What Eats Aipataria Anemone's ?

[kubora666]

and he would like a reef friendly fish or invert that will eat them, he has used the injection method stuff,
but it takews too long, as their are so many. and well he cant afford to keep buying it as it comes in the most stupidly small bottles.


help would be GREATLY APRECIATED

thanks =)

 

[n3ont3tra]

Peppermint shrimp, or a copperband butterfly fish but the butterflies don't feed well, and I think some eat corals. I would try the shrimp, unless you have something that would eat it.

 

[1entra]

I agree with neontetra, as i have heard peppermint shrimp eat to eat them and thats why they are recommended as part of a clean up crew!

 

[Flagfin]

Hya - we had a major aptasia problem in two reef tanks (I had let the macro algae build up and when I removed it was literally horrified by the number of aptasia in there. Trotted out to buy a copperband butterfly fish who far prefers frozen mysis, been through loads of bottles of aptasia killer but couldn't keep up. OK bottom line we have now purchased 8 peppermint shrimps and split them between the tanks, within a week there was such a difference - they're fantastic! Be warned some peppermints don't like aptasia but if you get some that do - bingo!

 

[pengy666]

Dont mess about this is excellent stops it dead kills it within 2 minutes!

Joes Juice

 

[Musho3210]

yeah, be a hybrid, use the joes juice for the larger ones and the ones that you can see and attack, then get peppermint shrimp which will hopefully eat the smaller ones and the ones you cant see and attack,.

 

[pengy666]

but it isnt garaunteed that they WILL eat the aptasia?

JOES JUICE THEM!!

 

[Musho3210]

is it garunteed that you can joes juice every single one in the tank, HYBRID THEM

or just use a blowtorch.....

 

[pengy666]

freshwater dip em!!

that'll do it!

I actually killed one tonight with my joes juice!

 

[andywg]

Dont mess about this is excellent stops it dead kills it within 2 minutes!

Joes Juice

That stuff is great, until you have an aiptasia on a piece of rock on the inside that you can't see and find youself spending a fortune just for them to come back again.

 

[pengy666]

hmm, I paid a fiver ?

I have one peice of rock and every three months I have one appear on it and I kill it!

With how much keeping marine costs this is nothing!!

 

[andywg]

hmm, I paid a fiver ?

I have one peice of rock and every three months I have one appear on it and I kill it!

With how much keeping marine costs this is nothing!!

Try treating a plague outbreak in a hundred gallon tank. When one bottle lasts you one evening, it starts to cost. Right now, while I wait for a Copperband and some peppermint shrimp to come in, I have just left it and I have a nem garden that isn't too bad to look at.

 

[pengy666]

AHH ok then I wont argue there then lol

 

[ostrow]

If you can remove the rocks, a syringe and a bottle of muriatic acid, and then a good rinse, is your best bet by far.

If you can't remove the rocks, the Joe's Juice and other products on the market I have found to be mediocre at best. Far better is a maximum strength kalk mix (a small plastic cup with 2 tbsp of kalk powder mashed into a wet paste. Heat it in the microwave until bubbling, then use a thick guage syringe to pierce into and saturate the anemones. Be prepared to go through several syringes as they will clog, get the largest size guage you can.

Failing that, peppermint shrimps are a maybe. Some will eat them, others will ignore them entirely. Ditto CBBs, Racoon Butterflies, and Pakistani Butterflies. All reputed to eat them. Individuals will vary. Only one animal is certian 100% to eat them ... Berghia Nudibranchs. Can be hard to find depending on where you are. They can be pricey as well. But they will eat them until they are all gone. And then the buggers will die unless you find them a new home or new supply of aiptasia.

The good news on the Berghias is they breed like crazy. So, after you solve your problem, keep a couple infested rocks in a separate system, and breed and sell them.

 

[Musho3210]

if you can remove the rocks, and are feeling a bit violent since it just wont go away, get a blow torch, i know quite a few people who use this method, of course most of the time its a worse case scenario thing.... Its also a good way to get rid of hydroids.