Pearlscale Butterfly fish,... totally got rid of my aiptasia problem. A few years ago, I inherited a 100g SW that had hundreds, maybe over a thousand aiptasia. They were everywhere,... whole back glass was covered with them. It was totally hopeless trying to eliminate them with Aiptasia X or any other injection method. I got a Copperband, but he didn't make a dent. I think they were all too big for him. He spent a lot of time picking in the rocks, but I think the aiptasia were all too big for him, and wouldn't touch them (or at least not that I saw).
Then after some online research decided to try some Pearlscale Butterfly fish. Besides I think they are pretty, too. I originally bought 5 (initially got 3 and lost some due to various mishaps), but still have 2 now, one in each of my display tanks. They are about 2 1/2 years old now, and still doing great. Unlike Copperbands and some other butterfly fish, you can have several of these in a tank. They do establish a pecking order, and after that, all is fine.
I started them off in a hypo QT tank, to get them feeding on a variety of frozen and dry foods. I later put in a rock with aiptasia on it, and knew it was a very good sign when they almost immediately went after the aiptasia. The other good thing about these butterfly fish is they are much easier to get feeding (unlike Copperbands).
When I added them to the main display tank, they did not take long to acclimatize. Their biggest challenge was avoiding my bully Yellow Tang. But because there were more of them, the attention was divided and they were able to escape more readily. Fortunately, the tang left them alone after a while, as long as they kept out of his way. And very soon, the Pearlscales went after the aiptasia, and with gusto. It was a great sight seeing them tear into one, like a bunch of chickens after a worm.
It took about 3 or 4 months, but they actually cleaned out the whole tank. I never thought I would see that happen!! Of course the aiptasia are never really totally gone. I still have them in my overflows and in the sump. And occasionally, I see one or a few pop up in my display tanks. At this moment, I can't find any in the downstairs tank, and only about 3 in the main display tank upstairs. But if someone came to see my tank, they would probably be hard pressed to find even one.
Oh, and they don't eat my corals either. When I first got them, they would pick occasionally at some of my LPS and some softies (palys and mushrooms). But they soon lost the taste for them. Probably because I kept them well fed with mysis and pellets. They eat pretty well everything, including flakes. I now have SPS, and they never bother them. Worst I have seen is them picking off the long slime threads after introduction or fragging. They have got me nervous a couple times after adding a new frag, when they come by to check it out thoroughly. But after a short while, they lose interest.
I will say they are still a delicate fish, and are particularly weak coming from the LFS. So a long QT time is a must to get them healthy and strong. I also had one killed by a clown fish, before it learned to stay clear. Also, if you have ich, or any other disease present, they will be the first to show it. But if you have a clean and healthy tank, they thrive.
So for me, this is the most valuable reef protector I have.
|