What is the deal with aiptasia?

Also...dont use too much it may lower your PH being Lemon juice is acidic. Do it when the lights have been on for awhile.

 

No prob!!

 

CC, if you have any pickling lime, use that in a thick slurry (mix with ro water)and inject it into the buggers. Just don't nuke more than a couple a day.

grocery stores will have Mrs Wages pickling lime. That stuff works great, and raises ph and adds calcium too.

 

Thanks...I'll look for that too ...good to have on hand just in case also!

I only have 1 right now, and it came from a new rock I added on Sunday so I know/think it is the only one...(I hope)

 

If you can, take a sharp knife and pop the rock around the aptasia off. I am not a fan of using anything that pops or breaks aptasia because when you break them spores are released. I feel that breaking the rock around the aptasia off is the best way to go about it.

 

LOL, what a bitter-sweet line.

 

im suprised this wasnt mentioned, it worked amazing for me

pick up 1 or 2 genuine peppermint shrimp and they will take aiptasias down one after the other.

i added 1 in my 37 gal and it took out every aiptasia i had within the first 3 days.

 

Peppermint shrimp usually do work, but not all pepp's eat aiptasia.

if you have 1, or very low numbers of the pests, nuke them. If you can't get to them all, or want to find a natural way to get rid of them, peppermint shrimp will work. Copperband butterfly's will eat them too, but the issues with CBB's is that they are not good shippers, don't always eat prepared foods in captivity, and due tothose issues, don't have a good track record. They can also eat corals, if hungry.

What Jay was referring to for "true" peppermint shrimp is that camel shrimp look pretty similar, but won't eat aiptasia, and actually are not reef safe.

 

I got a magazine yesterday from dr foster and smith and in it it talks about buying pepermint shrimp. they say that they eat them and what left behind. I plan on buying some today.

 

Yeah, they have had that little article going for a few months. I think it even says not every peppermint eats aiptasia as well.

DFS also talks about the CBB, but fails to mention the horrible survival rates of the CBB, and the issues a hungry CBB can make in a reef tank.