Aiptasia and Lemon Juice

[chrisfont23]

In an attempt to go the natural (and cheapest) way available to kill my aiptasia, I killed one w/ lemon juice. However, another one growin' a bit to close to my zoos has me a little skeptical. Is it OK to blast it w/ lemon juice or will the zoos be affected too. When I say close, I mean right between two pods.

Thx!

[Original Fin]

I'd be leery of that too. I've heard that some people use syringe/needles and inject them directly. Kalc paste works with that method too.

[chrisfont23]

Oh forgot - I am using a small syringe (the one that comes with childrens tylenol ha ha)

[Original Fin]

I meant a metal needle type syringe

[chrisfont23]

I dropped the pumps and blasted the sucker w/ .3 ml of lemon juice! My one yr old's tylenol dropper did the trick. Hopefully he doesn't get sick anytime soon

I am sure to raise some eyebrows going into CVS or Right Aid tomorrow asking for a syringe and needle.

[Matities23]

oh man.. those suckers arent fun... I think the more you try to kill em the fast and bigger the come back.. lol! Try using the kalk paste.. if you dont have any maybe try asking someone for some? or get a peppermint.. yea alot of people say they arent reef save.. i dont.. i got a bunch in my prop tanks with all type of corals.

[t$sps]

Lemon Juice works also some regular white vinegar. syringe it right into their mouth... gone in a day.

Thomas

[Lou Siffer]

My tank has run amok with aiptasia (several dozen), at first I thought it was Zoo's migrating around. Thanks to you guys, I found out, unfortunately, that this was something unwanted. Since there were so many of them, around my Zoo's, Xenia, Toadstool, leathers, Corals, etc... I was really scared to start dumping chemicals in the water, so I decided on using the lemon juice method. Happily, CVS pharmacy will sell you insulin syringes (with needles attached) without a prescription for $2 for a package of 10. Then plain old concentrated off-the shelf lemon juice (I picked up a 24 oz bottle at the local United for a little over a dollar).

I didn't go crazy with it, I figure I'd work slowly at it over the next week or two, that way I could determine if I was making matters worse, if it was detrimental to the water chemistry (lemon juice affecting the pH, dead aiptasia causing a rise in nitrate/nitrite, etc...), causing more to grow, or what. I'm thinking by that time, I'll do at least a 20% water change just in case.

I have, what I was told was a Peppermint Shrimp, but I'm not sure if it is actually a Lysmata wurdemanni (it doesn't resemble the one shown here.) They, from what I gather, eat aiptasia, but the shrimp I have wouldn't touch them...until I started injecting the anemones with lemon juice! How ironic! Maybe I should make up some kind of cocktail sauce, spread it on the aiptasia and let the shrimp run wild...lol.

Thanks for the very helpful information folks, I and my tank thank you...

[NoobSalt]

Whats funny, is just earlier today, I took a bit of lemon juice, freshly squeezed and blasted it right into the aiptasia and presto! The little sucker is within a few hours. The aiptasia happened to be right under my Xenia's so I was a little worried about it, but it worked out quite well, the Xenia actually looks better now that its not being bothered. I don't know if it will end up being a permanent solution, but so far so good.

[chrisfont23]

I suppose peppermint shrimp will work too but have no exp with them. The way I see it... I like cheeseburgers, but there is a point in which I get full if I eat so many. And so probably does the peppermint shrimp with the aptaisia. I guess I am saying I wouldnt rely on one solely for that purpose. In 3 months I have blasted more aptaisia with lemon juice then I thought I could handle in cheeseburgers. Make sense ? Just don't go injecting lemon juice so much that. you mess up your ph, u know?

[chrisfont23]

I suppose peppermint shrimp will work too but have no exp with them. The way I see it... I like cheeseburgers, but there is a point in which I get full if I eat so many. And so probably does the peppermint shrimp with the aptaisia. I guess I am saying I wouldnt rely on one solely for that purpose. In 3 months I have blasted more aptaisia with lemon juice then I thought I could handle in cheeseburgers. Make sense ? Just don't go injecting lemon juice so much that you mess up your ph

[chrisfont23]

Stupid iPad double post.

[NoobSalt]

Haha I totally understand what you are saying. Luckily for me, I did not have a serious issue with Aiptasia that I would need to keep injecting lemon juice into my waters. It def can screw with the pH and ultimately I can't imagine squirting lemon juice into a tank on a constant basis would be a good thing. Good luck with the aiptasia, I've heard peppermint shrimps can go either way, just like everything else in a reef tank, hahaha

[Lou Siffer]

Yeah, I'm taking it slow and easy since there are sooo many of them...kill off a dozen or so, then give it a day, and so on for a week or two...then a water change (rinse and repeat as necessary until they're all gone...Hopefully). I've also read in Jeffrey Kurtz's book "Marine Aquariums" you can inject them with Potassium Chloride...it just so happens my doctor had me taking that stuff for a while a year or so ago and I still have several of the pills left...hmmmmmmmmmm.

Lol, I like cheeseburgers too!

[chrisfont23]

Yeah, I'm taking it slow and easy since there are sooo many of them...kill off a dozen or so, then give it a day, and so on for a week or two...then a water change (rinse and repeat as necessary until they're all gone...Hopefully). I've also read in Jeffrey Kurtz's book "Marine Aquariums" you can inject them with Potassium Chloride...it just so happens my doctor had me taking that stuff for a while a year or so ago and I still have several of the pills left...hmmmmmmmmmm.

Lol, I like cheeseburgers too!

Stick with lemon juice.

[Zach]

Lemon juice, or I have also had some success with vinegar. Just inject them a litle bit and they melt.