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Cultivated Reef

I need some elaboration on this subject please.


Jaden1592

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I've been reading up on nitrates and have been rather confused on this sentence.

 

"It may come as a comfort to some aquarists to know that the Aiptasia pulchella can only take up nitrate under starvation conditions, and even then not very well.11,12"(http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/8/chemistry, par.4)

 

What does the author mean by Aiptasia can only take up nitrate under starving conditions.

 

 

 

 

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It means that aiptasia rely almost solely on consumption of "foods" to survive. Think NPS type corals. But when trying to starve the aiptasia, aiptasia can switch to pulling in nitrate to survive. Aiptasia don't require a lot of light if any at all to survive. That is why they can grow in cryptic zone setups without any light, albeit they grow far slower and spread far less.

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It means that aiptasia rely almost solely on consumption of "foods" to survive. Think NPS type corals. But when trying to starve the aiptasia, aiptasia can switch to pulling in nitrate to survive. Aiptasia don't require a lot of light if any at all to survive. That is why they can grow in cryptic zone setups without any light, albeit they grow far slower and spread far less.

If I stop feeding Reef-Roids and continue my vodka dosing whilst still feeding my fish. Would I slow or stop Aiptasia growth?

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Deleted User 8
If I stop feeding Reef-Roids and continue my vodka dosing whilst still feeding my fish. Would I slow or stop Aiptasia growth?

 

Probably not.

 

Buzz

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If I stop feeding Reef-Roids and continue my vodka dosing whilst still feeding my fish. Would I slow or stop Aiptasia growth?

Neither. Aiptasia can utilize nitrate to grow while starving, however they do so very inefficiently. It's enough to keep them alive, but they are hardy little bastards. You can't starve them to death. They may not reproduce in low nutrient water, but they will survive.

 

if you feed your fish, they will produce waste, which will enter the nitrogen and carbon cycles, resulting in food sources for the aiptasia. The waste will not only feed the bacteria and other microbes, it will feed the algae, and the phytoplankton, and then anything that eats those will grow more (aiptasia included), and it keeps going. It's all one big connected system. You will not starve those things to death, especially considering that they can uptake nitrates directly (and probably other things).

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Neither. Aiptasia can utilize nitrate to grow while starving, however they do so very inefficiently. It's enough to keep them alive, but they are hardy little bastards. You can't starve them to death. They may not reproduce in low nutrient water, but they will survive.

 

if you feed your fish, they will produce waste, which will enter the nitrogen and carbon cycles, resulting in food sources for the aiptasia. The waste will not only feed the bacteria and other microbes, it will feed the algae, and the phytoplankton, and then anything that eats those will grow more (aiptasia included), and it keeps going. It's all one big connected system. You will not starve those things to death, especially considering that they can uptake nitrates directly (and probably other things).

So it sounds like I have to manually remove them with Berghia Nudibranchs or kill them off with injections only.

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Deleted User 8
So it sounds like I have to manually remove them with Berghia Nudibranchs or kill them off with injections only.

 

It can be quite difficult to manually remove. Even one cell left will grow into more and more and more... Peppermint shrimp will often eat them. How big of a tank and how much rock? What else is in there?

 

I would pull everything out and give the rock a muriatic acid bath!

 

Buzz

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It can be quite difficult to manually remove. Even one cell left will grow into more and more and more... Peppermint shrimp will often eat them. How big of a tank and how much rock? What else is in there? I would pull everything out and give the rock a muriatic acid bath! Buzz

Thanks

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I used peppermint shrimp to get rid of what I had crop up. I'm sure small ones pop up every once in awhile, but my single peppermint keeps them from taking over. Don't let the aiptasia get too big. Once that happens, then you have to remove manually. FYI, trying to cover the little bastards with putty is near impossible. They can move and will pop out of another crevice you had no idea was there. Butterfly fish and file fish are known to eat aiptasia as well, but they may move onto zoas and palys once they get rid of the visible population which means you can't really keep one for long term control.

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