Help !!!!!! Aiptasia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oxkisses12ox]

well.............. as a beginner i was dumb and the pet store failed to mention that aiptasia was a pest in the reef tank and sold me rock with one or two on it...... i noticed like 10 of them sprouting ... come to find it is VERY BAD

i threw the rock away with them on it... but i still have 7 of them (1 large 6 small) and the other day caught one in the sand bed!

i have one plate coral and one blue legged hermet crab... some brittle stars.. (baby)... i LOVE my plate coral (long tentacle) and it is just beautiful... i dont want the aiptasia to sting it and also i cant find anything to eliminate it ( example:peppermint shrimp) because they will also work on my plate coral... ugh!


i was going to do the lemmon injection method, but where i live you cannot get access to needles w.o perscription!!! ANY ADVICE IM DESPERATE i dont want my whole tank to be covered.........!

[oxkisses12ox]

oh, and if Aiptasia can survive in my tank does that mean it is safe for me to get a real anemone?? like for a clown??

[SuperNerd]

Aiptasia are one of the few anemones in the hobby that can thrive in subpar conditions. Use kalk paste to smother the aiptasia when your powerheads/water movement is off.

Many people would advise against getting an anemone until the tank is mature. Some say 6 months is the min. but even if your tank is 6 months it does not necessarily mean that your water levels are not fluctuating. I would wait until after you are able to grow some SPS but even that may be pushing it after only 2 months. :)

[SuperNerd]

Also, clowns don't need anemones. They'll host in just about anything that looks like one though. A popular alternative is the toadstool. It's a hardier type of coral that may help you get used to taking care of corals. :)

You'll need to test for the things that corals need though in addition to ammonia and nitrates. :D

[blot60]

Dont just scrape the Aiptasia off of the rock. It WILL come back with friends. I use Joes Juice with some success. I wish my clowns would host in my Inviting Toadstool. Man if I were a clown I would be all over it.

[em805]

I second Joes Juice it works great. Also, when your tank becomes safe for inverts try some camel shrimp. I haven't seen aptatia in my tank since I started that combination :)!

[sprayin70]

I use reef calcium in a hypodermic needle. I take the rock out and blast it with the calcium. Kills on contact!

[yoboyjdizz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8892156#post8892156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by em805
I second Joes Juice it works great. Also, when your tank becomes safe for inverts try some camel shrimp. I haven't seen aptatia in my tank since I started that combination :)!

I wouldn't use camel shrimp i would get peppermint shrimp... they look almost the same. Camel shrimp may nip on some corals. peppermint shrimp will likly not go after your corals.

[frazier]

peppermint shrimp and Joes Juice work great for me....

[fishes2889]

definitly peppermint shrimp, i dont like using chemicals(like joes juice) that arent needed when one organism can clean it up himself... :)

Steve

[bigbenji]

1 peppermint shrimp cleaned my 75g of aiptaisia. Results may vary :)

[blureef1]

Agreed on mixed results with peppermint shrimp. I have seen some eat through hundreds of aips in no time, and have others that won't touch the things.

[SuperNerd]

By the way how much food are you feeding the tank?

[oxkisses12ox]

none anymore.;. i dont have any fish ... only a hermet.. and two stars... and one plate coral... there is enough food and garbage in my tank from when i did have fish... i think i was over feeding.. i fed them 3 times a day

[SuperNerd]

That could also have caused the aiptasia to spread. Not to mention causing ammonia and nitrate spikes if the tank is too young or there isn't nutrient export going on such as with a refugium, carbon, and or skimming.

[oxkisses12ox]

hmm i didnt know that!! i truthfully dont know what killed my fish and im kinda hesitant to put another fish in my tank today; but i mean my levels are fine and maybe thats why my amonia did go up... i thought they had ick.. but i dont know ...i could see a few white spots on my damsel at night...?? but not when the lights were on?

[yiliyang]

I bought 3 pepermint shrimp to battle the aiptasia in my 55 gal. After 6 weeks all the aiptasia are all fat and healthy looking, could not find the peps. They may have been eaten by the aiptasias if you ask me.

[SuperNerd]

I believe some fish get those "spots that go away" from stress. If it is there all the time then it is probably marine ick.

If you don't already have them, I would buy a basic kit to test ammonia, nitrates, and pH such as aquarium pharmaceuticals. Or get them individually such as salifert. Marine Depot has some online.

Unless your fish was sick from the start and already on the way down then there is something still wrong with your water and I would not add anything else until you can constantly keep everything in check.

Check also the specific gravity of the water (get a refractometer or hydrometer and do it yourself).

Also for the plate coral, in addition to lighting, you will need to make sure alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium levels are within range all the time. The levels do not stay constant after one test.

[jimbo045]

The Lemon Injection was bad for me. Kalk. is way better. A little tap water and some Kalkwasser, make it on the thick side. JD