[FutureDoc]

Beta!!!!

I have BETA! Tiny, about the size of a millipora polyp.

I was feeding alpha (it has been a while) a piece of PE mysis with a turkey baster and when I blew the food into alpha, I say a tiny clear polyp about 5mm away. It has only taken since Jan 19 to get a new nem... or atleast one to be visible.

... so I guess I am finally breeding aiptasia! One down, a few thousand to go!

 

[Fat Tony]

Sweet! Finally some progress

 

[hunterfreeman1]

awesome now they should grow exponentially so it will go faster

 

[Stormbind]

Was Feb. 19th the last time you fed Alpha prior to March 7th? Also when was the last time you did a water change before observing Beta?

 

[FutureDoc]

I dont know if I fed it between Feb 19 and Mar 7th... I guess since I did not post it was unlikely. Also I have only done one WC (late Jan/Early Feb) since I started.

 

[skey44]

we have a customer unsuccessfully raising aiptasia, maybe they need some pointers from the Adapstasia king himself!

 

[tlgreve]

I had a 5 gal tank that had several aptasia covered rocks, the ones that attached to the sides are still alive and kicking after I turned off the lights and filtration to the tank - 20 days ago. No water movement in a slowly evaporating tank, and only the ambient light from my window reflected off the walls (not a lot). I wonder how long it will take them to die.

 

[AnnOfAllTrades]

I took Traci's aiptasia covered rocks (about 10 rocks) and put them in a small tank. I added 2 peppermint shrimp on Feb. 16th and by Feb. 25th the aiptasia was gone except for one lonely aiptasia. I'm assuming they kept this one alive to munch on since I hadn't been feeding them. I recently started feeding them a little food and they did away with the last aiptasia. Even if they hadn't, I would've just used Joe's Juice (which has worked well for me in past tanks) on the one to kill it off.
Interestingly, when I got the peps, one of them was carrying eggs. I came in the other day to find 20 or so TINY little baby shrimp being tossed around in the current. In a matter of an hour or so, I didn't see them anymore. Don't know if they got sucked up into the little hob filter (it's very small... rated for 5 - 10 g. tank) or if they managed to crawl into the rock. They were cute! Super little and clear. At first I mistook them for little oxygen bubbles floating around 'til I looked closer.

 

[FutureDoc]

Well I fed the tank...and I spotted a few more betas. The are very very small (SPS polyp sized) I am guessing that I have at least 5-7 betas in total now... very exciting!

 

[skey44]

what type of reproduction do you think? planulation, budding?

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Sounds like the anemones are releasing multiple larvae at the same time instead of one at a time, maybe thats why these things spread so fast.

 

[FutureDoc]

I am not sure of the reproduction method, I think the betas have moved to it is not obvious. Still if I had to bet it would be either budding or pedal laceration since there are no betas more than an inch away from alpha... but I am just guessing.

 

[FutureDoc]

ok, the little nems are growing (as tall as a pencil eraser)... and I have stopped direct feeding... now I just squirt a bit a my food mixture (mysis, ova, cyclopeeze, prime reef, and a homemade/blenderized scallops, squid, and mussels mix) into the tank. I did it two nights ago (Mar 28th) and tonight. just thought there needed an update.

 

[absolutkasp5]

I found one aiptasia in my 8 gal biocube tank now I have four I am trying to get rid of them what method should I use? Peppermint shrimp? or the lemon juice? I am trying to have a successful reef tank and I don't want to compromise my tank by using the lemon juice is it coral and invert also algea safe?

Thank You,

Marcus

 

[hunterfreeman1]

the lemon juice wont harm your tank unless you use to much i would probably say that you should only do about 1-3 cc at one time and repeat every other day or so as needed, the peppermint shrimp are reef safe and usually do better in multiplies so i would get 2 or 3 ( make sure you get the Atlantic shrimp). either method will work

 

[absolutkasp5]

I heard using vinegar is like the same thing. Is it as safe?

 

[Chrismck97]

its time for a update

 

[hunterfreeman1]

same thing for vinegar as lemon juice

 

[FutureDoc]

vinegar/lemon juice is safe as long as you do not mass dose it into your system... aka the very few CC/mL of dosing directly into the nem with a syringe. Kalk paste does the same as well (although it is a alkaline rather than acid) Still, my favorite is a peppermint method. Watching the one "nem" slowly creating mini nems, I like the predation method for ensuring the elimination... it is just so easy to miss the little nems.

As far as an update, the nems are doing well. Its hard to tell exactly how many I have but there are three different types now... A large alpha, several small betas, and then some very small deltas (i think). Its tough because I have had a brown slime algae making it harder to spot them. Anyway, they are splitting now it it would be a slow simmering infestation if it was in a normal tank.

 

[skey44]

I have sold a lot of peps lately and the report is they all worked. I do think you have to have at least 3 to really be effective though.