Why is Aiptasia bad for my tank?

[smithce79]

I know Aiptasia is a plague because it can hurt or even kill fishes and corals, but I would like to know more about it.

Why and How can it hurt my fishes?

 

[Flreefer]

I think the main reason Aptasia are a bad thing in a tank is because they reproduce quickly. If left unchecked, pretty soon the tank is full of them.
They are anemone, with stinging cells in the tentacles, which can injure any fish, and possibly overtake smaller ones, if the Aptasia were large enough. They can also irritate and possibly kill nearby corals, so anyone investing money in corals is best served to kill them on site.

 

[smithce79]

Thanks for the information Im trying to get rid off the aiptasia in my tank.

 

[Animal-Chin]

I used lemmon juice in a needle and it worked great. You just gotta poke them before they shrink up. Good luck...

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Peppermint shrimp eat the hell out them. I got three in my 55 and as soon as I put them in there they went straight to it and ganged up on it and picked it to death was pretty awesome to watch

 

[Flreefer]

Peppermint shrimp eat the hell out them. I got three in my 55 and as soon as I put them in there they went straight to it and ganged up on it and picked it to death was pretty awesome to watch

I agree, Peppermints worked for me as well. Only had like 5 Aptasia, but they were gone in 2 days! Never seen one since, and that was years ago.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Not sure yet on what effects the shrimp have on the rest of my reef yet but they serve their purpose. And on the other hand I've been told injected lemon juice does work

 

[smithce79]

After aiptasias are gonne how do I feed the peppermint shrimp?

Are they reef safe?

 

[Flreefer]

After aiptasias are gonne how do I feed the peppermint shrimp?

Are they reef safe?

Yes, they are reef safe. They will just grab a little of the fish food, you don't need to feed them specially. They are great scavengers!

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Not sure but I'll find out and let u know. I was told they were reef safe. I guess that's one thing I didn't ask I just assumed they would feed off the tank.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

I just put a peppermint shrimp in my tank last night and during the day today he ate the biggest aptaisa in my tank thing was like more than an 1" tall

 

[Schism]

I just put a peppermint shrimp in my tank last night and during the day today he ate the biggest aptaisa in my tank thing was like more than an 1" tall

Congrats, if they are eating them then they should keep aiptasia at bay.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Hopefully it will be kind the my corals

 

[Flreefer]

Hopefully it will be kind the my corals

Peppermints won't harm any of your corals, I've had 2 in my tank for years.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Ok cool

 

[bettaowner]

Copperbanded butterfly fish eat aptasias too right. I really prefer to have fish remove pests rather than inverts.

 

[Schism]

Copperbanded butterfly fish eat aptasias too right. I really prefer to have fish remove pests rather than inverts.

Yes they can, however they have stricter requirements and a lot more difficult to keep than peppermints.

 

[Flreefer]

Copperbanded butterfly fish eat aptasias too right. I really prefer to have fish remove pests rather than inverts.

Unless you have a long-established reef tank, and are willing to pamper that fish, getting a Copperband for Aptasia control, is like hiring a suicide bomber for a housefly problem. .
I agree with Schism, Peppermints are 20x easier and cheaper.

 

[smithce79]

I've been looking for some peppermint shrimps, but they are not available for sale right now (Im in México and Its seems like theres a season when Its forbidden to capture them).

Any other option for kill my aiptasia other than lemon juice or aiptasia X?

 

[Flreefer]

If you can get some Kalkwasser, make a paste out of it, it's a powder, and smear it onto the Aptasia. Just don't use too much at any one time. Say you've got 20 Aptasia, do 5 at a time with a few days between treatments. Too much at a time, can effect your water parameters. Ph, Ca, Alk. Also try to keep it off anything you don't want to kill.