[Fishhead Junkie]

i keep reading about all the different remedies for getting rid of aiptasia. someone said that a certain butterfly fish liked them but when i look it up, all i get is the copperbanded butterfly fish, not the plain jane one everyone keeps talking about. is it listed under a different name?

steve

[teajay33]

my best friend has a COPPER BANDED butterfly fish in his tank to cure aiptasia. someone bashed me for it earlier but thats what he has down to the T. i just think someone has no idea what they are talking about.



CONTROL OF AIPTASIA IN REEF AQUARIUMS TANKS

[chappy]

i used joes juice with a hypo needle to apply had pretty good results

[Krazy]

some people get lucky with adding peppermint shrimps...

I was one of the lucky (I did add 13 of them though)

[benesh10]

I believe the someone who doesnt know what theyre talking about was refering to me. let me prove my point.

The Banded butterfly or the ( Chaetodon Striatus ) is the aptasia eater 100% be for warned that the fish will probably perish when the aptasia is depleted since it is its primary food source.

The Copper Banded butterfly or the ( Chelmon Rostratus ) has a one in ten record of eating aptasia in the aquarium as its natural diet consists mainly of feather dusters and small filter feeding organisms on the reef all of wich you probably paid money to add to your tank not feed to your fish, also on its menu: zoas,cocoa worms,caulustra, and maybe sps corals.

So before you acuse someone of bashing maybe you should take the advice you asked for and not be so critical of an experienced reef keeper trying to help an obvious novice.

Joes juice is also very effective, however it adds toxins to the tank that in a smaller system ie: smaller than 100 gallons may be harmful to that system.

You will also read of using boiling water and lemon juice both are inefective at best.

For a chemical remedy try Calcium Hydroxide ( kalkwasser powder ) mixed with fresh water to a thick consistency and inject the aptasia with a syrenge. you can buy syrenges at the drug store., as with adding any chemical watch your levels. This is a safer more effective method with a substance that occurs naturaly.

Your friend got very lucky that his particular butterfly eats aptasia. Try the CH its very cheap and very effective plus you dont have to house a butterfly maybe there is another species youd rather have out of choice rather than a gamble.

I dont mean to sound like a jerk it just bothers me that people would critisize help they asked for. Good luck with everything involved with your tank.

APTASIA SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[glampka]

I tried Joe's Juice. It would get rid of them for awhile but they'd be back. Got myself a peppermint shrimp & it was good-bye aiptasia forever!

[chappy]

cool glampka i will keep this in mind if mine return would love a new shrimp
would he fight with a cleaner shrimp?

[cygnus]

what about the peppermint shrimp? Someone told me to put one in my sump and it would reproduce asexually and it's offspring would find their way into the main tank and keep the aiptasia out of the sump as well.

[salty dave]

I used kents calcium and hypo needle they turn white and fall apart.

[msbdiving]

I have both a peppermint excuse me Werdermanni Lysmata sp? and a cleaner shrimp. Both get along fine. Not having much luck with the aiptsia getting eaten though. I might need to try another one.

[sheilazav]

I had GREAT results with Joe's Juice! The aiptasia disappeared really quickly.

[ACE]

Joe's juice must be popular my local pet store told me to use it if I got them!!!

[pyromaniac398]

Keep in mind that killing the aiptasia is only step one. Do you run a protein skimmer? Aiptasia multiply easy in nutrient rich water so make sure you are not over feeding and you have a protein skimmer, that way you wont have to keep curing your tank of the problem.