Aptasia question again

[Clearblue303]

What if I just try to scrape off the small ones?
If they've got cut,will I just speed up the reproduction,or poison the tank?
I'm talking about very small ones that are spreading however.
How can the small ones be exterminated?
Thanks

FM

 

[Ben1]

Still the same for the large ones, do a search. Scraping them off leaves pieces of tissue behind that will be come 2 or more new ones. Use hot kalk paste and inject them with it, leave the paste on the anemone for at least a few days. If the paste is thick enough it wont blow into the water. Or a peppermint shrimp.

 

[rh]

Aiptasia can be persistent and maddening. I'd tried everything else short of peppermint shrimp. By the time I'd finally had enough it was almost too late - my entire 75G was turning into a colony of Aiptasia and they'd killed off/stunted almost all of my coral. I went for a very radical solution and put in a Racoon Butterfly fish. I say very radical b/c you may want to be prepared to keep a FOLR tank for awhile as they're not real choosey when it comes to eating coral. I salvaged the remaining pieces of coral I had left from the 75 in my 40G reef and I'm actually happy things worked out the way they did. He's a great fish, very healthy, eats well, and has good personality.
Star polyps seem to be safe with my Raccoon but wouldn't trust much else in there with him. But I'd much rather have a FOLR tank with a Racoon vs an aiptasia-ridden mess.

 

[galovsredsox]

I tried pepperint shrimp, but they would not even touch the aptasia. I read about a nudibranch that would work, I think is is berghia, anyon have any luck with that?

 

[AnotherGoldenTeapot]

I've found that Kalk paste is 100% effective.

I've never tried it with hot water - for me it works fine with water straight from the tank.

Just make it to toothpaste consistency and then cover each aptasia with it i.e. completely cover the aptasia in a small mound of the paste.

Use a syringe to deliver the paste to the spot it is needed.

In strong flow areas it's a good idea to turn off the circulation for 20 minutes to stop the paste being instantly washed away.

Kalk works for killing off the base of mushrooms that have been moved too. I imagine it would work on most other things too.

 

[Anonymous]

I used a weighted airstone dropped into a clump of aptasia. The bubbles kept if from extending enough to catch food particles and the whole bunch died in about two weeks.

 

[ecoman001]

I've used peperment shrimp in my tanks for years.
Every time without fail thay've ate 100% of the aiptasia It's the (Lysmata wurdemanni)that I've used not (Rhynchocinetes uritai).

[ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: ecoman001 ]</p>

 

[Clearblue303]

Is there a specific kalc paste for this,where to get it?
Thanks!
FM

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AnotherGoldenTeapot:
<strong>Kalk works for killing off the base of mushrooms that have been moved too. I imagine it would work on most other things too.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Great idea! I have way too many of shrooms (harvesting 30 - 40 a month to trade back into the LFS for credit) and never knew how to keep them from growing back in areas I don't want them in.

 

[Ben1]

You make it. Put some hot tap or tank water in a cup mix in enough Kalkwasser (clacium hydroxide) to make a paste. Pull the paste in to a syringe, I use an old test kit one and you are ready to go.

 

[HARRISON]

I have a Copper Banded Butterfly. He made short work of my Aiptasia. I haven't noticed him messing with anything else other than a big tube worm. He liked to pester it alot.