Aiptasia...do they move?

laura-jean

friend to the fish
(Couldn't decide where to put this, feel free to move it to a better location!)

I had ONE aiptasia. Just one. I went to the LFS this morning after seeing it last night. I got a peppermint shrimp.

I came home, turned on the lights, drip acclimated him for about an hour. I looked in the tank after the lights had been on for an hour and the one aptasia I had wasn't there anymore.

I figured it could just be sucked in.

Two hours later, it still wasn't there.

Three hours later, STILL NOT THERE!

Did it move, or did somebody eat it?

In my tank I have a sand sifting star, about six hermits, a bunch of snails, a cleaner shrimp, a diamond goby, a clown, a spotted cardinal, an orange linkia star and now the peppermint shrimp.

It was definitely gone before the peppermint shrimp could have gotten to it. I saw a hermit on the spot where it was...maybe he ate it? Do they eat those???

Not that I'm complaining that it's gone, I'm just curious if it moved or was dinner. :Cheers:
 
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Re: Aptasia...do they move?

It seems like everyone is getting them around these parts. My friend's tank is completely overrun by them.

What are some good preventive measures? Would keeping the lights off or on for a short period of time help?
 
Re: Aptasia...do they move?

Nope, changing the lighting won't do anything for aiptasia, unfortunately. Your best bet is to get peppermint shrimp, and zap them with Aiptasia-X when you see them.
 
Re: Aptasia...do they move?

I don't think cutting the light back would matter. These things can live a long tine in a cave or under a rock. Cutting back feedings or spot feeding just what you want to feed will help. They are masters at reaching out and grabbing the food as it floats by. They are so hardy and resourceful.
 
Re: Aptasia...do they move?

Yepp, I got a peppermint shrimp. I'll pick up some Aiptasia X tomorrow.

I knew I was spelling it wrong....
 
Apstasia X works good. Especially if you only have a couple. If you have tons, best to try something to eat them. I have a couple pep shrimp in my tank and havent seen an apstasia in a while. If I do see one, I hit it with the X to keep it from spreading.
 
I tried the Berghia nudi's and paid something like $15 a piece for them. Can't say they really worked. Once I put them into my tank I never saw them again. Still have Aiptasia still today.
 
I tried the Berghia nudi's and paid something like $15 a piece for them. Can't say they really worked. Once I put them into my tank I never saw them again. Still have Aiptasia still today.

Same here almost.They are so tiny anything can make food out of them.At one time I had hundreds of aips.I took one rock at a time and put them in the fuge with the berghias.It worked and I did it with the next rock.Eventually they disappeared or I accidentally put them in the display and the fish had a snack.I bought a copperband and now am aip and majano free.
 
Most of the time the peppermints don't eat the aiptasia. Could have moved I guess...they are nems after all. Not many aiptasia around here, it's mostly majanos. Aiptasia X works well, so does joe's juice. The other way to get them is to burn them off with a sautering iron.
 
I saw about 20-30 of what I think were very small aiptasia on the glass of my tank about 5 days ago but lately I can't find any. What I did see is my peppermint shrimp going wild one night ravaging the whole tank when the lights were out. Think he tore em up. :mrgreen:
 
The peppermind shrimp is under a piece of rock, I can only see the shadowy outline of his little legs, and the one aiptasia I had is GONE. And I haven't seen any others!

So I guess I got lucky. The shrimp must have eaten it when I wasn't looking. Or it (the aiptasia) decided not to mess with me. It must have sensed my viciousness.
 
this is your solution for control aiptasia



ButterflyCopperband1.jpg
[SIZE=-2]Identification: [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]The Copperband Butterflyfish, also known as the Beaked Butterflyfish, Beaked Coralfish, or Orange Stripe Butterfly, has a long, narrow nose and mouth used for hunting into crevices and holes for food. Adorned with yellow-orange vertical bands and black edging, for protection it has a false eyespot on the rear of its dorsal fin.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Minimum tank size:[/SIZE][SIZE=-2] 75 Gallon
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Feeding and diet: [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]The Copperband Butterflyfish is a difficult fish to get to start feeding. Offer a varied diet including crustacean flesh, mysid shrimp and frozen preparations.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Reef Compatibility: [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]As a rule it is generally reef safe, but nothing is 100%. They are an excellent fish when used to control aiptasia, or glass anemones, in the reef aquarium. Most individuals can be kept in a reef tank with most soft corals and small-polyped stony corals, although some may nip at shrimp and fan worms.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2]Level of Care: [/SIZE][SIZE=-2]Moderate[/SIZE]
 
I had aiptasia got pepermints and now gone. The Pepermints are shy at first the longer they are in your tank the more they come out. I was doing some work in my tank today and the didn't run away. They are just getting comfortable I guest.
 
my shrimp is a smart one, cleans my hand when i put it in and never been found in the overflow ;)

i think ive got a couple of majano or aptaisa though, so im getting a few peppermints when my lfs gets them in. Its normal to have 1 or 2 in a healthy tank though, so dont worry tooooo much about em. But be careful is the general rule.
 
My percula clowns love the taste of peppermint shrimp. I cannot keep one in the tank for more than a few hours befor he is totally devoured. So i stopped buying them and got a little butane torch and some joes juice, butane for the ones on easy to fetch rocks and joes juice for the ones on the big rocks. Works like a charm!
 
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