Aidpastia? Expert advice please

[JohnLocke]

I have a 20g saltwater tank set up. About 25 lbs of live rock, two snails, two crabs. I had the filter running, but recently turned it off after my two clowns suddenly died unexpectedly. They had been fine for about 6 weeks or so and then two days in a row I awoke to find first one dead, and the next morning the other.

Sadly, I shut the filter off and researched what could have caused this, not getting many answers. They had been eating fine and the water params were all good.

Recently however, I have had an outbreak of what I think is "Aipstasia". I am unfamiliar with it or how to remove it, so looking for advice. First, how do I get rid of it? Second, could this have been the cause of the clowns' deaths?

This is not a picture of my tank, but it is the closest picture I could find to what is growing in my tank... it looks very similar:

http://www.3reef.com/photos/data/500/IMG_0984.JPG

I also have tiny little white specs that seem to be darting through the water, mostly upwards. Tinier than air bubbles, can't even make out what they are. Is this part of the aipstasia? Or another thing I should be concerned about? If this is common during an aipstasia outbreak, then just getting rid of it should get solve the problems I'm having.

Thanks for any advice, it really is appreciated.

 

[redsea]

The little things swimming around might be copepods (which are a good food source for fish).

You can get rid of Aipastia by using injecting them with medications like Aipastia X. Peppermint Shrimp will eat them, but generally only the smaller ones.

I have never heard of a fish dying from Aipastia, but that is just from my experience.

 

[EVMIII]

I am by no means an expert, but that picture looks like a little sponge, not aptasia. As stated, I doubt what you see was the cause of your loss, maybe a symptom a water problems. Good luck. By the way, my pepperment shrimp seem to love aptasia, didn't have much but they quickly took care if it. Never see them, but they are working.

 

[mr_X]

That's not a sponge. It's some sort of anemone.
Is this what you have?

 

[Sharklover]

Yah its deff not an aptasia(spelled wrong)cuz there usualy pinkish

 

[mr_X]

They can be white or clear if they are bleached.

 

[Blakskall]

get a peppermint shrimp it'll gobble it up, aiptasia-x is a medication you can use, but if you don't kill all of them at once, they will come back. There not harmful to fish, but spread like wildfire in your tank.

 

[Sharklover]

The peppermint shrimp need to have black eyes the green eyed ones can eat em but the black are much more likely