CBB and aptasia

[bigdscobra]

My anglers tank is over run with aptasia, cant put any pepperment shrimp in there to eat the aptasia cause he would eat the shrimp.

So I was think about getting a CBB what size CBB should I get to eat the aptasia is the larger ones better?? Some of the aptasia that I have are over 2in long.


Thanks
Dan

[ansonluna]

I have only ever seen them in stores as one size. When I ordered mine I wanted it to be as small as possible, but no luck. As far as them eating aptaisia, I don't think that size matters, but I could be wrong.

[Thunderkat]

Before you buy it inspect the nose for damage, if it is damaged select another.

[bigdscobra]

Good suggestion Thunderkat!!! Didn't even think about that.

[SueT]

I would also try to be sure they will eat aiptasia. Mine never has unless I pick them and they are free floating. They can be trained but that takes time. You might consider blasting them with a mix of ro water and kalk. Or Joes Juice. They are both the same.

I know lots of folks have problems with copperbands and them not eating aiptasia, so try to find out if you can.

[Isis]

I injected mine with pure lemon juice and they melted away just like the wicked witch if the west ;)

[duc]

I injected mine with pure lemon juice and they melted away just like the wicked witch if the west ;)
How exactly does one do that? Do I need an actual needle?
Clif

[Richard]

If you don't have any corals in that tank you can get an African Red Knob Starfish. They do a pretty good job of keeping aiptasia under control.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=562

[bigdscobra]

I got the CBB in the other day, I haven't been feeding him waiting for him to eat all the aptasia. I think he is hopefully. There is too much aptasia to tell if some are missing. But I see him going around the rocks and picking so hopefully he is eating.

[Richard]

Please start feeding him! You need to start getting him used to prepared foods now. If he's going to eat aiptasia he'll just eat them whether you feed him or not.

[bigdscobra]

Just wanted to let you know that the CBB is doing GREAT very healthy and all he is eating is the aiptasia, no feeding from me required. :P

[bigdscobra]

He still has a long way to go till he cleans that tank though, but he is getting there slowly :shades

[SueT]

Aiptaisa aren't nutritional so I hope you feed something to this copperband that will give it some nutrition to live off of.

Otherwise it can eat aiptasia all day long and still starve to death, now that would be terrible to have happen.

[GaryP]

I feed mine 1-2 live black mussels per day. Even the pickiest CBB I have had will chow down on mussels. I get them from HEB and they are cheap. I found an LFS (Fishy Business) that has frozen black mussels. I'm going to experiment with them.

I have a CBB in both of my tanks and they are aiptasia free. They have not touched my clams. As a matter of fact, an aiptasia was surgically removed from the shell of a maxima where it was getting very close to stinging the clam's mantle on the first night after I introduced it to the tank.

The problem you can run into with chemical treatment (kalk, joe's juice, or lemon juice) of aiptasia is that you may kill the aiptasia, but you may disperse surviving live cells throughout the tank that actually causes the aiptasia to spread faster. Instar has told me he likes hearing that folks are using Joe's Juice. He says it helps his Berghia business. Try checking his website for good info on the control of aiptasia, www.berghia.net

[bigdscobra]

Aiptaisa aren't nutritional so I hope you feed something to this copperband that will give it some nutrition to live off of.

Otherwise it can eat aiptasia all day long and still starve to death, now that would be terrible to have happen.


I beg to differ, if this was true he would have been dead a Long time ago, I feed phyto almost every other day so these aiptasa are very well fed to. Like I said before I am going to keep doing what Iam, when I start to see that he is not getting enough nutrition than I will feed him. And in no time do I see him starving especially when his belly is full all the time.

Its just like people say that you have to watch the feeding of the anglers I have had an Baby Angler in my fuge for a couple of months now which has grown tremendously, this is also were I store 100-200 Ghost shrimp that I feed to the other one, and have not had any problems he is doing great too.

Iam not trying to argue with anybody but just stating my experiences with these fish.

Larry brought over some of the berghia but I don’t think they survived I saw them a couple of times but haven't seen them in a while.


Dan