What eats Aiptasia

[sundance2011]

I'm redoing my 80G Saltwater Reef tank and I have added the live rock. I am zapping the Aiptasia as I see them but I won't get rid of all of them of course. What would be good to have in the tank (if anything) that will eat what I don't see?

Thanks

 

[mr_X]

peppermint shrimp. there are some fish that do also, but in many cases it's hard to get them to eat anything prepared, and they starve to death. just get a hand full of peppermint shrimp. they should take care of the small ones at least, and you can nuke the big ones.

 

[sundance2011]

Will they eat any of the good stuff in the tank or are they reef safe?

 

[Firemedic1081]

Nope. They will just scavenge for food. Mine come out at feeding time and eat what I feed the rest if the tank.

 

[sundance2011]

After i posted i went to F&S and was reading that they are Ok for reef. Here's another question. Their recommendation for a algae cleaning crew is as follows for a 75G tank.

Scarlet Hermit Crabs 15
Turbo Snails 30
Dwarf Red Tip Hermit 50

That sure seems like a lot of bugs running around. I don't think I have EVER seen a tank with that kind of stuff running around in it ...unless they stay hidden when the lights are on.

What is the cleaning crew some of you guys have?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Tomchong22]

There really is no need for a cuc. It's mostly for looks and diversity in the tank. I my self would think some nassarius snails to mix up the sand bed...some shrimp. I only have one turbo in my 60gal and he does some work in the tank lol. Always on the move.

 

[sundance2011]

he does some work in the tank

I know they are little bulldozers, knocking S over, moving stuff around.

 

[Tomchong22]

Yeah he has moved some coral frags and stuff. He is kinda fun to watch so I guess it's a win win.

 

[Maya]

We have 4 hermits (2 blue leg, a Halloween hermit, and an unspecified little guy that came in our tank), peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and a coral
Banded shrimp. We have an emerald
Crab and a variety of snails (Turbo, turban, cerith, nassarius, and nerite snails). Not a bunch of any of them but a few in a 75 gallon display tank and 30 gallom sump. They are cool little buggers to watch. Plus an unknown number of bristles worms, stomatellas, and a really cool flatworm that we've only seen once that came in our live rock. We also have a gazillion starfish and tiny brittle stars that clean. You don't need them per say but they are really fun to watch. Our hermits are HILARIOUS! We have one that changes it's shells almost daily. Literally there is a pile of 4 shells in the back bunched together and he goes and changes his clothes.

 

[Tomchong22]

We have 4 hermits (2 blue leg, a Halloween hermit, and an unspecified little guy that came in our tank), peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and a coral
Banded shrimp. We have an emerald
Crab and a variety of snails (Turbo, turban, cerith, nassarius, and nerite snails). Not a bunch of any of them but a few in a 75 gallon display tank and 30 gallom sump. They are cool little buggers to watch. Plus an unknown number of bristles worms, stomatellas, and a really cool flatworm that we've only seen once that came in our live rock. We also have a gazillion starfish and tiny brittle stars that clean. You don't need them per say but they are really fun to watch. Our hermits are HILARIOUS! We have one that changes it's shells almost daily. Literally there is a pile of 4 shells in the back bunched together and he goes and changes his clothes.

How well does the coral banded shrimp do with the other shrimps? And flatworm you don't mean the bad ones right?

 

[mr_X]

i would not purchase so many inverts. 30 turbo snails is like 25 too many for a 75 IMO.
65 crabs is also ridiculous. get a few crabs and snails because you like to look at them. water changes, good flow, and an algae scraper will take care of the "cleaning up".
buy that many inverts and many of them will starve to death.

 

[Maya]

He doesn't really bother anyone. He will chase off the tang when she tries to force him to clean her. When we got the cleaner shrimp he shooed her out of his cave a couple of times to show her who was boss. But other than that he roams about the tank likes he owns it and doesn't bother anyone at all. I've heard all kinds of horror stories about how mean they are but he is huge, about 6 inches. So unless he gets cranky with age, we have no trouble at all. I've never seen him even notice the peppermints. Everyone has their own certain space, they don't really interact much. He can't fit into the small areas.

 

[Maya]

Oh and no... The flatworm isn't one of the red planaria pests you are referring to. It's probably the "prettiest" thing in our tank. It's silvery with leopard looking spots. Saw it at the back of the tank one time and have never seen it since. Looked at hundreds of pics of flatworms and found one that looked close but it was an unidentified species. The vast majority of the flatworms are harmless and since we don't overfeed, don't have to worry about pest numbers too much.