Aiptasia

[JakesRaptor]

Hi All,

I think I have Aiptasia is my tank. It really looks like a feather duster and behaves in the same sort of way (retreats into a tube), but it is spreading all over the tank. I am not sure how Aiptasia behaves, and I was wondering if anyone knows?

Jason

[Julie]

It's rather annoying and spreads like dust around your house.
I have it too, once you get one seems you have 20 and they pop up all over.
Try a syringe with boiling water or joe's juice.  They never seem to go away permanently though and can sting your corals and grow big.

[Julie]

Someone here got some results with peppermint shrimp.  I bought one and haven't seen it since and lots of aiptasia all over.

[JakesRaptor]

Thanks. Maybe I'll try a peppermint shrimp as well. Anything to help. What if I grab them with the tongs can I remove them that way? Or will it just spread more?

[Julie]

It will spread more.  Let me know where you get your peppermint. tx

[JakesRaptor]

Okay. I'll let you know. I just tried pulling them out with tongs. I can't catch them!!! But it sounds like a good thing I can't catch them.

[BOnaqua]

tongs?!?
Not a good idea.
That's how thay spread. Each loos chunk of it grows into a new one.
Get a peppermint. He cleaned my tank.
Joe's Juice & vineger, if you're not carefull, can throw your parameters off.

[FishPassion]

Tongs= bad idea az said it all, you will be spreading around your tank like wildfire.
Peppermint shrimp= hit and miss they dont always work
Joes juice vinegar hot water= regular weeding of your garden plan on doing it every week or two
They are a pain in the butt and you may have to live with them.


BTW I have a couple of baseball size liverocks I could sell you with colonies of apatasia:) will probably remove them soon and drop them in boiling water for a while

[murgus]

It will spread more.  Let me know where you get your peppermint. tx

Julie, I got my peppermints from Marinescape.  They cleaned my tank out (about 12-16 aiptasias) in a little over 24 hours and not one to be seen now.

I was advised to get 3 as they are very shy in singles, perhaps that is why you are seeing different results?     I also see them all the time now (very timid at first, I think they did all their eating at night).  A couple of weeks ago MS had them for $14 or 3 for $30.

HTH,
Andrew

[nelson]

A Copperband Butterfly solved my Aiptasia problem.

[JakesRaptor]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I think I am going to try a few peppermint shrimp. My tank is't big enough for a butterfly, but hopefully soon I will have one that is. They are really cool fish.

Jason

[FishPassion]

In regards to the post I earlier wrote re peppermint shrimp hit and miss, I have read somewhere that these shrimp will eat aptasia if they originated in the Carribean but the variety coming from the eastern Pacific will not. Hopeing I am not confusing things just perhaps some worthwhile info.