Aiptasia Removal - What's Your Preferred Method?
Photo by byteorder, flickr
At some point we've all had the problem - Aiptasia growing out of control in the tank and attacking other corals in the general vicinity. A recent post on Reefs.org started me thinking about the different methods devised over the years to fight back against encroaching Aiptasia:
- Commercial chemical products: Joe's Juice, Red Sea Aiptasia-X
- Electrical: Aiptasia Zapper
- Home-made: saturated kalkwasser paste, lemon juice
- Natural: Berghia verrucicornis nudibrachs, Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni), Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostrata), Raccoon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula), Long-nosed Butterflyfishes (Forcipiger spp.), etc.
- Un-natural: Fire (torch), boiling water
Before going on, please for the love of God do not try the un-natural methods. While they might work, they will also aerosolize organic material in that general vicinity and could lead to inhalation of all sorts of nasties as one reefkeeper learned the hard way leading to an emergency room visit. Granted, he wasn't specifically trying to eradicate Aiptasia, but the potential still looms with this method.
What camp do you fall under for Aiptasia removal? Chemical (commercial or homemade), electrical, or natural? Sound off in the comments below.
(via Reefs.org)
Author:
Shane Graber
Location:
Indiana
Shane has kept saltwater tanks for the last 12 years, is a research scientist, lives in northern Indiana, and is a proud Advanced Aquarist staffer.
Website: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/.
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