[mhodson10512]

I picked up some new coral a few weeks ago and now have a explosion of aiptasia. The copper bands i have don't look like they are eating any. any other ideas?

Please help

[Lightsluvr]

If you really, really want to get rid of them - forever - get a few Berghia nudibranchs... and start a colony in your tank...

Or you could use kalk paste, joe's juice, aiptasia-x, vinegar, boiling water or voodoo, and watch them come back time after time...

JMHO

LL

[pogodzib]

I've had very good luck with kalk paste and vinegar and recommend trying those options first if you don't have a ton of aiptasia. If you have too many, it gets more difficult to get rid of with any option.

[Lightsluvr]

Brian -

Kalk paste is fine for a few aiptasia, but won't help if you have an "explosion" as the OP described... It would take so much kalk paste for an infestation of aips, you could throw off the pH of the tank... (been there, done that.)

Hopefully no one will ever have an infestation of the stuff... I put 300# of aiptasia-infested LR in a Rubbermaid sump with 8 adult berghia and no natural enemies (like wrasses). That was a few weeks ago... Not only are there dozens of juvenile Berghia in the sump now, there are few visible aiptasia remaining...and the aiptasia won't be back because the Berghia eat the entire anemone.

JME...

LL

[mhodson10512]

Thanks for the berghia nudibranchs tip. Now all i have to do is find someone with them in stock. I put my name on the wait list at salty underground.
Thanks

[npwhite]

Try:
Larry Orgill
INSTAR - Captive Bred, Tank Raised
(Inland South Texas Aquaculture Reef) Farm And Chemical
Office Phone: 1-210-323-2990
Voice Mail and Fax: 1-830-393-8902
berghia.net

[pogodzib]

Berghia nudibranch are supposed to work, however, as with adding any livestock to remove pest items, you'll need to figure out what you are going to do once they eat up all of their available food. In the case of Berghia nudibranches, as far as I am aware, they only eat aiptasia in aquariums.

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by pogodzib

Berghia nudibranch are supposed to work, however, as with adding any livestock to remove pest items, you'll need to figure out what you are going to do once they eat up all of their available food. In the case of Berghia nudibranches, as far as I am aware, they only eat aiptasia in aquariums.

I solve the problem by rotating other folks' aiptasia covered rock into my second sump, where I have quite a busy colony of Berghia - I even get loaner rock from my LFS for them to munch on...

LL

[pogodzib]

Wow George, you're brave introducing aiptasia on purpose, but if doing that is keeping your Berghia alive, it is great to see that you have found a way to keep the critters alive long term and control your (and others) aiptasia.

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by pogodzib

Wow George, you're brave introducing aiptasia on purpose, but if doing that is keeping your Berghia alive, it is great to see that you have found a way to keep the critters alive long term and control your (and others) aiptasia.

Not just alive, but muliplying exponentially. They breed like rabbits when they have no natural enemies, like wrasses...I hope to reach a point in a few months to have adequate numbers to start supplying our local reefers...

[Lightsluvr]

To clarify, the 100G Rubbermaid sump where I have a DSB and live rock gravity feeds to my main sump. All flow goes through a 100 micron filter sock. That should keep the aiptasia from migrating into the DT. If any sneaks through, I have a Copperband Butterfly in the DT who is on constant patrol...

As I have observed, the shrimp and Copperband solutions are very good for the occasional aiptasia... it's the infestation problem that requires more extreme measures - like the Berghia.

LL