copperband vs powder blue

[Eileen van Zyldob]

hi guys. we just bought a copperband to get rid of the aiptasia. but our powder blue is chasing him like crazy. ..what dobi do

 

[mr_X]

Take the copper banded back. It will probably die of starvation in your tank anyway. These are hard to keep.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

we trying to get the pbt caught but what a mission. ..have put copperband in refugium . if I take copperband back WHAT EATS AIPTASIA? ??I have 2 peppermint shrimps and have gone through bottles and bottles of aiptasia x and joeys juice plus lemon juice...feeling really depressed about this pest already. ..

 

[MJSerik]

You can order "trained" shrimp from LA that eat aiptasia.

 

[mr_X]

Sometimes peppermint shrimp eat aptasia, if there is no other food source. the same goes for any natural method of control....even the copper banded. You just have to incorporate a manual control method (like your Joe's juice) into your weekly maintenance routine.
The only thing I've seen injections of lemon juice or vinegar do is make one aptasia into four.
IME, you need to put some of whatever you are using on the mouth, then when it shrivels up into a ball, cover it with more poison.
I use kalkwasser, mixed up in a thick paste, and administer it with a syringe, less the steel tip.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

from LA you say...I can then just get some new live rock anybody have experience with raccoon? will I sit with the same problem. also just realised that our cleaner wrasse has gone missing. ..

 

[carey]

All butterfly fish are difficult, take it from me I have tried several with no real success.
How large is your tank? There are berghia nudibranchs that will eat nothing but aipastia but if you have an overly large tank it wouldnt be cost effective.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

180L if I take into consideration the live rock etc so not big but big enough to have aiptasia infestation :'( iv never seen a nudibranch at any of the stores we buy at

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

what are signs of itch

 

[MJSerik]

White dots on the fish.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

powder has little bumps on but its not white.could this be the start thereof? got the powder for our algae prob due to the phosphates and he does a good job

 

[carey]

Being as you only have a 45g tank you could get those nudibranchs....just an option.

You do know that a powder blue in such a small tank is gonna be trouble right? That right there is your issue with the aggression between the copperband and him. Both fish need a much larger tank, the tank substanially so.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

thanks carey only when I started googling I saw the powder blue is for bigger tank...so kind of buummed as he was not cheap :-/

 

[mr_X]

Neither one of them will live very long in a tank that size.

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

thanks all.wish the guys would tell us this when we buy them.can atleast trade in

 

[Eileen van Zyldob]

forgot to come tell u all that after this mission trying to catch the powder blue he got whitespot and wiped out all our fish...expensive lesson I geuss