Aiptasia next to a mushroom

[smartang22]

I only noticed the aiptasia next to the mushroom after I glued the mushroom to the rock. There are three aiptasias and they are very small. If the mushroom flattens itself out it will be touching one or two of them. I tired the lemon juice and needle trick but they came right back. I don't want to harm the mushroom so what can I do about them? The rock has about 5 mushrooms attached so taking the rock out and trying to kill them that way would not work.

How could I go about killing them with out injuring the mushroom?

Thanks

[capn_hylinur]

Use Joe's Juice with the needle--turn of power heads and pumps and try not to get any on the mushrooms--it won't kill but it burns them.

that said--can you not take the rock out and frag the piece off with the mushrooms on it?

[reefnetworth]

i had an outbreak of 29 Aps a week after purchasing some Fiji. i got a peppermint shrimp from www.premiumaquatics.com for $9.99, and when i introduced it into the tank it went dirrectly to them and started devouring them one at a time and in about 1.5 weeks they were completely gone and none have returned.
he lived for about two years before he was eaten by my FoxFace Lo, when he got about 5" long. (poor peppy )

[burks]

I've also used Kalkwasser made into a paste and injected them with success and knock on wood no returns!

[mpty]

i had like this gross aiptasia growin near one of my pretty purple ricordea mushroom thingie and i think it stung it cuz the mushroom was like shrunk down to like one little white dot and so i like freaked out, cuz i noticed like a couple dayz b4 that the aiptasia was gettin close to it but i didn't do anything. so i moved the mushroom hopin that it'll maybe like bounce back from the sting or somethin and in like a day or two the mushroom was happier and it grew out again. i dunno if it really did sting it or not but i haven't seen the rico shroom shrink into a white ball since then. hope that made sense, im like slightly tipsy...

xoxompty

[smartang22]

Well, the other problem with those aiptasia is that they are so small and very hard to inject with anything since they immediately retract. The hole they are in is tiny too.

I don't want to take the rock out since there are things attached and the rock itself isn't all that big so if I tired to break the rock apart it wouldn't fit well in the tank.

I hate those darn things! I feel bad about purposely killing something, but they are ruining prime real estate!!!

[beansandmia]

Joe's juice works very well. If all else fails, super glue it maybe..I have done that.

[mpty]

Originally posted by smartang22
Well, the other problem with those aiptasia is that they are so small and very hard to inject with anything since they immediately retract. The hole they are in is tiny too.

I don't want to take the rock out since there are things attached and the rock itself isn't all that big so if I tired to break the rock apart it wouldn't fit well in the tank.

I hate those darn things! I feel bad about purposely killing something, but they are ruining prime real estate!!!

i totally hate them and feel bad bout genociding them but i'm hoping the peppermint shrimp will take care of that. i'll give the lil shrimpies 2 weeks to kill em, otherwise, i go with joe's juice.

i did try the boiling hot water squirty technique, killed maybe 2 of the smaller ones, but the biguns, no. i hate them.

xoxompty

[burks]

You don't have to fully inject them with the kalk. If they retract, I just cover them and their hole with the kalk. Never had one come back from that.

[smartang22]

But what happens to the kalk paste? Does it just sit there or do you eventually remove it from the tank? Or does it just dissolove? I have a small tank and it seems like if I were to do that then it would be too much. I have never used kalkwasser and I am a bit nervous to try it.

I might try that or Joe's Juice now. As far as the peppermint shrimp goes I can't get one. I have a large cleaner shrimp now and he really is large. If I got a peppermint shrimp too I think that would be too many things in the tank.

I might also try gluing over the hole! Or maybe getting a small bit of epoxy. I will try one of those tricks mentioned.

Thanks for the help!!

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by smartang22
But what happens to the kalk paste? Does it just sit there or do you eventually remove it from the tank? Or does it just dissolove? I have a small tank and it seems like if I were to do that then it would be too much. I have never used kalkwasser and I am a bit nervous to try it.

I might try that or Joe's Juice now. As far as the peppermint shrimp goes I can't get one. I have a large cleaner shrimp now and he really is large. If I got a peppermint shrimp too I think that would be too many things in the tank.

I might also try gluing over the hole! Or maybe getting a small bit of epoxy. I will try one of those tricks mentioned.

Thanks for the help!!

kalk--kalk paste dissolves--its concentrated calcium hydroxide so it burns on contact-kills the aptasia and then slowly dissolves.

[jadeguppy]

Where do you get a needle to inject it? What size needle?

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by jadeguppy
Where do you get a needle to inject it? What size needle?

I have a few left over from old salifert test kits or----
any syringe from a drug store or marine store:

eg
http://www.mertons.com/Tools/syringe.html

[jadeguppy]

Thanks. I have something close to that. I thought some people were using a small tipped needle to inject it into the tissue. I guess i have been doing it correctly.

[mpty]

my aiptasia are gone! the peppermint shrimp ate em!

[uscharalph]

Joe's Juice or Superglue gel.