Has anyone had any experience with using Berghia nudibranchs for aptasia control?
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aptasia control?
- Thread starter mfisher2112
- Start date
Yeah, I was reading that. But, is aptasia ever REALLY gone? uggg.. At this point, I've tried just about everything and I'm getting nothing but temporary relief, after which they come back bigger, badder, and more than ever.
Really starting to consider just opening up a "rare north american stalk anemone" farm! grr..
Really starting to consider just opening up a "rare north american stalk anemone" farm! grr..
What are you using right now? It sounds like you are not zapping them completely or some are hiding out on you. Nudi is surefire method. CBB is also surefire method. Peppermint is 50-50....it took mine about a month and about 100 feather dusters later. Chemicals...well some are better than others and you have to zap them all at once and all the way down into the hole.
I've tried peppermint shrimp, they didn't even try to go after them.
Hesitant to try CBB, as my understanding is they are delicate and I've even read a few articles that say they can starve from malnutrition even if they do eat the aptasia because they do not get the proper nutritional balance from just aptasia. Also have heard that they are hit or miss as to whether they will eat them in the first place or not. Have also seen Raccoon Butterflies recomended as well, but from what I understand they are more likely to endulge themselves on other corals in addition to the aptasia.
I have tried joes, aptasia x, boiling water injection, kalk paste. blah blah blah.
I'm always hesitant to add chemicals of any kind, but getting kind of desperate.
From what I have just finished reading, apparently the aptasia can (and do) leave tiny slivers of flash from their stalk behind, even if you kill it off with some sort of injection, which in turn produce many tiny aptasia which turn into MANY LARGE ONES! AAAAA! Apparently that's what I have happening now. My 30 gallon looks like a friggin aptasia farm... grr..
I hate the idea of buying a living thing simply for the task of killing something else knowing full well it will starve to death when its "job" is finished, but at this point, I'm weighing that against the death of just about every other soft coral in my tank...
Was just reading an article on breeding the nudis yourself, which seems like it may be an option as they are fairly expensive at about $15 each plus shipping, and it appears I'd require quite a few of them to take care of the water volume I'm currently running over 3 tanks.
Hesitant to try CBB, as my understanding is they are delicate and I've even read a few articles that say they can starve from malnutrition even if they do eat the aptasia because they do not get the proper nutritional balance from just aptasia. Also have heard that they are hit or miss as to whether they will eat them in the first place or not. Have also seen Raccoon Butterflies recomended as well, but from what I understand they are more likely to endulge themselves on other corals in addition to the aptasia.
I have tried joes, aptasia x, boiling water injection, kalk paste. blah blah blah.
I'm always hesitant to add chemicals of any kind, but getting kind of desperate.
From what I have just finished reading, apparently the aptasia can (and do) leave tiny slivers of flash from their stalk behind, even if you kill it off with some sort of injection, which in turn produce many tiny aptasia which turn into MANY LARGE ONES! AAAAA! Apparently that's what I have happening now. My 30 gallon looks like a friggin aptasia farm... grr..
I hate the idea of buying a living thing simply for the task of killing something else knowing full well it will starve to death when its "job" is finished, but at this point, I'm weighing that against the death of just about every other soft coral in my tank...
Was just reading an article on breeding the nudis yourself, which seems like it may be an option as they are fairly expensive at about $15 each plus shipping, and it appears I'd require quite a few of them to take care of the water volume I'm currently running over 3 tanks.
The annoying thing? Went YEARS with NO aptasia. ONE, yes, ONE TINY quarter sized rock with some zoas on it from an aquarium store that will remain nameless because I still like them anyway carried one or two small aptasia into the system, and now the damned things are EVERYWHERE.
Just shows, you can never be too careful, no matter how much you trust the source, or your eyes!
Just shows, you can never be too careful, no matter how much you trust the source, or your eyes!
