Reef nutrition

Aptasia irradication strategies

screebo

screebo

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Has anyone had success keeping copper bands for more than a few weeks? Is anyone working on captive breeding butterflies? I would think that successful captive breading would greatly enhance survival. Just why is it that fish like butterflies, anthia, parots and moorish idols are so hard to keep in a tank? Do all copper bands really love aptasia? That's where I was headed with this discussion................ :glasses:
 
I had a copperband way back when and they do eat aptaisia, but with so many other butterfly fish avail. now there is no need to go that route. You may try Muelleri, tinkeri, declevis, coral marginal, and klein in term of butterfly fish, and like any fish, reef safe is 50/50.
 
My real focus here is to kill aptasia. I've got plenty of fish but am considering all options. I can easily control the aptasia I can reach with Joe's juice. Hey, is kalk the same thing? Am I throwing money away buying Joe's Juice? Will any kalk mix work just as well? I've tried the boiling water from a big syringe but it cools down so fast it's not real practical for massive assaults. I imagine using an insulated container above the tank, like a drip I.V. unit, and direct boiling water via a 3 foot curved semi-rigid plastic tube with about a 1/16" exit nozzle. Then I could slowly direct the flow onto the back side of my LR (not against the glass but island shaped) and mow down the aptasia. This may end up being my next effort.
 
I had one for 6 months...Perfectly fine - Eating mysis and then one day just decided to kick the bucket. = It did eat my 2 tiny aiptasia at the time but wouldn't go near two huge ones. Just my exp.

At the time, I was telling someone how happy I was to have a Copperband and they warned me not to get too excited as 1 year was the real test... It died that same week.
 
You're risking adding a CBB to your tank with your prized corals. Joe's juice and Aiptasia - X are too much for my budget so I just made up some kalk paste to blast my aiptasia. Have to be careful with kalk paste cause your pH will go up. I have some kalk if you need some. Also, got calibration fluids for your pH probe. :)
 
I'm also considering a CBB or filefish to help with my Aipt problem. Will also be picking up PS again. I have tried it manualy with kalk paste and within a week or two they are doubled in numbers! I have yet to try the boiling water or lemon juice method which i intend to do this week. Good luck on your battle John! let us know the outcome of the method you decide to go.
 
We are waging war here. Thanks for the good input. I'm going to hold off on trying the nudi's and likely the CBB's too. If I could just suspend myself over the tank with a long syringe, I could Kalk the army of invading aptasias. I've got them cleared pretty well on the visible parts of the reef.

John: let me know where you get your kalk and help me understand the similarity to Joe's Juice. Is it pretty much the same and does it work as well on the nems?

Thx all
 
I haven't used Joe's Juice but have used Aiptasia - X. Aiptasia - X seems to be some type of kalk mixture and whatever is in it raises pH. I got a gallon of Kalk from BRS. But all you need is a teaspoon and that will go a long way. It works on aiptasia, gsp, and zoas. :D LMK if you need some and I can stop by or CVS pickup if you ever head this way. :)
 
If you are at all able to pull the rock out of your tank then the best bet with aiptasia is a micro torch or torch style lighter. Very precise, you can incinerate an aiptasia right next to coral and if you are careful to control the heat spreading through the rock can leave it undamaged.

Torch it until the aiptasia pops and dip it in tank water so the heat doesn't spread. Then kill the next one. They don't come back.
 
All it takes is taking every rock out and cut the thing off at the base taking a little bit of rocks to make sure it is gone :D :D and the rest can be killed with hot kalk paste. Definitely not bragging here for letting my tank go in the past but my 180 gal was FULL of them and mushrooms. It tooks me 3 different weekends to battle these guys starting at one end of the tank and working my way across the whole tank, but that is the only way to really eradicate them.
 
John, I have had good luck with the tank-raised peppermint shrimp from Green Marine. They quickly decimated the aiptasia that were found throughout the live rock that came with my system--from small to medium sizes, in hard-to-reach places. Reef friends in San Diego had trouble keeping CBB fish alive, so I never acquired one.

I have had success getting rid of those |( purple mushrooms using kalk paste and a syringe (with needle). If you need some kalk powder (have a pretty big jar, purchased from Aquatic Collection) and a syringe, just let me know!
 
There's a guy on RC selling the electric zapper guns... :D

Those aip eating filefish are NOT reef safe, so don't waste your time and corals.
 
When i first got my live rock for my 180 i cycled them 50lbs at a time in a large rubbermade tub. One for the 50 lb boxes came with rock riddled w/ aiptasia (crazy considering this was rock sitting in no water with just wet newspaper sitting over it) flakes

I threw all aiptasia covered rocks in a seperate tank and had them cycle for about a month with water changes every 3 days then threw in a CBB. It refused to eat anything...flakes,mysis, live brine shrimp, pellets, etc. and it eventually died.

after all that i tried a Kleins butterfly and this thing anhialated 50% of the aips in the first week. 3 weeks w/ no feeding and they were none to be found. I kept him in that tank for about 3 more weeks feeding sparingly w/ flakes making sure he got all the little buggers. eventually he ended up in the main display and took out my acans, a chalice, 1 out of 3 RBTA, and my tubs blues.

Point of story, Kliens work, but you might want a seperate tank to have him do the job.

HTH -Patrick
 
I think I'm gonna talk to my fish. I'm gonna let them know that I'm having some friends move in that look a lot like dinner but really aren't. I'll check with Shawn and see if he's carrying on the tradition at G.M. of the tank raised Peps. I've had them in the past but the last batch I bought were just too darn small to survive. I'll also keep up my "juicing" the big ones that I can reach. John, sure, I'd appreciate some goop. Glad to stop by work. Just confirm that you brought some and I'll give it a go. Otherwise, I might as well buy stock in Joe's Juice! Jess, I'll take your advise and hold off on those cute little file fish in the checkered suits. Patrick, my acans and chalice are too precious to chance. Thanks for letting me know. Thanks for all the great input.
 
John set up the small tank again and use it to hold one rock at a time with the peps. I know you do not want to mind two tanks, but the rewards of having no aptasia for a temporary inconvenience... Then pass the peps on to someone else.

Is your 'island' all solid together?

I just pulled three more aps out of my tank in the last couple months from a recent large influx of coral. That brings the grand total to around 7 for the system since it was started. I have pulled base rock out to carve the animals off when found. Good luck man.
 
i have a plexi 40 gal hex tank i use for things like this if you need a tank to borrow for a while. Small footprint perfect for use in a garage w/o getting in your way.
 
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