Aiptasiageddon

[Mebbid]

So let me start by saying that the aiptasia definitely sexually reproduced in my tank....

I've been using 3mL of vinegar a day in my aquarium combating the aiptasiageddon (causing problems with pH) and I honestly don't feel like I'm making any headway in the battle. Vinegar always worked very well in controlling the occasional aiptasia that popped up in the past but now I am looking at other options. I believe a few of them snuck in beneath the radar in some Grape Caulerpa I added to my fuge and I am wondering if it's a different species from what I had before.

Does anyone have any tricks for dealing with large numbers of aiptasia?

 

[Sniperhank]

I’ve never heard of vinegar for aiptasia control, always been either boiling lemon juice/water or an aiptasia-x/joe’s juice sort of deal.
I’ve actually run into a similar issue. I’ve been aiptasia-x everything I can find and still have them coming up.
That aside, that leaves natural predators. Those would be a specific nudibranch who’s name is escaping me, a specific peppermint shrimp...only from the west coast I believe, and cooperband butterfly. Far from a real solution, as most natural means tends to be in this hobby. The nudibranch and cooperband are out right away. Leaves only the peppermint which is extremely hit or miss due to barely being able to distinguish where they come from or even if it will.
I know this is far from the answer you are looking for. I’m in the similar boat...but I’m considering peppermints I order off of liveaquaria. I’ll make that decision in a couple of months if I don’t make headway.

 

[coralbandit]

Aptasia X or try H202 if you can.

 

[Mebbid]

I’ve never heard of vinegar for aiptasia control, always been either boiling lemon juice/water or an aiptasia-x/joe’s juice sort of deal.
I’ve actually run into a similar issue. I’ve been aiptasia-x everything I can find and still have them coming up.
That aside, that leaves natural predators. Those would be a specific nudibranch who’s name is escaping me, a specific peppermint shrimp...only from the west coast I believe, and cooperband butterfly. Far from a real solution, as most natural means tends to be in this hobby. The nudibranch and cooperband are out right away. Leaves only the peppermint which is extremely hit or miss due to barely being able to distinguish where they come from or even if it will.
I know this is far from the answer you are looking for. I’m in the similar boat...but I’m considering peppermints I order off of liveaquaria. I’ll make that decision in a couple of months if I don’t make headway.

Yeah, vinegar works great. They shrivel up instantly and are gone. It was suggested to me from the reef tank.

Why are the nidibranchs not an option?

 

[coralbandit]

Yeah, vinegar works great. They shrivel up instantly and are gone. It was suggested to me from the reef tank.

Why are the nidibranchs not an option?

The vinegar is also a forum of carbon dosing to control nitrates so maybe just lower your dose to help with Ph issue?
The nudis are hit and miss also as true Berghia are hard to accurately source also I believe.

 

[Sniperhank]

The berghia nudis only eat aiptasia. So you’d need to keep feeding them such. Counter productive to our goal as we wouldn’t want to keep adding them to the system to keep the nudibranch alive. The cooperband and peppermints eat other things as well.

 

[Mebbid]

The vinegar is also a forum of carbon dosing to control nitrates so maybe just lower your dose to help with Ph issue?
The nudis are hit and miss also as true Berghia are hard to accurately source also I believe.

Yes it is, I'm having some lower than optimal calcium readings so I was gonna start adding kalk to the tank regularly,

The berghia nudis only eat aiptasia. So you’d need to keep feeding them such. Counter productive to our goal as we wouldn’t want to keep adding them to the system to keep the nudibranch alive. The cooperband and peppermints eat other things as well.

Would we really need to keep the nudis alive once the outbreak was managed? I have a hard time believing that peppermint shrimp can manage a large scale outbreak. I would expect 1 peppermint shrimp to eat no more than 2 aiptasia a day, when there are hundreds I don't see them being able to keep up appropriately.

 

[Sniperhank]

The same will go for the nudibranch, and of course we can’t just let them die...unethical.
Can any of the rocks be removed? You mentioned kalk and a kalk paste will kill them as well. You could just paste over entire rocks. If they can be taken outside I’d boil a pot of water and dump it over the rock. Remember not to boil rock due to paly toxin possibilities.