Aiptasia Control

[chewie]

Having kindda jacked a fellow users threat in classified section regarding LF peppermint shrimp to control an Aiptasia outbreak I figured I will start a discusion thread to find out what people have done and tricks to eliminate these pesty Aiptasia Anemones. To save myself some time recapping what was said here is the thread.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...d=1#post737141


Now my story is: 120g reef about a year and a half new, now completley covered in Aip (using this from now on for Aiptasia). Started out as one that came as a hitchhicker. Not knowing what it was being a newbe though it looked cool and left it. Researched it and decided I better get rid of it. Built a DIY zapper...spread like mad. Tried peppermint shrimp...no go. Dont want to try copperband butterfly fish as I dont want to go through the motions of finding one, making it healthy ( as I heard most are sick, or in rough shape when arrive at LFS ) and hoping that it takes to Aip and no other corals. So I got some Nudibranchs (3) the other day from Monocus. ( please chime in anytime Bill and share your wisdom) . I placed Nudies in refugium so they can breed a bit and then I will start adding to DT. I was in a panic as I have seen them a few times for the first week and then stopped seeing them ( nocturnal so need to look at night with a flashlight). I did see the spiral eggs that they lay on the bottom of a rock, but the eggs dissapeared a day later. Doing some research I read that amphiopods love to eat these eggs..(Bill?) Well just looked and found one crawling around...woot.. so hopfully others are there as well and the breeding will continue.

Has anyone used a file fish and to what result?

[reefwars]

you can tell if they are eating from their color, and you can if they are young by their size, if they can find aiptasia they will breed.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by chewie

Has anyone used a file fish and to what result?

ive had 2 that worked like a charm, i had one an adult in a 110g and he only ate aiptasia and mysis.the other i had was a juvie and he was in a 33g zoa tank with 80 different kinds of zoas and about 300 adult aiptasia and countless tiny babies...no zoas would open at all...it was a plague for sure. the juvie filefish ate it and cleaned out every head in just over a week or so , but he did pick on my candycanes and ate a small nuclear death frag( i held a grudge for that)

[monocus]

yes amphipods will eat the eggs,but only if there isn't another available food source.the eggs hatch in 10 days so you could be looking at the eggs around hatching