Need suggestion

davjbeas · 07/07/2020, 11:14 AM

Hello,

I had an aptasia infestation in my 80 gallon reef.
I added 8 peppermint shrimp and they ate all the aptasia, now they are eating my grape coral, hammer coral. Are there fishes that will eat the shrimp and not bother the corals? i had a suggestion that a flame hawkfish would do the trick but I cannot find one anywhere. Can you suggest several fish options please.

Thanks.

hegeh · 07/07/2020, 11:18 AM

8?! One would do the job in 2days.

Try lionfish.. or grouper..

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hegeh · 07/07/2020, 11:18 AM

Or just sell it back to the LFS

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cody6766 · 07/07/2020, 04:23 PM

I have a flame cardinal in my tank. He made it so that there's NO way I can use peppermint shrimp for aptasia control.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/...=79&c=15+26+79

That wasn't my intent, but it was clearly his. There's a good chance you'll have another breakout eventually. Bhergia nudis are great for aptasia control. I've used them in two different tank with slow, but very effective, success. I've seen mixed results from peppermint shrimp. Some eat aptasia with gusto, some don't care about them. Some eat LPS like candy, some eventually develop a taste for them, and some never bother eating coral. They're a gamble any way you cut it.

davjbeas · 07/08/2020, 11:29 AM

Thanks for the replies.
I am going to try more manual removal.

Uncle99 · 07/09/2020, 12:46 PM

Cut off the top of a water bottle
Attach a piece of shrimp to a small rock, put the shrimp in the bottle, the bottle in the DT.
The pep will smell the shrimp, go into the bottle, when he does, put a net on the bottle opening so he can’t get out, pull the bottle from the tank, repeat for each pep.

cody6766 · 07/09/2020, 04:27 PM

You might even be able to catch them with a net using your hand as bait. They're incredibly willing to clean your hands when you reach into the tank. Maybe put a net below your hand, lure them close and scoop them up? It shouldn't be too hard.

Sk8r · 07/09/2020, 04:54 PM

I use a half-liter glass wine carafe: has a sloping neck that even crabs can't climb. Once in, they're trapped. I tilt it up against the rockwork, bait it with shrimp, and I usually get what I'm after. Works with fish, too, if you stand by with a small net to block the entry: I don't put the net in the water until I've got my quarry.

07/07/2020, 11:14 AM	#1
davjbeas Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Reston, VA Posts: 82	Need suggestion Hello, I had an aptasia infestation in my 80 gallon reef. I added 8 peppermint shrimp and they ate all the aptasia, now they are eating my grape coral, hammer coral. Are there fishes that will eat the shrimp and not bother the corals? i had a suggestion that a flame hawkfish would do the trick but I cannot find one anywhere. Can you suggest several fish options please. Thanks.

07/07/2020, 04:23 PM	#4
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	I have a flame cardinal in my tank. He made it so that there's NO way I can use peppermint shrimp for aptasia control. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/...=79&c=15+26+79 That wasn't my intent, but it was clearly his. There's a good chance you'll have another breakout eventually. Bhergia nudis are great for aptasia control. I've used them in two different tank with slow, but very effective, success. I've seen mixed results from peppermint shrimp. Some eat aptasia with gusto, some don't care about them. Some eat LPS like candy, some eventually develop a taste for them, and some never bother eating coral. They're a gamble any way you cut it. __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

07/09/2020, 04:27 PM	#7
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	You might even be able to catch them with a net using your hand as bait. They're incredibly willing to clean your hands when you reach into the tank. Maybe put a net below your hand, lure them close and scoop them up? It shouldn't be too hard. __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

07/09/2020, 04:54 PM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I use a half-liter glass wine carafe: has a sloping neck that even crabs can't climb. Once in, they're trapped. I tilt it up against the rockwork, bait it with shrimp, and I usually get what I'm after. Works with fish, too, if you stand by with a small net to block the entry: I don't put the net in the water until I've got my quarry. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/07/2020, 11:18 AM	#2
hegeh Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 223	8?! One would do the job in 2days. Try lionfish.. or grouper.. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

07/08/2020, 11:29 AM	#5
davjbeas Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Reston, VA Posts: 82	Thanks for the replies. I am going to try more manual removal.

07/09/2020, 12:46 PM	#6
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Cut off the top of a water bottle Attach a piece of shrimp to a small rock, put the shrimp in the bottle, the bottle in the DT. The pep will smell the shrimp, go into the bottle, when he does, put a net on the bottle opening so he can’t get out, pull the bottle from the tank, repeat for each pep.