Getting rid of Aitapsia infestation

juanmanuelsanch · 12/09/2017, 02:06 PM

Ok, So after battling several problems in my tank, Im up to the last one. Aitapsia, I have a very bad infestation, with several tens of them in the tank.

So my question is, is there a way to get rid of them quickly?

1) I bough 3 peppermint shrimp a week ago, still havent seen any big differences.

2) I cant use a fish since the tank is in fallow time.

3) I can inyect them with any of the products out there, but since there are so so many and I will probably cant see them all, it dosent look like a viable solution.

So is there any other way?

Thanks in advance.

RobZilla04 · 12/09/2017, 04:10 PM

Several tens, three peppermint shrimp, and only one week? Give them some time.

lapin · 12/09/2017, 05:19 PM

Get more peppermint shrimp and wait. The population prob did not get into the tens in 1 week. The shrimp will eat the small aiptasia first and may not eat the very large ones.

SAT · 12/09/2017, 05:51 PM

Beware that peppermint shrimp sometimes will attack corals and small anemones of other types-- mine liked to eat Pocillipora and small flower anemones.

Cliving1 · 12/09/2017, 06:21 PM

Easiest way I have found, get a turkey baster with a small mouth. Get lemon juice. Get as close as you can to the mouth and inject it directly into it. It will start melting away immediately.

monkeysee1 · 12/10/2017, 07:09 AM

An Aiptasia Eating File Fish or a Copperband Butterfly will take care of that problem for you.

rocsec1 · 12/10/2017, 07:04 PM

I had a big outbreak and got a file fish for the dt and am using aiptasia x for the frag tank. Everyday I go hunting for them and I am getting to the point where there fewer and fewer everyday.

Xxero · 12/10/2017, 07:12 PM

You can try to go the Berghia Nudibranch route, but eradication doesn't happen quickly. Unless you have the $$$ to purchase a ton of them, the Nudibranch need to go through a few egg laying cycles to become really effective:

The good thing about the Berghia Nudibranch is that Aiptasia is its sole food source. It eats nothing else, and contains chemicals within itself that actually help the Nudibranch zone in on the Aiptasia.

I purchased mine here:
http://reeftown.com/berghia-nudibranchs

HTH

juanmanuelsanch · 12/10/2017, 10:59 PM

Actually I took lemon and vinegar and started injecting. Worked. It will help a lot to eradication alongside the peppermints.

I will keep going for a few days and see the result.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

jpitch · 12/11/2017, 06:32 PM

Kalkwasser paste worked like a charm for me

HBtank · 12/11/2017, 06:58 PM

There are all kinds of ways to kill and control aptasia, and work great if you spot a few or are certain they are not hidden. But most of those solutions will end up in a control outcome; they will be there, but not a problem as long as you keep up with them (keep adding shrimp, killing manually, adding/removing file/coppers as needed).

But to eradicate an infestation, you will need Berghia Nudibranchs.

juanmanuelsanch · 12/11/2017, 07:11 PM

I bought some weeks ago. Haven't seen them.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Xxero · 12/11/2017, 07:40 PM

Peppermint shrimp will eat Berghia Nudibranch. So will most Wrasses.

Berghias are nocturnal and it is very common to never see them in your tank again. As stated above, it can take several months for the Berghia's numbers to multiply in order to make any impact. If you have Peppermint shrimp in your tank though, the Berghia have probably become a snack.

crawlerman · 12/12/2017, 08:49 AM

manually kill all of the big ones with Joes juice and get more peppermint shrimp. I only have 3 in my 180g but I have never had an infestation. Just a few random ones popping up here and there. Whenever I see one it is gone withing a few days. I suspect they are probably breeding in my overflow, but I just don't feel like dealing with that.

OhsCC · 12/12/2017, 12:56 PM

[jpitch] called it right. Kalkwasser paste nails it. I just used it last week to kill one that came on my live rock.

I used a syringe and needle and injected Kalkwasser paste in it. Bye Bye bad guy.

JUNBUG361 · 12/12/2017, 10:44 PM

File fish

juanmanuelsanch · 12/15/2017, 01:47 PM

Well after trying to get rid of the big one. I see a bunch of small ones... This is becoming a pain to control haha.

I don't think the peppermints are doing a great job. But I guess I will have to wait.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

crawlerman · 12/15/2017, 02:09 PM

I have heard that there are different peppermint shrimp and that the Caribbean are the best at eating aptasia. I've heard for best results to get them out of Florida. I got mine at a LFS and they keep my tank clean. I've also heard of people putting them in a quarantine tank with a rock full of aptasia and not feeding them. Forcing them to eat the aptasia. Once they eat it all they go into the display trained to eat aptasia.

