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HOT TIPS Column: April 2005 Issue of Advanced Aquarist

April's theme is "Aiptasia Control." Please submit any tips you might have for people battling this dreaded pest. Your tips and tricks will help new and existing reefkeepers and also helps to bring the hobby to the next level (plus it's just cool to get published in a magazine like Advanced Aquarist).

When published, your hot tip will have your username published (along with your real name if you so desire). Every month we will be running a new HOT TIP thread so stay tuned and help out when you can.

The staff at both Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist would like to thank you for your continued interest and support of our online community, magazine, and services.

Let the submissions begin!

Best regards,

Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist staff

[Ben]

When I see Aiptasia I nuke them with Kalkwasser. I just mix a bit of kalk in a small glass with warm water untill it is thick. I use a test kit syringe and suck the slurry up. Turn off the circulation pumps and pump a bit of kalk paste on the anemones oral disk. It should stick being so thick and cover the area. You can turn the pumps back on after kalking is all done, it shouldnt blow around the tank. If the ifection is bad just do a few a day so you don't have to worry about a pH jump.

Ben

[Nathanlando]

It took two doses on the big mother Aiptasia and I introduced a pepermint shrimp. Though I've never seen her eat them, there are no more new baby pests.

NathanLando

[Bingo]

I've had good luck with pepermints. The first one I put in my tank went right for the biggest aptasia I had. It reached right down the oral disc and ripped it's insides out. I wish I would have been filming!

B

[Matt_]

My very easy, very cheap, 100% effective method is to get a stick lighter that people use to light BBQs and just torch the spot the anemone is on for about 20 seconds. Kills a dime sized spot of rock, but it quickly recovers. Works well for majano anemones as well, or for killing any living thing you don't want in your tank.

Peppermints are great if you can keep them in high density and they are permanent. Aiptasia will come back if you remove the shrimp though. There are also issues with peppermints occasionally eating zoanthids and clam mantles as well.

[Reef Box Etc]

>...I just mix a bit of kalk in a small glass with warm water untill it is thick.

Isn't kalk dissolves better in cold water than warm water ?!?!?

[zonkers]

(best Beavis) "Fire! FIIIRE!!!"

[Mihai]

My 100% effective approach is to quarantine all rocks and corals: no pests!

M.

[WRASSER]

copperband butterfly fish eat them too

[Matt_]

My 100% effective approach is to quarantine all rocks and corals: no pests!

M.

That's nice if you quarantine for several months, but a lot of things like flatworms, Aiptasia, hydroids, and majano anemones can hang on unseen for a long, long time on live rock before they begin reproducing en masse. It's nice to have a back up plan to kill them when they ocasionally do pop up

[Mihai]

That's nice if you quarantine for several months, but a lot of things like flatworms, Aiptasia, hydroids, and majano anemones can hang on unseen for a long, long time on live rock before they begin reproducing en masse. It's nice to have a back up plan to kill them when they ocasionally do pop up

Then I'll take back the 100% an I'll just consider myself lucky that I missed them so far. I certainly do not quarantine for months.
M.

[dizzy]

Berghia verrucicornis

[mystic7]

I used to like aiptasia so I let them run wild. My tank was infested with them, including a few 5" monsters. I added a copperband butterfly, he didn't even look at them.

Then one day I added a Blue Face Angel adult to my tank. To my surprise, after 2 days my patch of smaller aiptasia were gone. After a week, my tank was clear except for the 5" monsters. After 2 weeks, my tank was and remains aiptasia free.

I don't know if only Blue Face Angels kill aiptasia or if any large angels will do the trick. I don't even know if it was only my Blue Face that liked aiptasia. All I know is, one Blue Face Angel + many, many aiptasia = 0 aiptasia.

[MartyPower]

I had quite a few aiptasia and decided to try a copperband. I was leery because I didn't want one that ate only aips then died off - the LFS (Green Mountain Aquarium) told me the copper was feeding, so I decided to take a chance. After a few days, the aips were gone completely - and luckily, the copper eats frozen - Mysis, brine shrimp, clams, etc., pretty much any frozen food. (I feed flake occasionally, and I feel bad for him - he runs around the tank looking excited, but hasn't quite figured out the flakes are food...)

Marty