CBB will most certainly eat aiptasia but in a 30G, I would not advise keeping one. You are correct that they are fussy eaters and is usually their downfall. A raccoon will eat them but again what you said...not reef safe. As for aiptasia hurting softies....I don't believe that they actually damage softies. Softies are really tough. It is more a cosmetic issue with aiptasia in your case. The products you listed should work but again, you're right. You have to inject them perfectly all the way down to the tiniest sliver of stalk. It is why I prefer aiptasia-x as it is the pastiest/gooiest of the bunch. I would imagine you would have a hard time trying to breed nudis since their diet is so specialized. Is it possible for you to remove the rock that is infested and zap it out of the tank? I had much better success when using the chemicals that way. My peps eventually ate the last aiptasia I couldn't reach and my other system has a CBB so there are no traces whatsoever. I did not have the explosive growth that you describe though. Mine was basically, I kill it and it would appear elsewhere. I tried burying it and growing leathers on top but they would just come out another hole in a few days. If the aiptasia is isolated, maybe you can bring the rock to someone who has a pep or CBB? Just a thought.
Thanks for the suggestions. At this point, the aptasia is on more than one rock. I fight it back, it seems its gone for a week or so, and then they start popping up all over again.
I've considered pulling the rocks, but it would basically require yanking the structure apart. When I say they are everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. And they are in the 30 and the 75. I've managed to irradicate them from the 90 bow for the most part (one or two will pop up here or there, but something in there is eating them. Possibly the camel shrimp?) Thought about trying to relocate the camel shrimp, if in fact that is what is keeping the aptasia at bay in the 90, but have you ever tried to catch one of those little buggers? Not so easy...
I've considered pulling the rocks, but it would basically require yanking the structure apart. When I say they are everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. And they are in the 30 and the 75. I've managed to irradicate them from the 90 bow for the most part (one or two will pop up here or there, but something in there is eating them. Possibly the camel shrimp?) Thought about trying to relocate the camel shrimp, if in fact that is what is keeping the aptasia at bay in the 90, but have you ever tried to catch one of those little buggers? Not so easy...
Why do you have a camel shrimp? Those are not reef safe and yes I believe they ear aiptasia too. They're not very picky eaters if I recall and look really similar to peppermints. Since you have multiple systems, go for the CBB. Start him in the 30...let him feast...move to 75....move to 90. Of course, don't keep any featherdusters or koko worms. And almost all CBBs will eat live blackworms. Just gotta entice them.
The camel shrimp are in the 90 bow front. That's not a reef tank. The only thing in there are some button polyps that they haven't touched. I think those button polyps would survive in toilet water! LOL!
I'm considering the CBB, but I did just see this on youtube. it's kind of a slow watch, but I think these little critters might be my heros!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VDhykIiQpg
I'm considering the CBB, but I did just see this on youtube. it's kind of a slow watch, but I think these little critters might be my heros!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VDhykIiQpg
When my 125 was covered in Aptaisa I used a four prong attack. Bergias, peppermint shrimp, CBB and kalk. nothing seemed to be eating the aptaisa for months so I was using kalk paste on the big ones and leaving the really small ones alone. Then suddenly all the aptaisa disappeared in a couple of weeks. I think they only go after small or weakened aps.
If you get a CBB make sure you feed it, I feed mine PE Mysis.
If you get a CBB make sure you feed it, I feed mine PE Mysis.
If you go the CBB route, just make sure the one you get is interested in food in the water column. As long as he is tasting stuff, you are pretty set. The surefire way with them is to keep them in complete isolated QT since he is such a slow and finicky feeder. Attempt, live blackworms and brine. Once he goes for that, add frozen bloodworms to your live mixture and spirulina brine to the brine mix. He should learn to accept food out of column this way and not have to rely on pod picking etc.
Jim,
PE mysis is that much better? Not a single one of my CBBs ever ate Hikari. In fact, most of my fish spits it out these days so wondering if I am getting bad batches or they are too spoiled from other stuff I give.
I might give it a shot if it is that good but it's not at the LFS I usually frequent and don't need another frozen concoction sitting in my freezer no one wants to eat.
