bad weed

[dell]

can any one help i have a reef aqu of 1000l and its the second tank i have had that has become infected with these small anemone it starts with one on a rock then gos from there if you try to scape them of they multiply even faster some one once told me about a small shrimp? These things even get in the filters and start to grow on the corel i have tried every thing HELP !!!!!

[kevinpo]

Hello Dell,
Welcome to Reefland
Here is a link to a thread about how to control these pesky anemones.:
Aiptasia Control - TOTW 2/7/05

Regards,
Kevin

[Reefland]

Hi dell, Welcome to Reefland!

Kevin has supplied a good link, for reference these are Aiptasia.

[Poseidon]

Hi Dell! Welcome to Reefland!

The link is a great start, I will add I have also used "Joe's Juice" with success. It is NOT for a major outbreak, but if you have a few here and there it should work well!

Here is a link through a sponsor.

[dell]

Thanks everone i think the pepermint shrimp to be the way to go though i havent finished reading i still dont know how to get them out the sump i have about 100l of bio balls half wet and half dry??

[Reefland]

Hummm, you should also do a search on the term wet/dry or bio balls OR bio media. ;)

[Samper]

Reefland wants you to research because bio balls are outdated technology. Some thought they helped out but we now consider them nitrate factories.

[SurfStone]

copperbanded butterfly fish also eat apitasia but you need to make sure that they will not eat any your corals either if you just have LR go for the fish if not and have corals go for the shrimp they may even multiply which is really cool but usually the young are killed by powerheads or fish and corals.

I have a 40 gallon tank for curing LR and quarantining corals and in this tank I have lots of peppermint shrimp some lfs may call them camel shrimp just look for the shrimp that are pink and have a few white stripes and are almost see through.

I am experimenting on raising baby peppermint shrimp now in a little 10 gal. with a sponge filter I am gonna see if I can raise them myself if it works I will have almost unlimited supply of trigger, lionfish, and eel food. I love peppermint skrimp.

[Poseidon]

Be real careful to buy Peppermint and NOT CAMEL! THey look very similar, that is why they are easily confused!

[dell]

Bio balls as nitrate factories??!!and out of date Ok i am filtering over about 100l wet dry now those are arobic bacteria i know that for a reef tank only this is not nesesery but for a fish tank only is a good thing !!Then the water pasess on through to a wet sump which contains another 70l of bio balls wet this time now that contains only anarobic bactiria this is good for your reef tank after that stage we go to a decantation area where any sedement will be left behind the water goes through some active charcoal then some water is taken in by a silent one(3000lh) through a top fathem skimmer then back into the sump to be pushed up to the tank.

[Samper]

research them.

[kevinpo]

Hello Dell,
Anaerobic means without oxygen and anaerobic bacteria that turn nitrates into nitrogen live in these areas. These areas would include large rocks, deep sand beds, and certain types of bacteria. Bio-balls with water running over them only have aerobic bacteria living on them due to the water containing oxygen. Plants will consume large quantities of nitrates, which have resulted in refugiums (either hang on back or sump) becoming very popular.

With the addition of higher light intensities for growing corals algae can be a real problem when nitrate levels are 20ppm and higher.

Regards,
Kevin

[JR719]

Peppermint shrimp usually won't eat the larger aiptasia. If you do get the shrimp, keep them in QT for around a week. Dig in your tank and rip out some aiptasia (I know, it will grow back). The stuff you rip out, feed to the shrimp so they will know it's FOOD, don't add other foods. Rip out the larger ones and chop them up for feeding. After they are eating good, time to put them into the display. If you just put them into your tank, you run the risk of them scaveging everything else and not eating the aiptasia. Copperbands are about 50/50 from what I read. Some have great luck while others say they destroy the corals.

I am in the middle of an outbreak myself and the lfs has been out of peppermints. I have been mixing kalk paste to put on them. You can't do more than a couple a day or your levels will go out of whack. I have not used Joe's Juice but, considering the purchase. Another route but, just as limiting as kalk, inject them with acid. If you use B-ionic or other 2 part dosing, just use the acid and inject a little into them. Again, you can only shoot a couple or your levels go crazy.

Good luck, the stuff is hard to get rid of, if it is even possible.

Jeff