How to remove aptasia from zoas

[sweat044]

I have some zoas that aptasia have grown into. How can I remove the aptasia?

 

[Smiley]

peppermint shrimp, or dip zoas in a peroxide dip

 

[sweat044]

Tried peppermint and lugols. No success. What's in a peroxide dip?

 

[Smiley]

cup of peroxide, cup of tank water.... dip for 10 minutes.

 

[sweat044]

OK as in measuring cup correct? And just regular hydrogen peroxide? And this won't hurt the zoas? Can same be done for palys?

 

[Smiley]

fine for zoas and palys...

 

[ReefCheif]

I use a kalk paste and hypodermic needle. Stick the needle through the disk and slightly down the base and inject some, than pull the needle out. In about 10 minutes the kalk disolves the aptasia and turns into this white mushy mass, i then suck that out.

Be sure to turn all pumps and powerheads off so you dont blow kalk all over your tank.

It is a bit of a PITA though, the peroxide method would be easier, but oersonally have never tried it.

 

[ReefCheif]

I am gonna try the peroxide thing next time though

 

[deboy69]

I have done boiling ro water injected on them with a syringe

KCCO

 

[sweat044]

OK. Gonna try it. 1 measuring cup tank water and one measuring cup of hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes correct?

 

[Smiley]

Ya...

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[Shaunv]

I injected aiptasia with lemon juice using a needle and it worked wonders too.

 

[sweat044]

Ok. I dud this about 11 today. The zoas are back in the tank and all closed and look bubbly is that normal?

 

[Smiley]

yup... should be back to normal in a couple days...hopefully it killed the aptasia...

 

[Smiley]

if it didnt, then ill go back to the peppermint shrimp.... what happened to the one you tried? something eat it?

 

[sweat044]

Ok. Yes a stupid Sally light foot. I'm trying to get the crab out and add pepermints.

 

[greennate]

i always use 100% lie, pure drain cleaner rooto from ace, inject them like kalk, same directions as kalk, turn off all pumps and if gets on something else blow it off quickly
never tried peroxide, but peroxide dip is great to kill all the algae around a frag. sps and some zoos (captain americas for sure) dont like dip i just shoot around the plug w/syringe

let us know about the peroxide please,

 

[Jeremiah]

I've used peroxide before, not for aptasia, but for fighting bryopsis. Never have left the zoa's in the tank for 10 minutes, but it almost seems like it gives the zoanthids a chemical burn on the skin.

All of the ones I have dipped seem to have healed up, but i've never left them in the dip 50/50 dip longer than 5 minutes. (as a side note, the bryopsis kept coming back) maybe I should try the 10 minute dip.

The only zoanthid head i've lost has been when one of the heads didn't close up correctly, it did that thing where they try and close up, but they end up looking extra open. The dip just destryoed that head.

 

[kmcmurtry]

The only zoas i ever had an issue with were my Captain Americas. In the same peroxide and water solution my other zoas and sps opened about a few hours to a day later but those fried their skirts and took a couple weeks to heal. Two different frags of them reacted badly to it on different days but an algae issue on my frags and frag rack was resolved. Never experimented with aptasia.

 

[kmcmurtry]

Oh and my limit has always been five minutes. Longer seems to have bad effects for me. I try to prop them up so only what i am trying to kill gets the majority of the peroxide.