Aptasia control

[insearch]

Been looking around the library and archives and can not find any help there. My question, is there any inhabitants that will help me control my green aptasia. I poke dig and scape these guys but they just grow back. Any help would be thankful

 

[melas]

DO NOT POKE AT THEM. If you tear them up they just regenerate and multiply. Peppermint shrimp will eat them as well as Copperband butterfly fish. I found that using a kalkwasser injection into the little buggers really works. . . someone suggested that on here once. . . get the kalkwasser all thick and pasty and then use a syringe and feed it to them. they'll be dead in an hour and will not come back. good luck!

 

[ChrisRD]

Try doing a search. It's a topic that's come up a lot - should be lots of info.

 

[insearch]

Thanks I'll try that.

 

[mirkus]

where do you get syringes from btw?

 

[Nanogasm]

I had a nasty entourage of aptaisa when I started out. Must have had atleast 50 of them in my 24g.

The Kalkwasser route works great. So does Joe's Juice, a recent addition to the aptasia control products that are currently on the market. Just syringe a drop above their mouths and they're dead in seconds. I've used both with great success.

Some even claim vinegar or boiling water injected into the base works too (though I have no experience with this route myself).

If you go for such methods, be sure to turn off your current for a bit (powerheads, skimmer, etc..). When aiptasia die they release spores. Sort of like an emergency 'if I can't live, I'll pass on my seed and make 5 more of me' sort of thing. With your current off, you'll minimize this.

Joe's Juice comes with a syringe. If you need to get one elsewhere, I'm sure a pharmacy store will carry all sorts of sizes.

 

[carsimex]

If you are going to use Kalkwasser, do not do more then three or five a day. Overuse of kalkwasser may mass you water params

 

[mirkus]

at the pharmacy, they will not give a syringe without a prescription!

 

[mirkus]

at the pharmacy, they will not give a syringe without a prescription!

 

[Anonymous]

I just use one of the small measuring syringes that come with Salifert test kits to apply kalk paste.

 

[Nanogasm]

at the pharmacy, they will not give a syringe without a prescription!

I totally forgot about some countries laws with respect to this. Where I live, pharmacies supply them. Mind you, it is behind the counter but all you need to do is ask.

But then again, we have methadone clinics here as well that hand out bags of clean needles to the junkies on the street. Forward thinking, which keeps AIDS from spreading faster than it already is. Why government thinks they can stop the use of heroine addicts by blocking their access to needles from clean places only makes a problem even worse because addicts end up sharing the dirty needles that are hard to come by. Ah well.. a subject for a different thread, and perhaps a different forum at that.

 

[melas]

yeah geting syringes is not a problem. . . getting them with needles might be more challenging (though you don't need the needles). if the pharmacy gives you a problem just go to the Vets office. actually my vet gives me syringes for medicating new reptiles that i get.

i've used Joe's juice too. works really well. the kalkwasser is free so that's always handy. i have a 155 gallon bow so i've never really had to worry much about over dosing kalk while killing aptasia.

 

[Ben1]

I just use one of the small measuring syringes that come with Salifert test kits to apply kalk paste

Same here, it doesnt need a sharp point as you want to cover the area with kalkpaste. I have used the kalk paste method many many times. Last time I didnt turn off the pumps and tiny bits of tentacles must have gone every where b/c now there are tons of tiny ones, so be sure to turn off the pumps for a sort time.

 

[mirkus]

okay, so the aiptasia does not actually need to be injected with kalk paste. needs to be covered with kalk paste

 

[melas]

yeah just paste the little buggers! calcium hydroxide (kalkwasser) is really just lyme. lyme is very caustic with a pH of about 11 (battery acid is 3 on the other end of the scale).

 

[Rinaldo Fontenele]

You have two choses, calcium hidroxide or acid for example acetic acid, cloride acid.
Everyone is good alternative but take care with super dosage.


PS. Use counts drops in all cases ok.

 

[Ben1]

If you had to kalkpaste really heavy to cause a increase in pH your problem would have to be really bad or tank really small. If you have a pH pen just be sure the level doesnt increase more then +.2 which it really souldnt, if you do see a rise add a small amount of vinager to solve the issue, I have never had to do this.