Aiptasia

[Reefland]

Don't you just love it!!! Had one, ONE, in our tank which just grew. Nothing was introduced to the tank for months. Little turd just showed up and now we've got a beautiful garden of them. Totally uncontrollable with the manual remedies and it has taken over now. Received a beautiful, and healthy appearing, copperband this weekend from our friends at Aquatic Dreams. Hoping to see some quick results. Wish us luck; and the copperband too for munching Aiptasia the size of him.

[charlie]

If he is eating aiptasia. you are in for some fun. Just sit back with a beer or 2 and watch him go to work. Good luck!!!

[Reefland]

Kevin said it was eating it, and we have seen him eat some very small ones but that is it so far. He's got a whole garden to eat and maybe he just don't know where to start.
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[charlie]

He may be just reading the menu, getting ready for the main course.

[Reefland]

Or he could be trying to figure how he is going to eat Aiptasis that is big enough to eat him, not that he is small.
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[charlie]

Ya need an attack plan, that's for sure. I will give you odds that once he gets acclimated, those guys will be an appetizer. I remember watching my threadfin tear into those big juicy ones. He would back off for a minute or so and then get right back in there. Are you gonna give us a pic or two, or do I have to come down there and take pics.

[Reefland]

Well if that's all it takes to get you down here. you wanna pic of the garden or the fish?

On a good note, our Powder Blue didn't bother the new guy at all.
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[charlie]

Did I mention the first class flight down and the limo at the airport????;)

[Reefland]

Uhhh, I'll get my camera out.
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[charlie]

It'll be fun, we haven't seen any pics outta you in a while!!!!

[Reefland]

Nothing to take pictures of except for the pesky critters. Our tank looks like Gene's anemone tank, just with different anemone's.
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[charlie]

Give it a week or so, and let the copperband get settled in, but you know how we are about our pictures man!!!

[NanoReefer1]

I had one in my tank now it is 3, and then I found a clear one just yesterday in a low light area on the side of my rock...

I best commence to killing.

[kevinpo]

Hi Scott,
I had the Copperband in my 90 for a couple of months and he ate about 20 of the pesky Aiptasia Your tank should be Aiptasia free in 30 days or so. He has a great personality and I believe you can have him eating out of your fingers with a little work

Regards,
Kevin

[Reefland]

He sure is a beauty Kevin and not shy at all, that's for sure. Going to watch him for a little while tonight to see if I can see him picking at any more.

[zhenya]

Good luck, Scott! After you done just send him over my way, I've got few of those pesky anemones as well. And, to top that off I got some majano's as well. Don't know where they came from but I got them now and let me tell you, Aiptasia got nothing on this guys. These spread like the wild fire. I'm at the point of tearing my tank apart and get all new rock.
Last time I did this it was in 2005, I only replaced few large pieces because they had corals attached to them and I was lazy to break those coral heads off. I think this is how I got those A.majano into my tank. If I remember correctly, the store where I got the rock from used to sell some rocks covered in them as polyp rocks.

Too bad I didn't think of it then... Before that I had no Aiptasia or A.majano in my tank.

[Reefland]

I have no idea where ours came from Gene. We have only put very few things in our tank in the 1.5 years it has been up and nothing has been added for, gosh at least 8 months. Then all of the sudden one appears, and then two, three, three hundred, nine thousand, well you get the picture.

[zhenya]

Then all of the sudden one appears, and then two, three, three hundred, nine thousand, well you get the picture.

I hear you there, Scott. The thing that bugs me the most, in my case, I think I know that those majanos came from the very store that I frequent. Like I said earlier, I needed to replace a few rocks and asked owner to bring some over when he came to take the corals. It was nice looking pieces of rock but they must of had those anemones on them, I just simply didn;t see them or it was some dormant larvae or whatever. I mean my tank is up and running since 02 and had no pests( aside from the T.acropranus) 'till now. Well, basically I saw them last year and I thought I killed them all with the Kalk paste... I realize that it may be useless against them and now looking for a few large pieces of rock that is completely cured. I will then remove most of my rock and just use those new pieces and see if I can kill those anemones with some acid or whatnot. I can then use some of the old rock, if it passes inspection.

Or, I can just let them take over put some bleach in the tank and kill everything and start over.

[Samper]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while guys. I just fought the Aiptasia battle with Lysmata wurdemanni in two seperate systems. I got three for each and within a week noticed a decline in numbers in each system. There are still a few left but so far I'm in control of the situation.

[Reefland]

Yeah that sucks. Maybe you could try a few peppermint shrimp (or do they mess with the majanos?) before it gets too out of hand?