Sinclair81 · 12/15/2017, 02:09 PM

I understand your tank cant house any fish right now. I had a problem with them as well, I purchased a few peppermint shrimp, a raccoon butterfly (not reef safe) and injected the big ones with boiling lemon juice. I noticed the peppermint shrimp would consume the anemone that I injected and the raccoon took care of all the small ones. But as with everything in this hobby, you find what works for you and you go with it.
Good Luck
Jim

ComforablyNumb · 12/15/2017, 05:33 PM

Matted file fish. Your problem will be over.

scooter31707 · 12/18/2017, 12:21 PM

I got a syringe from Walgreens and filled it with lemon juice. It worked great. Once I injected the lemon juice the were pretty much gone. I did like 5-9 per day cause I was told that lemon juice could have an effect on your Ph, if too much was being used.

alanbetiger · 12/18/2017, 01:47 PM

Just throwing it out there with the Matted File Fish. I bought two for an outbreak and they ate a single Aiptasia then started eating my LPS, acans specifically. Right now I'm going down the Berghia Nudibranch route.

juanmanuelsanch · 01/11/2018, 04:29 PM

The problem got worse. Even with the peppermint.

Inyecting them helped but now they are everywhere

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Uncle99 · 01/12/2018, 12:50 PM

It gets to a point where you need to take a more drastic approach.
Remove those things that they attach to, inject where possible, pull where possible.

Everyone above has great ideas and they work....but when you got rid of them all, you need to inspect the stuff you put in your tank...the LFS is famous for giving out free apastia on rocks or inside the rocks or bottoms.....it's a tuff problem but persistence will pay off...

Hal · 01/13/2018, 11:39 AM

I've always had good results with a copperband butterfly. They're much prettier than a filefish too.

12/09/2017, 02:06 PM	#1
juanmanuelsanch Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 408	Getting rid of Aitapsia infestation Ok, So after battling several problems in my tank, Im up to the last one. Aitapsia, I have a very bad infestation, with several tens of them in the tank. So my question is, is there a way to get rid of them quickly? 1) I bough 3 peppermint shrimp a week ago, still havent seen any big differences. 2) I cant use a fish since the tank is in fallow time. 3) I can inyect them with any of the products out there, but since there are so so many and I will probably cant see them all, it dosent look like a viable solution. So is there any other way? Thanks in advance.

12/09/2017, 04:10 PM	#2
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	Several tens, three peppermint shrimp, and only one week? Give them some time. __________________ 90g Mixed Reef

12/09/2017, 05:51 PM	#4
SAT Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Berwyn, PA Posts: 4,073 Blog Entries: 1	Beware that peppermint shrimp sometimes will attack corals and small anemones of other types-- mine liked to eat Pocillipora and small flower anemones. __________________ Stuart Current Tank Info: 300G Caribbean biotype reef set up in 2003.

12/10/2017, 07:09 AM	#6
monkeysee1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: MERRIMACK NH Posts: 423	An Aiptasia Eating File Fish or a Copperband Butterfly will take care of that problem for you. __________________ Your "fair share" is not in my wallet; it's in my fish tank!! Current tank info: 90 Gallon saltwater 10 fish with a few inverts; NO CORALS! Tried to go reef; didn't work out so hot; FOWLR's for me!

12/10/2017, 07:12 PM	#8
Xxero Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,054	You can try to go the Berghia Nudibranch route, but eradication doesn't happen quickly. Unless you have the $$$ to purchase a ton of them, the Nudibranch need to go through a few egg laying cycles to become really effective: The good thing about the Berghia Nudibranch is that Aiptasia is its sole food source. It eats nothing else, and contains chemicals within itself that actually help the Nudibranch zone in on the Aiptasia. I purchased mine here: http://reeftown.com/berghia-nudibranchs HTH __________________ "You Can Lead A Gift Horse To Water... But You Can't Make Him Look In Your Mouth." Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef Display - 15g Macro Algae/Refugium - 40b Sump

12/09/2017, 05:19 PM	#3
lapin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Austin Posts: 801	Get more peppermint shrimp and wait. The population prob did not get into the tens in 1 week. The shrimp will eat the small aiptasia first and may not eat the very large ones.

12/09/2017, 06:21 PM	#5
Cliving1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,923	Easiest way I have found, get a turkey baster with a small mouth. Get lemon juice. Get as close as you can to the mouth and inject it directly into it. It will start melting away immediately.

12/10/2017, 07:04 PM	#7
rocsec1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Medina oh Posts: 1,782	I had a big outbreak and got a file fish for the dt and am using aiptasia x for the frag tank. Everyday I go hunting for them and I am getting to the point where there fewer and fewer everyday.

