ANOTHER aiptasia thread!

[softiegirl]

Ok!!! Any suggestions on how to get rid of aiptasia that gets in between zoanthid polyps? Im afraid to juice em as I do not want to nuke the zoas too. Cant get any peppermint shrimp because there is a very surly old coral banded shrimp that will immediately tear them apart. HELP!

[Tom@HaslettMI]

How bad is the infestation?

If its only a few I suggest using fine-tip forceps and ripping them out. They tend to retreat into the rock so try to grab them fast. Once you pull the main body out, take the tip of the forceps and grind out he area where the base of the anemone is attached. You may not get all of the tissue on the first try so definitely keep an eye on that spot as it may need a repeat treatment (especially if they're bigger). Something else you could try is capping the area with superglue after you've ground it out. I haven't tried this yet but plan to when/if the need arises.

If its a bad infestation then the above will still work but it will take a lot of time, effort and diligence.

A lot of folks will say this method will cause aiptasia to spread. However, that has not been my experience. I've used this method to eliminate aiptasia from newly acquired frags and my initial infestation in 1997 and have been able to maintain an aipt-free system.

HTH,
Tom

[Manoj's Reef]

Just an idea: Juice them at night when the polyps are closed. And then if some falls on the polyp just blow it away with a turkey baster.

[ReeferRob]

I've used aptasia x on those little *******s dead in the middle of a colony of polyps with no ill side effects.

[CalmSeasQuest]

I've used aptasia x on those little *******s dead in the middle of a colony of polyps with no ill side effects.

+1 I usually irritate the Z/Ps so they close, then with all pumps off, carefully dose the Aiptasia with Aiptasia-X. If you're careful, very little if any will reach the Z/Ps and even if that occurs, just use a turkey baster and wash it away.

FWIW, I've found that Peppermint shrimp will only eat the little ones, and only if little other food is available.

[softiegirl]

havent tried the aiptasia x, but joes juice just makes the buggers multiply faster than chicken pox!