aptasia

[dub*c]

what exactly is aptasia? i noticed about 5 or 6 little ones growing in my tank and was wondering if i should get a peppermint shrimp or something to get rid of it right away? will it cause any problems?

[scootrnerd]

they will rule your tank if you don"t lose them NOW! i have never tried the peppermint shrimp but some say they don't work.i use a small serenge like for an incline shot. filled with half water half bleach and inject them in the tank. (when i see them)

[Kodiak]

i have a few and thing they look cool :lipssealedsmilie:

maybe i should get rid of them

[scootrnerd]

i have a few and thing they look cool :lipssealedsmilie:

maybe i should get rid of them


:headshake2::headshake2::headshake2::headshake2:

[Kodiak]

whats so bad about them?

not being a smarta$$

[scootrnerd]

well they can and will sting you, your corals, your fish. and they multiply like rabbits

[clown-lover]

Agree. I've actually had luck with Peppermint Shrimp. I bought mine from Fosters and Smith on a group order originally and then bought several more locally when they showed up at a store. I had some really large ones that I got with Kalk Paste, but really haven't seen any in quite a while.

[gatotsu77]

A method I believe I remember reading posted by Niko was injecting them with hot water. (Obviously low volume, so you're not heating up your tank a whole lot) Not as chemically damaging as some of the other alternatives.

[JohnLin]

i have a few and thing they look cool :lipssealedsmilie:

maybe i should get rid of them


If you don't have corals, and your fish are significantly bigger than the aiptasias, then I wouldn't worry about it if you really prefer the look of them. They are just glass anemones.

[vorlx]

If you don't have corals, and your fish are significantly bigger than the aiptasias, then I wouldn't worry about it if you really prefer the look of them. They are just glass anemones.

Thats where it all starts. It's just a couple of them, they are harmless. These things can multiply like weeds if you don't keep them under control. They are VERY hardy and VERY annoying. I tried the boiling water thing but really didn't have a lot of luck with it. Joe's Juice has worked great. If you want a more natural means you can go with Berghia Nudibranches (slow process) or Peppermint shrimp. The problem with the former is that they ONLY eat aptasia and they are a lil pricey for what you are getting. THe problem with the latter is that not all peppermint shrimp will actually eat them and some sold at the LFS aren't the right kind.

[JohnLin]

I actually think I would want aiptasia if all I had was a FOWLR tank.

I actually look at them as scavengers in those tanks.

In a reef tank though, obviously they are just pests.

[animalman]

I've had luck with boiling water. I scooped out some tank water and placed it in the microwave. Then I filled the syringe and blasted em. The syringe is like a turkey baster, ther is no needle. Got it from a pharmacy, its for giving kids cough med and such. Worked for me. The hot water melted the tasia. The best thing bout hot water is you can do it as much as you want to. As with meds you can only do lil at a time. Besides if you're like me as well as so many others you don't want to put to many chemicals into your tank. Hot water does work :)

[tranceFusion]

i see people using a syringe and shooting them up with lemon juice.. will the lemon juice cause harm to anything else in the tank?

[Catpicklesdog]

i see people using a syringe and shooting them up with lemon juice.. will the lemon juice cause harm to anything else in the tank?

Not if you're careful about where you squirt it. you want to try and get it straight into the Aiptasias mouth. I use a mixture of boiling water, lemon juice and lime juice and 2 peppermints.

With regard to what JonLin mentioned about keeping them in a FOWLR. My LFS has quite a few customers who do exactly that. They love the Aiptasia and care for it like you would a BTA. Can't see the attraction myself but in this hobby it's each to their own:grinyes:

[clown-lover]

Not if you're careful about where you squirt it. you want to try and get it straight into the Aiptasias mouth. I use a mixture of boiling water, lemon juice and lime juice and 2 peppermints.

With regard to what JonLin mentioned about keeping them in a FOWLR. My LFS has quite a few customers who do exactly that. They love the Aiptasia and care for it like you would a BTA. Can't see the attraction myself but in this hobby it's each to their own:grinyes:

:iagree:

[Geoff_7]

I Have some peppermint shrimp, they work ok, They only go after the smaller ones and if you have a large infestation it wont look like they make much of an impact. There are also alot of different kinds of pep. shrimp, some will go after them like crazy others wont touch them, I had an Atlantic and Pacific kinds, I *think* it was my Atlantic who ate the most, but I could be wrong.

I've herd of other methods and products such as "Joes Juice" and they all seem to be a direct injection of somethng with a small needle. Lots of people will suggest boiling/hot water, lemon juice, and other things. But with that you have to watch for your tank params. make sure not to raise the temp too much, or increase alkalinity.

[tranceFusion]

i already have a skunk cleaner shrimp.. will it fight with peppermints?

[Sploke]

I've also had luck with hot water. I just put tap water in a coffee mug and microwave it for 60sec until its boiling. I use a 30cc dosing syringe with no needle on it, and just spray the thing until it dissolves. I've done that 5 or 6 times and they pop up occasionally but are by no means prolific in my tank.

[Catpicklesdog]

i already have a skunk cleaner shrimp.. will it fight with peppermints?

I have two skunks and two peppermints with no problems whatsoever.

One thing to remember is that if we feed our tanks well, a lot of shrimps stop doing the manual tasks such as cleaning fish, eating aiptasia etc as they know they're going to get an easy meal so why work for it!

[VanQvreef]

Had an 'outbreak' of these beasts last year and one shy unassuming peppermint shrimp devoured them all in a week. Setting up my new system I wouldn't hesitate to add a peppy shrimp if I see these unwanted weed anemones again.

[Roman09]

i bought some live rock and it came with 4 aiptasia..2 bigger and 2 smaller. I always thought they were real anemones just small! lol. I manually feed them by simply giving it tiny peices of krill, it grabs it with its tentacles from my finger and eats it...its prety cool. BUt after reading and finding out its an aiptasia, i think i want to kill it now. maybe kill the smaller 2 and bigger 1...and maybe just keep one and see if it doesnt multiply. do they harm clown fish or is their sting not strong enough for them?