PLEASE HELP WITH APTASIA

[papijames]

Hello Everyone,
Aptasias are slowly growing on several rocks in my tank. I used to have just 5 of them and use aptasia control purchased from Aquarium design. There's only one problem, they grow back in 3 weeks from the same spots.
So, I'm looking for a permanent result, no more 3weeks quick fix. What can you recommend to me?
here's what I have in my tank
1-picaso triger
1-clown
1-blue hippo
1-bicolor pseudocromis
1-flame hawk
and a few mushrooms, candycanes, zoas.

Thank you in advance

[Gseclipse02]

try kalk ??? that works for me

[Bill S]

I'd try a Copperband Butterfly.

[Jarob]

peppermint shrimp!! and you can get them on the coast!

[dmweise]

Peppermint shrimp are definitely a good choice. They will even spawn in your tank making some nice extra snacks for your fish.

[Ed]

I second the Copperband Butterfly.

The Picasso Trigger might prefer the Peppermints, though............

[seatrueblue]

I had fun killing a few aptasia over the weekend. Didn't get rid of all of them but it was sasifying pulling their dead anemone bodys off the rock. We took the rock out, put it in a 5 gallon tank with change water in it, waited for them to come out, then gave them a shot of lemon juice. Killed them instantly..woohoo that was great! Can't wait to kill more. :D

[dmweise]

I've heard that butterflies can be a bit hard to take care of.

[dmweise]

Lemon juice huh? I may have to try that one. Aptasia X is a bit hard to apply to them little buggers.


I had fun killing a few aptasia over the weekend. Didn't get rid of all of them but it was sasifying pulling their dead anemone bodys off the rock. We took the rock out, put it in a 5 gallon tank with change water in it, waited for them to come out, then gave them a shot of lemon juice. Killed them instantly..woohoo that was great! Can't wait to kill more. :D

[gjuarez]

Natural predators: Copperbands, peppermint shrimp and Berghia nudibranches

[Ping]

The Peppermint shrimp may be eaten by the Trigger or Hawk.

I use Kalk and RO water. I mix a paste of about 2 to 1, and use a syringe w/o a needle to apply. I sneak up on the coral and coat the center, then continue to coat its holdfast. Most of the time they do not come back.

I am in need of more peppermints as mine have all passed away. The shrimp had gotten most of the aptasia for me in the past.

[seatrueblue]

Lemon juice huh? I may have to try that one. Aptasia X is a bit hard to apply to them little buggers.
This must be done in a seperate container a little lemon juice will lower your PH. We used a needle syringe we bought from a pharmacy. Costs $0.25 for the syringe. Just be sure to bring a picture of your aquarium to the pharmacy. It feels funny asking for one just to kill aptasia..lol. Oh and make sure you rinse the rock in salt water after you kill the aptasia.

[alton]

Copper bands for the small ones and blue life for the large ones. If you have used Blue Life Aptaisa killer and they are coming back, those are new ones not the old dead ones, I used it and they never came back. It is kind of like spraying for weeds, you kill the ones you see and then more come up. Sooner or later there will be no more. If you have Aptaisa then you have something for the Copper Band to graze on until you can get him to switch over to Mysis or other frozen foods.

[aquasport24]

My first group of peps did the job but the second group did not bother the aptasias. I like to inject them w/ hot water too.

[mharmon]

Go here: http://www.berghia.net/

[mathias]

I have had a copper band for 3 years havn't seen aptasia for last 2 years in that tank.. I had a smaller tank that it grew like crazy. So with the great idea of now putting the small tank in the big tank hoping he will eat them all and 2 weeks later I can't find one... he is one of the best fish I have ever had.

[allan]

I have a couple of the P-shrimp that devour the aptasias within 24 hours or so. Haven't had a problem since I put them in there.

I've promised them to someone else to help with his problem pending my so far inability to catch them.

BTW, if anyone knows how to catch shrimp I wouldn't mind learning.

[mharmon]

The coke bottle trap might work on the shrimp, although you may catch some fish along the way depending on the size of the fish and the neck of the bottle.

[papijames]

Guys thank you so much for all of your replies. now I've heard alot of good things about pepermint shrimp, the only problem is that my Trigger loves to eat Shrimp. Coperband butterfly? well I've ordered one from a local fish store, had them put an aptasia rock in the same tank, and the butterfly never even looked at it. Then the fish died the next day. So I guess my next try will be kalk and Blue life to test out.

[mathias]

you have to feed a copperband I don't think it can just survive off of aptasia alone and some don't eat aptasia its all about luck of the draw. I would tell anyone to buy this fish because they think its a great fish... if it eats aptasia thats just a big plus.

[Darth-Tater]

awe man put them on ebay as an exotic coral. they will eat it up trying to buy them :rofl:


Tater

[papijames]

come on dave, don't tell me thing like that cause I might actually do it :)

[RICKY81]

i used aptaisa control for a few that i had in my tank and only one dose per aptasia and they were gone and never came back... i just turned off all my flow pumps inside the tank to have water movement to a minimun, sneaked up on the aptasia and would instill about 0.5-1.0ml of the medication in the middle... the aptasia will shrink taking the medication in. left the pumps off for a good 30 minutes and that did the trick

i also tried covering the hole with epoxy pudding where the aptasia would retract in to hide and with some it worked with others the aptasia would come out through another hole..

[Ping]

The coolest way to eliminate these was demonstrated years ago by Greenmako. He took the rocks out of the water, heated a phillips head screwdriver with a propane torch and shoved it into the aptasias hole.

Radical but effective!

[DSAfanatic]

I've never had a copperband and I've never had good luck with peppermint shrimp. But with the aptaisa control you should have good luck with that for sure. I use it and it kills them instantly.