Aiptasia GONE
By: Judge
June 7th, 2009
8:30 am
Hi Folks, please keep in mind that some of this is my opinion and what I have observed. Quite frankly I have a tendency to be very skeptical but will give things a try that do not seen too far out there. This is the case with a product put out by Red Sea called Aiptasia X, the Eliminator Kit.
I would first like to point out something that I am certain will be met with strong arguments, but that is the nature of our hobby. I have had a huge Aiptasia for almost a year. He had given me no problems and had not spread at all. A YEAR!! Keep this in mind. I then got a little worried over the horror stories of Aiptasia taking over and spreading like crazy so I decided it was time for him to go..did not need any more battles. I purchased Joe's Juice. I used Joe's Juice, and within three weeks had every size Aiptasia known to mankind. I have since read that when attacked they produce this "slime" which is actually Planual, or spawn if you prefer. So, as a result of using Joe's Juice and really making him mad I now had dozens of these little devils EVERYWHERE.
I searched and researched and discovered a nudibranch called Berghia. These do in fact offer some control. Problem is, they can have a hard time finding all of the Aiptasia and sometimes have to be physically moved to where one is located and then they can starve, and the recommendation is to gather them up and trade/give away to someone who needs them. Seemed like a lot of trouble to me so I kept searching. I found a product called Aiptasia X by Red Sea. I have used their products in the past and have always discovered the quality I demand. I purchased the Aiptasia X after watching a video on their site that clearly shows them imploding if used correctly. I managed to use it on all but two small ones that were hiding out in Willis, the Foxface's corner so for obvious reasons I have not got to them yet. I have to tell you, this stuff works. You approach the Aiptasia carefully while letting some of the product escape around their mouth, They like it and wrap around the applicator (there are two, one is bent fir reaching hard spots) then you squeeze enought o cover the entire area in between the tenacles and it shrinks immediately and then if you look closely you can see it implode and it disappears completely. It took about 15 minutes to hit all of the ones I had and within a few hours, no more Aiptasia. The product is safe for corals and fish. WOW, I am amazed that something actually does exactly what it claims and therefore would recommend this product to anyone.
Conclusion: **remember this is my opinion** I think Joe's Juice exacerbated the situation and actually enabled my one large Aiptasia to turn into 15 because it allowed the planual to spread. The Red Sea Aiptasia X glues the mouth shut so no planual or spawn can be released into the water, creating more. So I would suggest if you have a problem with these try the Aiptasia X, it did exactly what it claimed to. If I discover that some return or any other problems I will update.
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6 comments on "Aiptasia GONE"
July 16, 2009 at 8:25 am
Sorry I have not updated before now. The Aptaisia problem is a thing of the past. I applied Aptaisia X very liberally and zapped those boogers. No more Aptaisia! I highly recommend this stuff.
No issues with water, corals, or fishy problems. Did not have any impact that I can ascertain from tests and/or behaviors. I am trying to get a video together of the new tank...without the nuisance Aptaisia.
November 21, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Time for another update of quite another direction. Want to know the best way to rid your tank of unwanted Aiptasia? Well, I have tried Peppermint Shrimp (not too bad), Joe's Juice, and Aiptasia X. Everything was great for about a month after using this last concoction....and then, the hidden masses gave birth to a gazillion more. Alright, open war. The only things left to try were Berghia, which are suppose to eat nothing BUT Aiptasia, but a little on the $$ side or a Copperband Butterfly. Meet Mack. The week before I bought him I zapped a few of the bigger Aiptasia but left a bunch i n there. It has been two weeks and there are no more Aiptasia. I had read it is a hit and miss with these guys, but with mine he is an eating, hunting machine. He has also developed a taste for brine shrimp when he feels hungry so I do not have to worry about him starving. He's also a very pretty addition to the tank.
December 1, 2009 at 7:07 am
I'm pulling my hair on the same problem!
Aiptasia-X seemed to work great for a couple weeks, and then the aiptasia rebounds aggressively here.
I've heard natural predators such as butterflies rip them off the rocks, eating most of them but frequetly leaving enough of their bases on the rocks for the aiptasia to rebound if the predator ever leaves. I haven't tried one yet (very concerned about the possibility of clams and corals becoming part of the cuisine!)... have you noticed any problems with yours nipping at your intentional inverts yet??
December 1, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I have to say I am extremely impressed with this fish. So far he has touched nothing he was not suppose to. It took him about a little over a week to discover those boogers and I purposefully removed a couple of the larger ones and left a whole dang crop of them on one rock. They are gone, and he hunts..constantly. He has also developed a taste for shrimp, and my own recipe (that I cook mainly for my Discus) I had tried just about everything else from Peppermint shrimps, which worked ok to all kinds of chemicals. I much prefer not adding any chemicals of any kind. I have heard it is a hit and miss with the Butterflys, and mine is fairly large but he has totally wiped them out...even in places I did not think he could even get to!!
August 21, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Yeah, aiptasia has always been a burden for me. I would like to hear others suggestions because it always seem to work for a short period of time.
August 22, 2010 at 6:47 pm
I do not have any other suggestions other than those in the article. I can tell you that it has been months with NO return of the pest. Copperbands will do the trick.
PS: Sorry, I removed your ad in your signature. If you would like to advertise please contact the proper folks...they can be found in the small print at the bottom of the page. thanks.