klein butterfly and aiptasia
 

Well Kleins eat aiptasia?? CB's are hard to keep fed enough after the aiptasia are gone and since Kleins are pretty much reef safe, I was thinking of trying one. Thanks

Kleins are NOT always reef safe! I had one and had to take him back in less than a week....liked to eat my SPS. Never touched the aiptasia.

I had to take mine back the next day. He went wild on my zoas and SPS. Not sampling, but flat out working things over. However, there are a couple of folks in my local reef club that are keeping them in reef tanks for aiptasia control without any issues.

Mine eventually ate aiptasia. Of course, I had to take the montis, chalices and zoas that he was nibbling on out first before he could be bothered to eat the aiptasia...

Thanks guys, its what I thought, not reef safe.

Wait--I had 300+ various sized aiptasia in mixed reef...tried for YEARS and tried everything to get rid of them...CB x 2 died, etc...Klein's nipped at corals minorly for one week...never saw it eat aiptasia...but in one week, ALL aiptasia gone...ALL!!! I have had for 4 months...fish all but ignores mixed corals and will eat anything that I feed...aiptasia problem a thing of the past...this butterfly is a model citizen!!

DrMerle

Here is a link to an article on Klein's Butterfly fish, aiptasia, and there near reef safeness:

http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com/.../issue_4-4.htm

I too, have had a MAJOR aptasia problem going on.. I bought a Klein's about a month ago to hopefully eat the darn things... at first he did not even look at them... AND he did pick at a few sps and other corals...he also eats anything I feed the tank, flake, freeze dried, frozen...AND he is NOT skittish or nor does he let any one bully himmm.....I was getting a little frustrated at the fact he was not touching the aptasia...... BUT this week, lo and behold.... the aptasia are disappearing!!! At first I thought I was imagining it.... but nope they are disappearing one by one....and I must have had over a 100 at one point....

I am hoping that I can keep him after they are all gone. I really like him...I am going to try and keep him well fed and hopefully he will not pick on corals once the aptasia are all gone...he is an interesting little fish.

Don't put one in your tank if you value your coral. Find a copperband from Australia. They cost more, but are more hardy than the ones from fiji.

i had a serious aptasia problem and i got a four eyed butterfly and he took good care of the problem....

I had a Klien's in my tank before I lost him to an ich outbreak. Never had a problem with feeding him and he never nipped at my corals. I had all softies and LPS though.

I once had a problem with aiptasia and have never found anything better than a Threadfin butterfly to take care of it. He also btw was a model citizen.

If you can find them (and afford them) the Muelleri Butterfly is as good or better than the CBB at eating aptasia...and they are MUCH hardier. They are in the same genus as the CBB, and are completely reefsafe....Chelmon muelleri :)

I would recommend posting this in the general reef discussion or reef fish area, a lot more forum goers with lots of experience on this subject will see this post and give you valuable insight about your question.


In my experience though I would also recommend a CBB, even though Kleins are not as common, there is a reason why CBBs are more commonly found and used in situations similar to the one you are currently in.

:bum:

So what is good to get reed of aptasias?

get some pepper mint shrimp worked magic for me

Aiptasia were gone in three days. Havent seen one since

Klein's Butterflyfish will eat Aiptasia.
"Reef safe" is bad generalistic terminology. Research species compatibility and remember: each fish has unique preferences. I got my Klein's to eat the Aiptasia that my CBB wouldn't touch.
I kept both even though the Klein's pesters stuff more than my CBB.
The smorgasboard shot
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27.../August_09.jpg

A copperband requires alot of knowledge to keep alive after the aptasia are gone. The tank and its inhabinets have to be right or he well perish in a few months from starvation.

gary,
nice tank..are those onyx clowns btw?

klein butterfly
 

I picked up a klein butterfly from a fellow reefer who claimed it ate all of his apastasia but in my tank it would not eat one. One month later I sold it back to the same reefer.

David

Kleins did it for me. Some corals were nipped - but not destroyed. Definately worth it considering the 3 CBBs, 10 Peppermint shrimp and Aptasia X did nothing.

I mostly agree except they are not TOTALLY reef safe for all specimens just like the CBB is not always reef safe.

:) True. sorry for the "completely" statement...Should have read "almost completely". My CBB likes to pick the eye stalks off of Astrea sp. snails :eek:

I have heard that Acreichthys tomentosus will eat aiptasia and Manjano and in most cases leave coral alone.

I put one in my 180 this past weekend. He has not done anything to the visible stuff. However, I cannot tell what he is getting at within the rock work, so he may be cleaning up the stuff hidden from sight. He probably still needs time to settle in and am hoping that the aiptasia will start disappearing later this week. If not, I have a copperband in another tank that is working his way through the aptasia. I will just move him if the filefish does not do the job.