How do I get rid of Aiptasia anemones?

The most effective way to remove Aiptasia from a saltwater aquarium is by using predators like Peppermint Shrimp. Try to find ones that are captive-bred and raised eating Aiptasia for the best results.

How is Aptasia treated?

Unfortunately, there is no overnight cure for eradicating aiptasia. And depending on the size, it can take months to kill an aiptasia infestation. There is no dip you can use when dipping coral or live rock that will just kill aiptasia. Most people just “juice” (see “Chemical Removal” section) on a regular basis.

Can you pull out Aiptasia?

Aiptasia sea anemones can overpopulate your reef tank after they sprout out of living rock. Simply pulling them out only leads to a population explosion as each piece can grow into another anemone.

How can aiptasia be prevented?

So now let’s talk about how to prevent them. Quarantine tanks work really well for this. After 30 days you will see if any hitchhiker Aiptasia appear on your new addition. At that point you can eliminate them with the Aiptasia-X and once they are 100% clear you can then add them to your main system.

How do you clean a live rock with aiptasia?

Get a bucket, add some water and a cup of bleach and let the rock sit the beach water until all uglies on the rock are eaten away, then rinse well, and let the rock completely dry before putting it back in the tank.

How can Aiptasia be prevented?

Will peppermint shrimp eat large Aiptasia?

Peppermint shrimp are omnivores that will feed on leftover foods, and sometimes pick at algae. Most importantly though, they will eat nuisance Aiptasia anemones and are an excellent choice to treat this scourge.

How do I get rid of Aiptasia on coral?

One chemical-free way to control Aiptasia is to inject scalding hot RO water into the polyp with a hypodermic needle. The hot water effectively kills the Aiptasia. Lemon juice may also be used to inject the Aiptasia. Part one in this series introduced Aiptasia, and explained how they survive in your tank.

Do hermit crabs eat aiptasia?

One such hermit crab is the White Spotted Hermit Crab (Dardanus megistos) which has been reported to consume Aiptasia.

Do cleaner shrimp eat aiptasia?

The Peppermint shrimp is a saltwater cleaner shrimp species that is often added to a reef tank because they will eat aiptasia anemones. The other species listed here (Coral banded shrimp, Skunk cleaner, Fire shrimp), will not likely help you out by eating aiptasia if that’s a problem you have in your tank.