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View Full Version : Aptasia assasin / Zooantid zapper


Rovert
07/20/2002, 09:23 AM
For those of you in the club who are having trouble with either Aptasia or Zooanthids, I have the answer to your prayer.

You may recall a few weeks ago (just before the 4th holiday) there was a post about a guy cleaning out his tank - I think it was Ken that circulated it. Well, after sweating myself to death over two days of clearing out this guy's tank in the 90+ degree days that we had, I came home with (among other things) a Racoon Butterfly that has completely wiped out any remnants of aptasia in my tank, and after he was done with those, went to work on eating my zooanthids.

I remember someone mentioning that they wanted to get rid of their zoos, and didn't know what would do it, and I know that at least a few of us have struggled with aptasia. I could almost guarantee you that if you are looking for a remedy, this is IT. He got them EVERYWHERE they existed... in the crevices, between the rocks, under the rocks, down at the bottom back on the sides of the rocks... a few that were attached to the side of my Maxima... none of them could hide. It took him about 5 days to adjust to my tank before he began, and he started with the tiny ones, then graduated to the huge ones, but as of today, I don't have a single aptasia in sight.

I'm willing to circulate this fella out on loan among us, to help clean our tanks, if you're willing to take responsibility for keeping him safe until your tank is clear, and I can pick him back up.

There are a few warnings about this guy... he will nip at some corals, particularly LPS stuff like Wellso's so you need to plan accordingly. But other than that, the benefits of having a tank that WAS completely overrun by aptasia to be now COMPLETELY CLEAR of those little stinging bastards is a gift from beyond. The benefits have clearly outweighed the risk and couple of nips that were inconvenient. Translation: everything should recover, and it all surely would have died from aptasia stings if I hadn't done something.

Let me know if anyone wants to borrow him, and I'll make plans to bring him to the meeting next weeked. Just be sure to plan accordingly, and be ready to move out certain LPS that might be a target.

I tend to think that for as long as he has aptasia and zooanthids to eat, the corals will be safe, but when he runs out of the nasty little bastards, you need to be ready to make a move.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions.

BORECKI
07/21/2002, 09:50 PM
I am interisted in trying him out. (as long as I don't have to keep him long term). I have the tank temp stabilized at 82 degrees now. ( pH at 8.3 & sg at 1.025. My current fishes are one lawnmower bleenie since Dec99, one clarke clown & one large 6 inch long red sea sailfin tank since july 2000. I have tried bergias with partial results, (the aptaisas came back) and tried pepermints with no results:confused: .
I have mo LPS's to worry about but do have button polips I don't want to lose. I can move them and the tang back and forth between the main tank and the refugium.
Boris.

Rovert
07/22/2002, 03:44 PM
Boris, I'd feel more comfortable if we waited it out a bit. I also had a tank crash about a year ago, and thought I was out of the woods, until things started slowly dying on me about ~8 weeks later, when the tank cycled again.

Anyway, your plan sounds about right. Keep him in there as long as it takes to rid the tank of the aptasia, and then move him out, or before you put him in, relocate your corals to a safe haven while he's there.

Let's see if anyone else in the club, who hasn't had a crash, needs this guy first, so we can give your tank a while to settle back in. If the crash was as bad as you say, then we'd be risking a great fish unnecessarily.

BORECKI
07/22/2002, 04:03 PM
Robert;
OK with me. I'm planing on hosting the september meeting. If you
want to you can look at my tank then.
Side note; I got last saturday a E. Quadricolor (sp?) from Jason Tiler (the Tiler) to replace the giant atlantic anemonie I lost. My poor clown was homeless.
Thanks Jason! :)
By yesterday my clown was frolicing in the tentacles. Happy as a pig in $#!t.
Till Sunday, Boris.

BORECKI
08/18/2002, 07:55 AM
Rovert ;
I'm still interested in the Racoon butterfly, if your offer is still up.
BTW, how big is this fellow?
As for my tank, things look OK. After I installed the medusa to run a fan in the sump and a 50watt heater, the temperture is nailed at 82. Of course with the fan my KALK consumption is up to about three GPD.
Boris.