Aiptasia Gone Wild?

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by justonwo, Aug 20, 2015.

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  1. justonwo

    justonwo Fire Shrimp

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    I visited the very, very cool New England Aquarium today. They had a number of beautiful reef tanks. I noticed one tank was loaded with aiptasia (at least I think that's what I'm seeing). I've been so paranoid with my Aiptasia-X to kill every last one of them, this was a real eye-opener to see what a REAL problem looks like. I guess the species in that tank all seem to live pretty happily with aiptasia, so maybe it's not a real issue.

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  3. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    Oh they are an issue. That would drive me nuts, I would nuke the tank. I obviously have issues with Aiptasia. Some corals do better next to them and other corals not so much. One does not have to be neurotic about it like me, but do not let them take over. Tanks with more nutrients that feed more often tend to have more problems with Aiptasia. Judging from what I have seen regarding your attention to detail I am inclined to think they would become pretty unsightly in quick order.
     
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  4. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

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    To the average viewer who has no idea, they probably think it's pretty as it "dances in the flow," but frankly, any respectable reef hobbyist would be pretty embarrassed to let a public tank get that bad.
     
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  5. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

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    ^ +1 you see one and you think to yourself "mueh...adds to the biodiversity" but if you dont keep it in check they can quickly spread.
     
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  6. Paul B

    Paul B Astrea Snail

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    When this hobby started in the early 70s we would purposely buy rocks with aiptasia and majano's on it as we thought that was a good thing. And we couldn't keep them alive.
     
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  7. Piano10

    Piano10 Aiptasia Anemone

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    They get out of control quickly. Its a shame they are a problem because they do look pretty neat when they move in the current.

    As soon as I saw a few I got the aiptasiax and got rid of them.

    I also got some peppermint shrimp which apparently eat the little ones...so far so good.
     
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  9. drtybngwtr

    drtybngwtr Astrea Snail

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    So i figured this would be the right place to ask the question as i know you guys love people who use that little search button instead of starting a new thread. Its an understatement to say I have an Aiptasia problem, it on every rock, the glass, back walls, overflow, and even in the filter media. I have a 24 Gallon nano with a couple of corals and one fish, I tried peppermint shrimp and they payed no attention to it. I am starting to think the only way to take care of this problem is to completely tare down my tank and redo everything. Mind you there are hundreds of Aiptasia, any thoughts or comments would be a huge help. Thanx in advance.
     
  10. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    How big is your tank? Butterflyfish will eat aptasia if your tank is large enough and stable enough. With that said, the fish are very hard to care for. I tried one time and failed quickly, never make that mistake again. Your best bet is to nuke the tank and start with a clean slate.
     
  11. Vinnyboombatz

    Vinnyboombatz Giant Squid

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  12. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    Thanks vin, I havent had enough coffee this morning.
     
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