Aptasia

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moon24

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Need to get rid of aptasia. Any ideas? I tried the boiling water with a syringe but no luck. Only have 2 but want to get rid of them now
 
Where are they? If they are on the glass use a scrapper. Aptasia is an undesirable (mostly) filter feeder. (I haven't heard of 1 eating a fish but, I suppose it's possible). That said leaving them be is least consequential (they spread easily). They are also usually a product of a less cycled tank. (From my last tank) mine disappeaered around the time my tank stabilized.
 
Expensive and hard to keep berghia verrucicornis nudibranch (usually disappear or die (sometimes after they eat the aptasia they starve)).I wanna say file fish, large angels, foxface, and butterfly fish (MIGHT) eat them (but, maintain the right to be wrong).
 
<hr /><hr />I will take pictures today. They are both sitting on my power heads. I was thinking of swapping them out and cleaning them and let them sit for a while 
 
I'd pull the powerhead, vinegar scrub, rinse in RO, rinse in RO (water), let air dry then readd powerhead to tank... but wait until someone else confirms that before doing (I'm a little shaky on of that is the right way).
 
I think what BrianC said to do in the previous post will work just fine. Bleach might be another option if you want to be extra sure.  Just remember to rinse really really well and then thoroughly air dry. 
 
I wouldn't bleach because you can never fully get chlorine off. Also consider active carbon to remove excess nutrients to insure the aptasia doesn't grow elsewhere/ spread.
 
Really?  My mistake then.  I thought any bleach residue would become harmless once it dried.  I use bleach when I clean my filter socks, but I also rinse them really well. By the way, I think peppermint shrimp are also known to eat aiptasia, but usually only when they're really hungry.  
 
I have heard peppermint shrimp but, never actually seen it. most chlorine would become gas and get carried away in the air but some would react to the surfactants like water and stay. Like do you think H20 really quits being present when you air dry the powerhead. That's like saying there is no water in the air just because we can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Apply that to the things on your hand when you reach into your tank (soap)(air pollution). Go a step further Willie the Giant (Disney reference) and remember we are giants and a trace amount of chlorine doesn't bother us but, it does these small creature that live in it.
 
I've seen it in videos, but that's it.  Even if they didn't eat the aiptasia, they're a pretty neat shrimp for the tank. Thanks for the info on chlorine.  I learned some things.  Chemistry was never my strong point. 
 
Aiptasia X is useful in some situations but, I don't think yours is that situation. removing and cleaning the powerhead sounds like the best idea. Chemical nukes can put harmful chemicals in your tank Aiptasia X contains: Calcium chloride and Sodium hydroxide as it's active ingredients (not things I want in my water column).  Finally, what I've seen happen with chcemical nukes on aptasia is the things split and spread throughout the tank. In wbich case you'd need a peppermint to potentially eat any "babies".
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to clean the power heads and add some peppermint shrimp and hopefully that will take care of it
 
My Aiptasia eating filefish keeps my tank clear.... at one point it was a ongoing battle with them.  He clean out my tank of them, then I couldn't find him... he had jumped into the overflow to eat all the ones in there. Left him the for 2 week till they were gone, then back into the main display.
 
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