aptasia

[zxanth]

I just got finished feeding my tank and noticed that my overflow was growing aptasias. there is quite a few of them in there. my concern is that will this start growing out of there? How can I get rid of them. I can get the top ones with Joe's Juice but how do i kill the one further down where I cant reach. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[pwhitby]

turn the water off for a few hours, dry it out and blow warm air in by a hairdryer (warm, not hot). They will die once they are dessicated.

I think pretty much anyones overflows have aptasia in them. Mine do.

[Lytehouse]

Originally posted by pwhitby
turn the water off for a few hours, dry it out and blow warm air in by a hairdryer (warm, not hot). They will die once they are dessicated.

I think pretty much anyones overflows have aptasia in them. Mine do.

Wow, that's interesting. Is it more the heat than being dry or the combination of dry and the heat?

How careful should we be to collect them in something in not have them continue down the overflow pipes as spores?

[bryon0508]

how would you kill them if they got to your main tank

[Travis L. Stevens]

Well, I wouldn't worry about it, Lynn. If you completely dry out these critters and truly kill them, then they dead as a doorknob. A good note is that these don't have spores. Certain "Aiptasia" have the ability to release a tentacle in order to reproduce and some can even swim, but it wouldn't matter since your draining that section dry and then killing them with a blow dryer. As I said before, what's dead is dead. Unless they are UNdead!!!

[Travis L. Stevens]

Originally posted by bryon0508
how would you kill them if they got to your main tank

Injections of various products; joe's juice, vinegar, kalkwasser, etc.

[nIx_tank]

Originally posted by Travis L. Stevens
Well, I wouldn't worry about it, Lynn. If you completely dry out these critters and truly kill them, then they dead as a doorknob. A good note is that these don't have spores. Certain "Aiptasia" have the ability to release a tentacle in order to reproduce and some can even swim, but it wouldn't matter since your draining that section dry and then killing them with a blow dryer. As I said before, what's dead is dead. Unless they are UNdead!!!

Did someone say brains?

[bryon0508]

there is no crab or any animal that likes them as a treat

[pwhitby]

yes, copperband butterflies and pearlscales will happily eat them. Peppermint shrimp will, but I hear they can be hit and miss. There is also a nudibranch called Berghia that will eat them. They are slow...but very effective.

Paul.

[sarai826]

If you don't mind doing it by hand, Blue Vet's Aptasia Control works really well too.

[mskohl]

Originally posted by sarai826
If you don't mind doing it by hand, Blue Vet's Aptasia Control works really well too.

We will be giving some of this away at the Jan. meeting.

[zxanth]

thanks everyone for all the advice....its amazing how fast they can multiply. Its seemed like there was only one and the a month later boom a dozen of them. Now I just need to get a blow dryer.

[zxanth]

oh yeah nIx tank....

uuummmm.... I dont think they're eating brain in the picture....hehehehe

[reefkeeperfrodo]

mmmMMMMmmmm....................brains