aiptaisia. I moved the emperor angel to the main display and left the harlequin tusk by himself. Without adding anything, the tank is full of aiptaisia. Any tank I have with any angel or butterfly is aiptaisia-free.

I don't believe anything gets rid of aiptaisia. Certain fish and invertebrates can mow it down to a tiny dot, but when the natural enemies are gone, the aiptaisia comes back. It can be controlled but not eliminated. There's always that tiny little residue waiting to come back when the coast is clear. You don't have to add anything to the tank for them to reappear, even after years.

I will say, though, that my tanks with angels and/or butterflies are free of "visible" aiptaisia.