Which fish is best for Aiptasia?

[Jesshika]

After almost two years of constantly battling aiptasia, I now need another fish that will help me with it. I had a juvi Klein's butterfly who did a great job keeping the aiptasia away but then I lost him to ich a while ago. Now the aiptasia are back and are getting quite numerous again. I've tried Joe's juice and peppermint shrimps, but that didn't work. Should I try another Klein's butterfly or a copperband? Or is there anything else that will eat aiptasia? :eek: I can't really even have a butterfly since my tank is only a 40, so anything that can live stay permanent in a 40?

[Andrew_Murphy]

I'd recommend trying Red Sea's Aptasia-X it works like a charm.

[Gangstafish]

JoesJuice or Vinegar. Inject the appys with a syringe.

[Ace25]

Aiptasia Control is by far the best stuff I have ever used for getting rid of them. Tried Kalk, Joe's Juice and Vinegar and none of those came even close to working as well as Aiptaisia Control by Blue Life (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~Blue_Life_Aiptasia_Control_Sa ltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Additives_Aiptasia___Pes t_Control_Liquid_Eliminators~vendor~Blue_Life_USA~ SearchStr~aiptasia~action~view~idProduct~BL2111~id Category~FIADAFLC.html).

[Squawkbert]

What about these Nudis? (http://cgi.ebay.com/Aiptasia-Eating-Berghia-Nudibranchs-Live-Coral-Anemone_W0QQitemZ140263633104QQihZ004QQcategoryZ46 308QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[Jesshika]

I tried both Joe's Juice and Aiptasia control and it did nothing to them or they always came back the next week in the same spot. I was thinking about trying the nudis, but I'm afraid they might get sucked up in my powerheads. (I have bad luck with things getting stuck in powerheads) The only thing that did for for a few months was the kleins butterfly, but I must have a hidden aiptasia in one of my rocks that keeps releasing more or something.

[Slappy*McFish]

Peppermint Shrimp.

[brackeeper75]

Agree with Slappy. Go natural! Use peppermint shrimp!

[snailrider]

I don't know how large your aiptasias are, but for my smaller glass anemones I use boiling fresh water and squirt it on them. I use an ink fill syringe. Then after hosing them, I draw the plunger and suck them out of the rock.

Works like a champ. I keep one glass anemone just for fun, it grows slow, but it often sends out and reproduces. My peppermint doesn't touch it.

[Amphiprion]

I have had better luck using manual means (Joe's Juice and the like--the Blue Life seems like the old JJ formulation and does work a bit better) than relying on biological controls--especially in an established aquarium with corals.

[Jesshika]

I've tried a few peppermint shrimp too, but they don't seem to touch any of them. Will peppermints even eat the larger aiptasia? And how can you tell the false peppermint from the real one. I heard there are two that look very similar and the fish stores will sell them both as peppermints.

[Amphiprion]

Well, there are similar Lysmata species (where the peppermints are placed), as well as a completely different shrimp in the genus Rhynchocinetes (otherwise known as "camel" or, more accurately, "hingebeak" shrimp). The difference between these two is rather obvious, with the latter having white stripes. Other Rhynchocinetes species are less obvious, except for the fact that their rostrum (snout, nose, beak, or whatever you'd like to call it), like all members of the genus, is literally hinged. They can flex it up and down and tend to do so almost continually. As for different Lysmata species, it comes down to the stripe patterning. The look alikes will often be called "Pacific peppermint shrimp," so avoid those. Though they are related, they aren't peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) and are a temperate species, Lysmata californica. Google these last two to find the different images and the contrast in the stripe pattern.