How to get rid of aiptasia?

[t5Nitro]

Ok, I have now tried peppermint shrimp, kalk paste, joe's juice, and a copperband butterfly. The only thing that worked of those was the copperband butterfly, and he jumped out of the tank. I talked to someone else that said their's jumped also, so I really don't want another CBB, and the next one may not even look at aiptasia etc. Has anyone used the Stop Aiptasia that Drs. Foster and Smith sell?

How is everyone getting rid of the aiptasia?

Thanks.

[Avi]

There are a million threads about this...and there are tons of ways that have varying levels of success. I personally have used Joe's Juice with some...not complete...success. I do have a higher degree of success using very hot fresh water blown slowly onto the aiptasia with a turkey baster or injecting it with a hypodermic needle when I can use that. It's when the aiptasia shows up in the middle of a coral colony that I don't want to harm that I resort to a careful application of the Joe's Juice.

When I do any of this, I turn off all of the water movement in the tank.

[t5Nitro]

How long do you leave the flow off in the tank? Do you think maybe using a tweezers and pulling them out would work? I have some in the sand too, and a tweezers would get those, but would it work for the ones in the rocks too maybe?

[dc_909]

Tweezers will not work. I would put in a pep shrimp and shoot the larger ones with kalk paste/joes juice

[yellowslayer13]

boiling fresh water

[uscharalph]

It all depends on the size of the rocks it's on and what else is on those rocks. How many Aiptasia do you have?

[setec69]

lemon juice in a needle direct into the side of them kills them dead every time. Turn off all flow and keep your hand steady because if you touch it before you poke it, it will shrink into the rock and you have to wait for it to come back out.

[Avi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11118419#post11118419 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by t5Nitro
How long do you leave the flow off in the tank? Do you think maybe using a tweezers and pulling them out would work? I have some in the sand too, and a tweezers would get those, but would it work for the ones in the rocks too maybe?

Leaving the flow off when you take measures to kill aiptasia is so that you have more control over targeting the aiptasia. If you use liquids like boiling or near boiling fresh water, lemon juice, vinegar, etc., you want to be sure that you get as much of that liquid on it as you can when you apply it. It also keeps the aiptasia from swaying with the current making it a harder target.

Once you've applied the "elixer," you can put the flow back on.

And, dc's 100% right...tweezers are just about useless.

[cd77]

Not only are tweezers useless, but if you happen to actually grab one with a pair of tweezers and end up ripping it apart (which you probably will) you'll just make the problem 10x worse than it already is.

[phenom5]

i used a combo of joe's juice & peppermints. joe's juice works, the problem is, you can't possibly get into every nook & cranny in your LR. so i used the JJ and had the peppermints finish them off. i got the peppermints from DrF&S FWIW.

as mentioned above, if you use joe's juice, you want to shut off the flow while you do it. it works great on aiptasia...but it's pretty effective at killing/ burning/ damaging corals as well.

and i would not use tweezers under any circumstances.

hope this helps :thumbsup:

[pikachusalad]

I can't believe kalk paste didn't work... It works for me instantly, every time - reduces them to mush.

1 part pickling lime, 2 parts water. Stir, microwave till hot, stir. Turn off flow, fill syringe (not the needle kind, the kind you get at a pharmacy for measuring and dispensing medicine to little kids), release a little under the head, then a little more, get the tentacles, and maybe a little more - it sticks to them, and turns them into soup.

A lifetime supply cost me about $5.

[t5Nitro]

Ok, maybe I am using the kalk paste wrong? I am mixing the kalkwasser with a small amount of water so it is more thick, then I take it into a syringe that came with joe's juice. I then just put a little bit of the kalk paste in the mouth of the aiptasia.

[badpvtdan]

I use vinegar and a syringe...it isn't full proof but it does keep them under control.

[sruiz]

t5Nitro,
I have heard that your avatar might take care of the problem.

[SaltyDr]

Read his first post. His CBB jumped!

[t5Nitro]

Ya, and also another person told me their's jumped, so I really don't want to try another. Some never look at aiptasia either. I will keep trying the kalkwasser paste I guess.

[sruiz]

sorry, i missed some info. I have also heard of people buying a group of pepermint shrimp. And some stores sell them for about 5.oo$. Try buying a group of 8, mabye you can get some store credit after its all gone.

[drawman]

Like everyone else said, I would try peppermint shrimp again. I had a big aiptasia population in my 75 gallon and after adding peppermint shrimp I have yet to find any. Joes Juice seemed to kill my aiptasia too, but I was usually left with a few small clones afterwards.

[demonsp]

Sorry didnt want to read it all but this is what i found out today.GL

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.berghia.net/pics/aiptasiaCONTROLS.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.berghia.net/&h=411&w=640&sz=41&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=sbXnODuMevgW-M:&tbnh=88&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBerghia%2Bnudibranch%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_enUS243US243%26sa% 3DN

[BodiBuilt]

I agree with the Kalkwasser mixture (pickiling lime)~ mix one part calcium hydroxide with two part's water in a microwaivable container (coffee mug) and nuke for 45 second's. Stirr mixture and draw it into any syringe. Apply liberal amount slowly over the top of aptasia (do no bother trying to "inject" it) it will stick to them and usually begin to "melt" them instantly. Mixture is most effective while still hot. I have never had any long term dammage to other corals using this method, and I have "dosed" near fifty or so aptasia @ one time in a 135... some of which were nestled among prized zoa collonies etc. After they begin to "melt" I "turky baste" the surounding coral to remove excess build up...

[WDWDen]

Useing these methods won't hurt the water quality? I have a fish only tank with aiptasia that is getting out of hand. I don't need to get rid of all of it, but I definitley want to slow it down.

[t5Nitro]

It can. Too much kalk paste at a time can raise the pH and alk up, but it would take a good amount of it. I usually try doing around 20 at a time, but the above said he did 50 at a time so you can probably do that in a 180g.

[t5Nitro]

I give up on kalk paste. I am using the syringe that comes with Joe's Juice, and none comes out and all of a sudden large amount comes out and makes the nearby corals not happy.

[pikachusalad]

Go to a big name pharmacy - tell them you need one of those syringes to dispense liquid medicine to your kid or kid brother or something. If they won't give you one, offer to buy one. If they won't sell you one, buy a bottle of infant motrin - comes with a small, but quite usable one.