Aptasia

[WindWalker]

Can someonedescribe what this anenomie looks like in the begining stages please.
I have a small "sumthang" growing on one of my live rocks.
I don't have a camera so I can't give a picture.
It looks like the top of a common 8 penny nail head, brownish with a few very tiny hair like tendrils starting to develop around the disk.

thanks,

Jeff

[Coraltank]

Wind, from your brief description it sound like an aiptasia to me.You'll probably get many different suggestion as to their irradication,I like peppermint shrimps if you decide you may want one.Others may use kalk paste or hot water injections.Choose the one you think will work best for your individual situation.HTH

[WindWalker]

Thanks
I went and got 2 Peppermints and have acclimated them to the tank. I hope they dine well.

[carolina98]

Hi Wind,

Good luck with ridding the dreaded aiptasia from your tank (if that's indeed what it is). We also used 2 peppermint shrimp in our 46gal. bowfront as well. Within two weeks all of the aiptasia was gone! Hope it works as well for you.

Peace,
caro

I finally hit the bigs and discovered a few of them pests, added 3 peppermints and aptasia is gone. If nothin else they are neat little scavengers and being hermorphadite will cross fertilize and produce plankton

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I thought I was me, but we were wrong
email: geeflipr@internetcds.com

[Raszagil]

Kill 'em kill'em kill 'em!

I tend to like the "outcasts" of reef society but glass anemones just don't know when to quit. Like mentioned, don't bother cutting them off the rock, they just keep comeing back like the energizer bunny.

What I did to get rid of mine was I mixed up some of that reef epoxy putty, and sealed the little monsters into the rock. Problem over.

Good luck, and don't wait to fry those guys, give them an inch and they will swarm your tank...

Raz (been there done that)

[ReefJunkie]

When ever I find one, I just take alittle marine epoxy and put it over it Works very well if you monitor your new inhabitants

HTH

Scott

[petpoor]

I am also experiencing an outbreak of the little clear devils but I am curious when the dinner of choice for the peppermints run out what are they going to munch on?

[petpoor]

I am also experiencing an outbreak of the little clear devils but I am curious when the dinner of choice for the peppermints run out what are they going to munch on?

[Alice]

My peppermints feed on whatever I feed to the tank; they don't seem to be too picky. Shrimp are scavengers, after all. I have never had a problem with them munching on any of my corals, though.

Welcome to the board petpoor! (great name )
~Alice

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Reefkeeping is my life; I can't afford a hobby too!

[MarieK]

I added 6 peppermint shrimps to my 180 and never saw them again- they didn't eat the aptasia either. Do lionfish or marine betas eat peppermint shrimps?

[Getupkid]

MarieK,

I bought one peperment shrimp for my 29g tank last week to eat my aptasia anemones. so far I havn't seen him eating any but its still kinda early. As for the lionfish and marine betta question, I have a dwarf lion who seems very interested in eating my pepermint shrimp. He has been eyeing the shrimp since I put it in the tank. The guy at my LFS said that he would eat it but my lion is still to small. I have also seen my snowflake eel take a few swipes at him but to no avail (so far) because the shrimp darts into the rocks. I assume that if you have a lion that is big enough (doesn't have to be that big, just big enough to fit the shrimp in his mouth) then the lion will probably make an expensive snack out of your shrimp.

Also I just noticed today in January's issue of FAMA (the one with the orange Angler on the cover, There is an add (pg.42) for a chemical that is supposed to kill Aiptasia its called "Stop Aiptasia" and is manufactured by Chem-Marin. Never used it myself but its supposed to be totally reef safe. http://www.ewtech.com/chem-marin/

If anyone has used this product please post results. I thought about getting some but I'm affraid it might kill my bubble anemone. Too bad something as hardy as aiptasia can't be usefull or good looking!

[mini mee]

Hello everyone
MarieK I know what you mean, I Put a pep in months ago and haven't seen him eat any yet and the aptasia is growing like weeds maybe he is to well feed and hasn't had to forage for food enough Luckily it's only on one rock that I can see. I think I'll have to pull the rock and scrub to get rid of it (the colony is about the size of 2 quarters)I thought of picking him up and putting him on the colony

Getupkid if you get yours to eat let us in on what you did mine doesn't even go near it.

mini mee

[FishDaddy]

Getupkid,
Chem-Marin's Stop Aiptasia will work on isolated Aip's. It is applied directly to the small ones with an included plastic syringe...it can be injected into the bigger ones. I tried it a couple years ago but the problem was finding and getting to the ones behind the rocks. I used it several times with no harm to the tank except greener than usual skimmate! I do not keep an anenome so I can't comment on its effect. I think it's main ingredient is pepper, probably Jalapeno! I don't know that for sure but that is reputed. A thick paste made from Kalkwasser will work as well, with the same limitation on delivering it to each Aip.
I finally got rid of all mine in the 55 with a single Lysmata wurdemanni Peppermint. He eventually disappeared but after the Aip's were gone. I do not believe a Peppermint will tackle the big ones but they do the job on the small ones.
Here's a page with about everything on the subject: http://www.wyx.com/iheo/tank/aiptasia.htm
HTH
Dick

FishDaddy is right Stop Aptasia is a capsicum based formula, safe in small amounts, marginally effective, I prefer the use of peppermint shrimp and local kalk applications as required

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I thought I was me, but we were wrong
email: geeflipr@internetcds.com