Need Help with Aiptasia

[alfieferenzo84]

I got it real bad and i have been using joes juice and it works great but i have about 30 rocks with about 10 heads on each and with the joes juice i kill them all but the next day there is 5 new ones on each rock so its a never ending battle!

The tank has a puffer so i cant use a shrimp as the puffer will eat him in a sec! I was looking at getting a butterfly fish i think that is what they are but i was told that with my tank running higher nitrates around 20-50ppm that it wouldnt live in my tank and would die?

I also have 1 percula clown and 1 clown goby as tank mates But they all grew up together so he leaves them alone! I added a blenny and the puffer tried to eat it but it was a really small one, I think a butterfly will be okay with the fish i have but i was told there very hard fish to keep alive

So with that being said what else can i do? I mean this stuff is taking over my tank and is starting to even grow on the glass and sand bed so its time to figure somthing out but i dont know what to do so if you can help great, Thanks

Tank pics at link below

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2571255/2

[kzickovich]

I have a butterfly in my 90 gal reef tank he's been fine for over a year now. This is the only fish I have that I didn't buy online. Shop around and find one at a lfs and ask them to feed him, if it eats in the store it will eat at your house. Mine eats brine mysis and even flake food. By the way when I put him in I had the worst problem with apt. I ever heard about. Within two weeks GONE!

[alfieferenzo84]

Sounds good see i was going to buy a butterfly but the lfs told me not to because they are bad fish, dont eat, die, ect so i held off but i am sick of playing around with this stuff and want it gone! Thanks

[snorvich]

Most butterfly fish are not reef safe which is one reason many people do not buy them. But if that is not an issue in your tank, racoon butterflies, especially those from the red sea, are excellent aiptasia eaters and have a high survival rate. The traditional "copperbands" are problematical in a variety of ways including longevity, reef safeness, and whether or not they actually eat aiptasia.

[tmz]

I agree most(Chaetodon lunula) Raccons will devastate aiptasia.

[alfieferenzo84]

i thought only the cbb ate it?

[tmz]

Originally posted by alfieferenzo84
i thought only the cbb ate it?

The Copper banded butterfly(Chelmon rostratus) may eat aiptasia and may be compatable with corals,depending on the individual fish. Some of them don't touch it and do nip certain corals.
Their are many butterfiles that eat aiptasia blut most will also eat corals ravenously. The Racoon is a much better bet to eat the aiptasia than the Copperbanded but there is no question that a Racoon can not be placed on a reef since it will devastate corals. It is good in a fish only tank,however. and much better for this type of problem in this circumstance than a Copperbanded,in my opinion.