# Oh man!! Aiptasia!



## NovaRaven (Aug 23, 2013)

Ok so I think I just passed a right of passage in the reefing hobby:

I have aiptasia!

Now, how do I get rid of it? Lemon juice? Joe's juice? Plug it up w/ glue/putty? Peppermint shrimp? Roast it with a torch??!! 

It's small and ugly. I'd like to get rid of it please. Any good options for removal out there?


----------



## nc208082 (Jun 27, 2013)

All of what you mentioned are good. Lemon juice or boiling water are basically free and effective. I use aptasia x by red sea when i see them pop up. Peppermints can be hit or miss. If you only see one or two act fast because it can quickly turn into a nightmare


----------



## NovaRaven (Aug 23, 2013)

nc208082 said:


> All of what you mentioned are good. Lemon juice or boiling water are basically free and effective. I use aptasia x by red sea when i see them pop up. Peppermints can be hit or miss. If you only see one or two act fast because it can quickly turn into a nightmare


I first saw it today. It's right in the front too! So I immediately took some coral putty, and I covered the hole that the aiptasia was in. It shouldn't be able to peek its head out anymore. Does aiptasia survive on light or whatever nutrients it gets its ugly hands on? Hopefully it won't spread!


----------



## nc208082 (Jun 27, 2013)

Sadly it survives on nothing. I had some rock with it in a brute can with only water movement for like 3 months with no feedings and no light and the aiptasia survived.


----------



## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Not sure that coral putty will kill it - permanently 

I recommend Red Sea Aiptasia X and I find this very effective. Like Joe's Juice but the package also includes an angled srynge and a straight one. Sometimes the anemones are under rocks and hard to get too. So these tools are extremely helpful.

On top of that Aiptasia X is reef and fish safe. 

As the others have said, keep your eye on this stuff because it's next to impossible to eradicate


----------



## rickcasa (Dec 7, 2011)

I found 4 of these buggers myself 2 weeks ago...so I bought a matted filefish. Boy, it could not look more disinterested.

So on to Copperbands. I hear they snack on these with gusto. NAFB will be getting some in this Friday.


----------



## darcyr (Jan 24, 2014)

I have a peppermint shrimp with a voracious appetite for aiptasia. It quickly went through the dozen or so that I had and has started nipping at my smaller btas. I even picked some frags with lots of aiptasia to feed him and they were all gone within hours. If your infestation gets out of hand, you are more than welcome to borrow him and give him a feast.


----------



## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Last month we had a simultaneous breakout of aptasia in the DT as well as the small tank, and the fuge and the sump (all the same system). It was everywhere! (Well not everywhere but it was going to be out of control real soon). We got a dozen peppermint shrimp and they took care of all of it, except for the sump where the wretched stuff is growing between the baffles and on top of the socks in less than 1/4" of water.
I even had aptasia the size of duncans and it got munched. Happy happy happy. Unfortunately we also found out that large hermit crabs like peppermint shrimp, so we are down to 4 shrimp. Going to stick them behind the socks soon and turn the pumps off for a while to get rid of the last remnants.
So +100 on peps.


----------



## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

*nuke it*










https://www.google.ca/search?q=kill+aiptasia+kalkwasser&oq=kill+aptasia+with+k&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.8510j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=119&ie=UTF-8


----------

