Ahhhhptasia!

[TheBig053]

Well, I knew things had been going too smoothly for being a reef newb.  Found this scum bag peaking out the rocks this morning.

 

Aiptasia must have hitchiked in on of the clean up crew members added last weekend or one of the corals I introduced on Friday.  

 

Anyways, it seems pretty small still so hopefully I caught it early enough that it hasnt spread. 

 

However, I did notice these stuck to my glass. 

This isn't my picture, none of the cameras in our house could focus on the ones stuck to our glass.  Pretty sure they are just hydroids but I am making myself paranoid that they are aiptasia larvae.  Can anyone confirm?

 

I just treated the aiptasia with Aiptasia X but im not sure I got it "in the mouth" like the instructions said. Not sure how you accomplish that actually since its burrowed in a hole in the rock. So I just filled the hole until the aiptasia x came spilling out.  Die MFer!  

 

Anyone have any other tips or tricks for treating aiptasia?  I read peppermint shrimp will eat them.  Will they eat anything else (corals?) if I dont remove them?

 

Thanks!

[ReefDoc22]

My first reef pest was also aptasia and it appeared similarly with one small/medium sized anemone that I tried to use aptasia-X on...I ended up killing the zoanthid colony it was next too and a week later the punk showed up again in the same spot with small ones appearing in other places within another few days. I tried using the hot water/lemon juice with a syringe that seemed to kill the bigger ones but not the small ones. Ended up getting a peppermint that ate ALL of them within about a week and my tank has been clear ever since. Ended up returning the shrimp to the LFS after that so I didn't have to target feed.

As for what's on the glass...I have no idea, but it actually looks kinda cool!

[seabass]

I've also had good luck with peppermint shrimp eating aiptasia.  I used multiple shrimp, and tried to keep them relatively hungry.  However, I also gave them away after they did their job, as they ultimately ended up irritating my coral, fan worms, and other anemones.

 

Yeah, if you Google image search hydroid on glass, you'll see similar pics.

[Clown79]

I have never had luck with peppermints eating aiptasia but they certainly enjiyef eating 3 brain corals.

 

Aiptasia x works great for me.

Turn off all pumps, i spray the liquid right on it, wait 15mins, turn pumps back on.

[TheBig053]

Well, so far so good, the tentacles have not reappeared from the hole in the rock since the aiptasia x treatment.  Not declaring victory yet, but I may have won round 1.  I'll be keeping an eye out for any new ones.  If more than one at a time begin to sprout up then I'll try the shrimp method. 

 

Haven't heard of the hot water/lemon juice method.  Luckily this one appeared away from any of my corals.  

 

After some one additional research, those do appear to be a different type of hydroid from other ones I have seen on the glass.  

 

Thanks everyone!

 

[richnyc]

I have used boiling rodi water in a syringe, Kalwasser (made my water white).  I think since they are stubborn you just have to be just as stubborn.  I also got a peppermint shrimp but think it was my persistence that got rid of it.  

[Nart]

You can also use a little bit of epoxy to smother it in the hole it's in. DIE AIPTASIA!!!!

[TheBig053]

31 minutes ago, Nart said:

You can also use a little bit of epoxy to smother it in the hole it's in. DIE AIPTASIA!!!!

 

I think the aiptasia X may have worked, but I'll keep this in mind for the future.  Yes, DIE AIPTASIA!

 

BTW, I am also from Northern Virginia.  What LFS do you use?  I've been going to Quantum Reefs in Springfield and Reef eScape in FFX so far. I have heard good things about Incredible Corals in Manassas but haven't made the trek down there yet. 

[Nart]

My to go to LFS's in the area...

 

Blue Ribbon Koi - The owner John, very honest and a hobbyist himself. Shaun that works there is always very helpful with all the questions I have too. Very reasonable price.

Reef eScape - love their QT system for fish and corals. Their products are actually cheaper than online. Wow. They also do price match. WOW!

and Incredible Corals/Artfully Acrylic - a bit expensive, small selection, but these guys are awesome. I go from time to time to support them.

 

I don't have a QT tank and those three above are my to go to's in buying corals and fish. I don't even dip anymore. Never had an issue.

 

Quantum left a sour taste in my mouth, so I don't ever want to support them again.

[TheBig053]

Thanks.  Yeah, been going to Quantum because of its convenience/proximity.  I was buying premixed salt water from them when I first started my tank.  I decided to test the water just to be sure it was clean and I discovered it had ammonia at 0.8 ppm and the nitrates were between 10-20 ppm.  No wonder my nitrates weren't going down in my tank after water changes!  I still go to them for RO/DI to mix my own SW and that's been going well so far.  I also got my orange ricordea there and so far it seems healthy. 

 

Our experience with Reef eScape so far has been very positive.  We have two oscellaris clowns reserved in QT with them right now.  Should be available to pick up on Wednesday.   

 

Hmm, Blue Ribbon seems a ways out there.  Maybe I can convince the Wife to make a stop next time we are visiting her parents in Centreville.

 

 

[Nart]

BRK is not a huge store. but they definitely have solid and very neat fishes and corals when they do come in.

They were actually only a Koi place. The owner John got into the reef hobby and turned a part of his store into saltwater.

 

When I first started my reef tank and wanted the yasha goby... he said "I won't let you bring him home yet. Your tank isn't ready for one". What LFS does this? haha. But yeah, always very honest and solid advice.

Oh another time... this lady wanted to buy a Mandarin goby, the mandarin goby that he had in his tank deemed unhealthy looking, so he said "I can't sell you one right now"

 

That's funny. I had stopped by reef eScape last week, if you had your order in, then I saw your ocellaris clowns in QT haha.

[TheBig053]

Hah, yep we ordered them last weekend.  The guy was like "go ahead and pick two and we'll hold them for you!" and I said "how on earth do you intend to remember/which two I pick today? We'll just pick two when they are out of QT"

[Nart]

Haha.... was it the younger guy? He's funny.

 

I think last month, Reef eScape had their small clown tanks filled with designer clowns if you are into that.

 

BRK has some designer clowns too. I have been eyeing their Da Vinci clowns for $250/pair. But, the clowns I have in my tank are pretty friendly too all it's tank mates, so they are lucky I'm not upgrading them  

[TheBig053]

Some of the designer clowns are interesting looking but my wife and I both agreed that we liked the "original" look best.  Maybe when we upgrade to a larger aquarium (she doesn't know this plan yet) we will get some more exotic looking ones.