12/10/2017, 10:59 PM	#9
juanmanuelsanch Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 408	Actually I took lemon and vinegar and started injecting. Worked. It will help a lot to eradication alongside the peppermints. I will keep going for a few days and see the result. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

12/11/2017, 06:32 PM	#10
jpitch Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Middle Island, NY Posts: 908	Kalkwasser paste worked like a charm for me __________________ 36X36X30 DT, 75g sump, Vertex Vectra L1 return pump, Apex 2016, Apex DOS +DDR, Apex 1link, 4 X Kessil A360's, Vertex Alpha 170, Maxspect Gyre 250 x2

12/11/2017, 06:58 PM	#11
HBtank Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 2,957	There are all kinds of ways to kill and control aptasia, and work great if you spot a few or are certain they are not hidden. But most of those solutions will end up in a control outcome; they will be there, but not a problem as long as you keep up with them (keep adding shrimp, killing manually, adding/removing file/coppers as needed). But to eradicate an infestation, you will need Berghia Nudibranchs. __________________ 80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA

12/11/2017, 07:11 PM	#12
juanmanuelsanch Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 408	I bought some weeks ago. Haven't seen them. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

12/11/2017, 07:40 PM	#13
Xxero Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,054	Peppermint shrimp will eat Berghia Nudibranch. So will most Wrasses. Berghias are nocturnal and it is very common to never see them in your tank again. As stated above, it can take several months for the Berghia's numbers to multiply in order to make any impact. If you have Peppermint shrimp in your tank though, the Berghia have probably become a snack. __________________ "You Can Lead A Gift Horse To Water... But You Can't Make Him Look In Your Mouth." Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef Display - 15g Macro Algae/Refugium - 40b Sump

12/12/2017, 08:49 AM	#14
crawlerman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 503	manually kill all of the big ones with Joes juice and get more peppermint shrimp. I only have 3 in my 180g but I have never had an infestation. Just a few random ones popping up here and there. Whenever I see one it is gone withing a few days. I suspect they are probably breeding in my overflow, but I just don't feel like dealing with that.

12/12/2017, 12:56 PM	#15
OhsCC Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Posts: 247	[jpitch] called it right. Kalkwasser paste nails it. I just used it last week to kill one that came on my live rock. I used a syringe and needle and injected Kalkwasser paste in it. Bye Bye bad guy.

12/12/2017, 10:44 PM	#16
JUNBUG361 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Antioch,CALIFORNIA Posts: 1,091	File fish

12/15/2017, 01:47 PM	#17
juanmanuelsanch Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 408	Well after trying to get rid of the big one. I see a bunch of small ones... This is becoming a pain to control haha. I don't think the peppermints are doing a great job. But I guess I will have to wait. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

12/15/2017, 02:09 PM	#18
crawlerman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 503	I have heard that there are different peppermint shrimp and that the Caribbean are the best at eating aptasia. I've heard for best results to get them out of Florida. I got mine at a LFS and they keep my tank clean. I've also heard of people putting them in a quarantine tank with a rock full of aptasia and not feeding them. Forcing them to eat the aptasia. Once they eat it all they go into the display trained to eat aptasia.

12/15/2017, 02:09 PM	#19
Sinclair81 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 264	I understand your tank cant house any fish right now. I had a problem with them as well, I purchased a few peppermint shrimp, a raccoon butterfly (not reef safe) and injected the big ones with boiling lemon juice. I noticed the peppermint shrimp would consume the anemone that I injected and the raccoon took care of all the small ones. But as with everything in this hobby, you find what works for you and you go with it. Good Luck Jim

12/15/2017, 05:33 PM	#20
ComforablyNumb Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: New Brunswick Canada Posts: 627	Matted file fish. Your problem will be over.

12/18/2017, 12:21 PM	#21
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	I got a syringe from Walgreens and filled it with lemon juice. It worked great. Once I injected the lemon juice the were pretty much gone. I did like 5-9 per day cause I was told that lemon juice could have an effect on your Ph, if too much was being used.

12/18/2017, 01:47 PM	#22
alanbetiger Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Aubrey, TX USA Posts: 33	Just throwing it out there with the Matted File Fish. I bought two for an outbreak and they ate a single Aiptasia then started eating my LPS, acans specifically. Right now I'm going down the Berghia Nudibranch route.

01/11/2018, 04:29 PM	#23
juanmanuelsanch Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 408	The problem got worse. Even with the peppermint. Inyecting them helped but now they are everywhere Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

01/12/2018, 12:50 PM	#24
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	It gets to a point where you need to take a more drastic approach. Remove those things that they attach to, inject where possible, pull where possible. Everyone above has great ideas and they work....but when you got rid of them all, you need to inspect the stuff you put in your tank...the LFS is famous for giving out free apastia on rocks or inside the rocks or bottoms.....it's a tuff problem but persistence will pay off...

01/13/2018, 11:39 AM	#25
Hal Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 1,889	I've always had good results with a copperband butterfly. They're much prettier than a filefish too. __________________ Some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints. Current Tank Info: 250g starphire: 72x28x30, BeanAnimal drain with an oversized non-durso emergency drain, 4 inch DSB, 3x Reefbreeders Value LED fixtures, SWC/MSX 300A skimmer, Geo kalk reactor, 3 Vortechs w/bb, carbon reactor, and a RKL