How would you.....

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#1
I have an aiptasia problem. I've had it for years. I've tried kalk paste, aiptasia x, Copper Banded Butterflies, and Aiptasia eating filefish. All have some success, but unlike Pokemon I apparently can't catch them all. I find with the pastes I can target the visible aiptsia pretty well, but it's the ones that live in the crevices and cranny's I can't get to or can't see. I even put on a snorkel and mask and get my face into the tank to go after these little pests. The fish do a great job, but I struggle to keep CBB's alive (I've had 3 in my 10 years of reefing) seems like they don't live to a year in my tanks. The Filefish was great at his job, until he started eating my zoas and palys when he couldn't find any more aiptasia.

So if I want to eradicate them from my reef, what would I need to do? It seems likely that the aiptasia are in my sump, display, and 40b side tank. It's in the rock for sure, but are they in the sand as well?

Maybe what I am thinking about is removing all of my corals to a qt setup, whatever rock is coral-less would go into a vinegar bath or sun baked. I have a lot of LR that has been "cooking" for 6+ months now that I could use while that rock is curing. Once all the rock is out I can siphon out the sand and replace. I'd need to take apart the rock and marinepure in the sump as well. And clean it really well.

If I did all of that how could I make sure it was all gone? I occasionally see them glass and plumbing, so would I truely be looking at emptying my display, sump, and 40b of all life and then running a crap ton of vinegar for a while to kill everything in the tank? Then draining it all, cleaning it up, and essentially starting new? Would I be looking at a cycle then? Is all of this overkill, is there an easier way? My level of frustration with this is to the point where I look at my tank and I only see these aiptasia, and I want to just sell everything off and be done with it.

Thoughts, suggestions, tips, help, pretty much anything is welcomed and appreciated.....
 
#2
Peppermint shrimp have always been my go to. I don’t have them in my current take that I know of, but previously I would get 3-6 peppermint shrimp and they would decimate them.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
Peppermints from the Keys. Only from the Florida Keys. Don't trust a wholesaler or store with this purchase since peppermints from other places are not as good - buy them direct from a diver in the Keys. I rear them in a fuge for a bit until they get somewhat larger - feed them flakes or pellets. They need to eat and be fed... they cannot scavenge for food alone.

Once you get some reared and ready to go, then kill of the aips all that you can see with the paste. They will get the rest. I find that they will not always try and take down a bit one, so you have to knock them back. Then, feed the tank a bit extra and you will see them scurry out to get some food.

Then, have new ones ready in a few years... I think that their life span is about 3 years, or so... so eventually your workhorses will die and you will be sad. :(

You will never be completely free of them since there will always be some that the shrimp cannot get to... so have some more around. Even if you do all that you mentioned, the next frag that you get could have a baby one on it.

Peppermints will not be real happy with super high N and P levels.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#4
I haven't tried any shrimp with my yellow coris wrasse, he took out the last cleaner shrimp in under 24 hours.

Doug - do you have a source on Keys peppermints? My first thought was Diver Tom, but he looks to have retired and sold everything to caribbeantropicals.com. They have some, assuming I could capture the yellow coris and put him in the sump for a while....
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
If you cannot get enough for free box and shipping, I might be able to chip in on a combined order. Peppermints are like $2.50 there if you get enough, but they usually need some time in a fuge or frag tank to grow and fatten up. The emeralds from here are tried and true bubble algae eaters. I can always use some more peppermints, astreas and nerite snails (I love them).
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
I usually get a 10 pack of the regular ones in the "lot size." I lose one or two as they grow, but I do have a place in a fuge for them to get fat and happy.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#10
Ever have any trouble with them going after hammers or frogspawn? Just a few reviews online mentioned them going after them.

I'm getting ready to leave on a vacation, maybe when I get back I'll take you up on that offer to combine shipping. I was thinking like 10 of the mediums, but that's only $30. I could always use more rock flower anemones, that might push me to free shipping
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
They need to eat. If you feed them, then they are not coral eaters. I would not put anything past any critter if you starve them. I would eat a coral if I were hungry enough. I have never had any peppermints of emerald crabs eat coral, but I always make sure that some flakes, pellets or frozen make it for them to find.
 

JodiI

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#12
I have four peppermints in my 75g that wiped out all my aiptasia. You’re welcome to as many as I can catch if you want to come pick them up. Perhaps quarantine the wrasse for a bit and let them go.

Risk free - and they’re known aiptasia eaters since they finished off all mine.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#13
I have four peppermints in my 75g that wiped out all my aiptasia. You’re welcome to as many as I can catch if you want to come pick them up. Perhaps quarantine the wrasse for a bit and let them go.

Risk free - and they’re known aiptasia eaters since they finished off all mine.
Where are you located?
 

JodiI

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#14
SE Aurora. By Sky Vista Middle School, if you have your google handy
 

JodiI

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#16
Should be fine! I'll start trying to grab them when they come out to eat and toss them in the sump (for easier catching later).
 

asn-naso

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
reeftopia has 50 pep's for $100. That is only $2 a piece. Add another $25 to the order and get free shipping.

I'd be in for 10, if we could do a group buy, with pickup near DTC (SE Denver)
 

JodiI

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#19
I was trying to catch one of the peps today during feeding time when my husband asked why - he wasn't a fan of my rehoming plan for them. Apparently they all have names? I wasn't aware that he even knew they were in there.

Sorry. For what its worth, I ordered them from marine depot. Little workhorses.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#20
I was trying to catch one of the peps today during feeding time when my husband asked why - he wasn't a fan of my rehoming plan for them. Apparently they all have names? I wasn't aware that he even knew they were in there.

Sorry. For what its worth, I ordered them from marine depot. Little workhorses.
No worries, thanks for letting me know. I think I'll give the peppermints a try if I can find a good source.
 
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