Just like you, we have tried everything at one point or another. I agree that the filefish eventually will pick on corals even though they do a good job with aiptasia. Berghias can be good if you have a fish less system, and also if they do wipe your aiptasia, they will just die off as they don't eat anything else. Not to mention they are expensive snacks. We have had good luck with peppermints in our frag tank, they keep it pretty clean, but they will not really go to town on larger ones. The copperband in our display keep is 100% clear. He gets everything and it a great fish. We have not tried a kliens but good to know, I have also heard a marginalis is an amazing aiptasia eater but they only come in rarely and are very expensive compared to the other two. I will be curious to see how the new reef zapper thing they had on Reef Builders will do, expensive but if it works as explained, could be a game changer.
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Aiptasia removal
- Thread starter amado
- Start date
Update on this thread so the Klein butterfly fish cleaned out all aptasia from the Frag tank. I am going to to move him to another Frag tank to see if can clear that tank. I picked up another copper band so now I have two. I moved one to the main display and kept the other one in a Frag tank.
the Klein as a $40 fish is a great solution to get rid of aptasia. So far he hasn’t eaten any corals but I only have sps in that tank.
the Klein as a $40 fish is a great solution to get rid of aptasia. So far he hasn’t eaten any corals but I only have sps in that tank.
i got my fish from absolutely fish on rt46. My Klein is small but he is very fast and if you have rocks he should be ok.
When I took the drive to absolutely fish I was going to buy a copper band and a long nose butterfly. The staff at the store told me long nose butterflies don’t really eat aptasia. They said when they have a problem with aptasia they use Klein butterfly to fix the problem. Copper bands will eat aptasia but they are slow.
Klein got rid of it and the kleins eat everything from flake pellets and nori.
Copper bands are hard to get to eat. I have found success feeding LRS
“The fish frenzy” make sure to get fish frenzy version because that one contains frozen black worms and oysters and scallops. They love that.
I also had good luck with them eating the San Francisco Angel and butterfly food.
It contains sponge and they love to eat that
LRS Fish Frenzy® ingredients:
Fresh Wild Caught Scallop
Fresh Wild Caught, Hand Peeled Shrimp
Fresh Wild Caught Ocean Perch and Whitefish
Premium Piscine Energetics Mysis Shrimp
Squid
E. Pacifica Krill
Fresh Shucked Oysters
"Live" California Blackworms
Marine Fish Eggs
Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Buffered Ascorbic Acid
D. salina algae (Beta carotene for color and immunity boost)
LRS Probiotics
Attachments
Jamie S
NJRC Member
Thanks for the info. I feed my tank Rod's but he didn't seem to eat it. I also didn't see him eat any Aptasia as well.
LRS food contains frozen live black worms and they live that. It’s also a good idea
To setup a qt tank and feed the copper band there. After a few weeks of it eating frozen food with no completion then I would move him to the main tank. I would also move over some live rock from your tank to the qt they like to eat of the rocks
Jamie S
NJRC Member
I will definitely do that next time
ericrodriguez
NJRC Member
It’s the Klein butterfly fish tastings any of your coral? I
I added some nidis the other day and I don’t see them anywhere. Not even around 5:00am
I added some nidis the other day and I don’t see them anywhere. Not even around 5:00am
ericrodriguez
NJRC Member
Can aptasia eat the nuris too?
Klein butterfly are not 100% reef safe. I have it in a Frag tank so I can remove the fish. Right now I only have sps in that tank and he hasn’t touched anything.
ericrodriguez
NJRC Member
Still can’t see any of the 4 nudis I got no long ago. Should I think they gone?
Also has anyone here seem a sixline eat the aptasia?
Also has anyone here seem a sixline eat the aptasia?
6 line won't eat aptasia but he will eat the nudis lol
you should be ok they only come out at night and when they are on the rocks you won't see them.
ericrodriguez
NJRC Member
I always check at night around 1:00 some days later.
Ok so let’s update this post.
The Klein butterfly is a aptasia eating machine.
I have move him from tank to tank and he has clean
All my frag tanks of any aptasia.
the copper band that I have in my display has also cleaned
The entire display I can’t see any aptasia.
The Klein butterfly is a aptasia eating machine.
I have move him from tank to tank and he has clean
All my frag tanks of any aptasia.
the copper band that I have in my display has also cleaned
The entire display I can’t see any aptasia.
Hello
So I was able to pick up two file fish. So I added them to two different tanks.
I added one to the anemone cube and I put the other one in a Frag tank.
The one in the frag tank ate all the aptasia.
I currently have two copperbands one in my 220display and one in the 120 gallon
No aptasia in those tanks.
I have the klein butterfly in a Frag tank that only has sps and he has been perfect.
Zero aptasia in that tank as well.
So I was able to pick up two file fish. So I added them to two different tanks.
I added one to the anemone cube and I put the other one in a Frag tank.
The one in the frag tank ate all the aptasia.
I currently have two copperbands one in my 220display and one in the 120 gallon
No aptasia in those tanks.
I have the klein butterfly in a Frag tank that only has sps and he has been perfect.
Zero aptasia in that tank as well.
Last edited:
mwil79
NJRC Member
I use a peppermint shrimp in each one of my tanks. I currently have 3 tanks
50g lowboy with 1 peppermint who has eliminated all aiptasia not a single piece in the tank in at least a year.
65g with 1 peppermint (originally two but I'm pretty sure he got too close to my pistol shrimp) they eliminated all aiptasia and I haven't seen one in this tank in about a year.
20g cube with a single peppermint shrimp and a single piece of aiptasia which he doesn't seem to pay attention to.
66% success with peppermints and they 100% do not touch any coral.
50g lowboy with 1 peppermint who has eliminated all aiptasia not a single piece in the tank in at least a year.
65g with 1 peppermint (originally two but I'm pretty sure he got too close to my pistol shrimp) they eliminated all aiptasia and I haven't seen one in this tank in about a year.
20g cube with a single peppermint shrimp and a single piece of aiptasia which he doesn't seem to pay attention to.
66% success with peppermints and they 100% do not touch any coral.
My Klein butterfly is in a Frag tank with nothing but sps now. So let’s see how it does.