PE mysis is that much better? Not a single one of my CBBs ever ate Hikari. In fact, most of my fish spits it out these days so wondering if I am getting bad batches or they are too spoiled from other stuff I give.
I might give it a shot if it is that good but it's not at the LFS I usually frequent and don't need another frozen concoction sitting in my freezer no one wants to eat.
Thanks for all the tips.
Main reason I haven't gone with the berghia or the butterflies is I don't want to starve something to death just to eliminate what is essentially a horrible cosmetic problem at this point.
I have been reading up on all the options, and I'm considering trying the aptaisa x that I have here again. I got a longer syringe from a vet, I'm hoping that will make it easier to inject it properly. From what I'm reading, if you don't get them to actually injest it, it doesn't do any good, they just fold up and wait for it to go away.
I don't think I want to try the CBB, I don't want to take the chance that I get one that just will not adjust. I've heard too many stories.
The Berghia just seems to be mean since they will ONLY eat aptasia.
Although, I did read one article where a guy keeps a 20 gallon "tank o sludge" as he called it with aptasia in it on purpose, seperated from his main systems, and will add the aptasia on purpose occassionally just to keep the berghia fed. I suppose thats an option since I think these damn things could outlive a cockroach in a nuclear blast at this point! Shouldn't be too hard to keep a tank-o-aptasia. And I honestly don't mind seeing one or two pop up here and there, it's when I lose count at 30 on one rock that it gets annoying!
There was another guy I read about keeping the aptasia in his sump on purpose too, but I don't see how he would keep them out of his display, unless the berghia were balancing their spread in the display that well.
Will continue to give it thought, as there is no danger to the tank or its inhabitants at the moment, I don't see any urgency other than my aggrivation level when I look at the tanks!
Main reason I haven't gone with the berghia or the butterflies is I don't want to starve something to death just to eliminate what is essentially a horrible cosmetic problem at this point.
I have been reading up on all the options, and I'm considering trying the aptaisa x that I have here again. I got a longer syringe from a vet, I'm hoping that will make it easier to inject it properly. From what I'm reading, if you don't get them to actually injest it, it doesn't do any good, they just fold up and wait for it to go away.
I don't think I want to try the CBB, I don't want to take the chance that I get one that just will not adjust. I've heard too many stories.
The Berghia just seems to be mean since they will ONLY eat aptasia.
Although, I did read one article where a guy keeps a 20 gallon "tank o sludge" as he called it with aptasia in it on purpose, seperated from his main systems, and will add the aptasia on purpose occassionally just to keep the berghia fed. I suppose thats an option since I think these damn things could outlive a cockroach in a nuclear blast at this point! Shouldn't be too hard to keep a tank-o-aptasia. And I honestly don't mind seeing one or two pop up here and there, it's when I lose count at 30 on one rock that it gets annoying!
There was another guy I read about keeping the aptasia in his sump on purpose too, but I don't see how he would keep them out of his display, unless the berghia were balancing their spread in the display that well.
Will continue to give it thought, as there is no danger to the tank or its inhabitants at the moment, I don't see any urgency other than my aggrivation level when I look at the tanks!
Matt,
How are you injecting the aiptasia? Maybe your technique is off. You have to approach them like they're your pet/friend. Go in slow so they think you're feeding them, and right when you got that nozzle there, spray that stuff into them and cover every bit of stalk you can.
With the CBB....it's funny. Yesterday was the first time I read that they are actually copepod hunters. I got tons of marine books and not one of them says that. Now my CBB doesn't seem so dumb. He's still not as good as my last one but yesterday he learned how good live blackworms are. Too bad his aim could use a little work.
How are you injecting the aiptasia? Maybe your technique is off. You have to approach them like they're your pet/friend. Go in slow so they think you're feeding them, and right when you got that nozzle there, spray that stuff into them and cover every bit of stalk you can.
With the CBB....it's funny. Yesterday was the first time I read that they are actually copepod hunters. I got tons of marine books and not one of them says that. Now my CBB doesn't seem so dumb. He's still not as good as my last one but yesterday he learned how good live blackworms are. Too bad his aim could use a little work.