Pest Anenomes: Aiptasia

There is only one thing in this hobby that you will get for free; and that is pests. There are many forms of pests in an aquarium, today I will cover the pest anenome; Aiptasia or Glass Anenomes.

What is Aiptasia or Glass Anenomes?

These pests like most, hitch a ride into your aquarium on Live Rock. These forms of anenomes of which have stinging cells in their tentacles, like most anenomes. However, these anenomes may start to move around you tank and reak havoc or even war against other anenomes and or corals. These anenomes have stronger stinging cells than normal. They may attack other coral or polyps and sting them to death. That is why they are labeled pests. If not removed right away, they may reach lengths of up to 10'' tall and wide!! WOW! (And they get that big trust me, I had 2 this size in my tank.) They are asexual, which means they repoduce on their own. They reproduce fast also. Another important fact about them is that they are not photosynthetic, which means they dont need light to survive. If they do reach bigger sizes, they have been known to eat smaller fish too.

How do I control them?

There are several ways one can control Aiptasia. First thing would be to inspect and scrub down all incoming Live Rock. Since most Live Rock is not cured properly when you receive it, you will want to cured it yourself. This is a good time to scrub all incoming Live Rock and inspect it for pests. Here are some other forms of eradication of Aiptasia.

1. Physical Removal - Keep in mind that if you leave any of this organism behind when removing it from your aquarium, it will regenerate into another anenome. Physical removal is recommended to be performed in a seperate tub or bucket. That way there is less of a chance for it to regenerate. Since these organisms are asexual, you are only helping them repoduce if you break them all up in your tank.

2. Predators

Fish - The most noted to be seen eating Aiptasia is the Copperband Butterfly Fish. They also may eat your corals and polyps or whatever they can. Some other butterfly fish have been known to eat Aptasia too, Aswell as some puffers and possibly some angelfish.

Shrimp - The most noted here is the Peppermint Shrimp. They are often confused with another shrimp in the Camel Shrimp. Peppermints are know to eat smaller Aiptasia rather than bigger ones. (My two never went near my two huge Aptasia I had, havent seen any more since I put them in.) They also like to hunt in packs, 2-3. Another shrimp that has been seen eating Aiptasia every now and then is the Coral Banded Shrimp.

Nudibranches - Some of these sea slugs are strickly Aiptasia eating machines. Be sure to remove them after Aiptasia is gone, they might starve to death if underfed, like anything.

Also some note that red legged hermits on occasion will eat Aiptasia, aswell as Elegance Corals. Elegance Corals have stronger stinging cells than Aiptasia and are aggressive. They might encounter damage when waging war with Aiptasia. I would never do this to them myself, but its been written about.

3. Chemical Removal - These products should be used with caution. May be used as a last resort to the list above. There are many different types of chemicals people claim to work. This includes: Kalkwasser, lemon juice, hot sauce, highly concentrated saly mix, boiling hot water, and even hot hydrogen peroide. There are also companies that also make mixes formulated to remove or kill Aiptasia. Keep in mind that if too much of these chemicals are used it might affect your pH or Alkalinity. Which may cause stress to the rest of your tankmates. Most of these chemicals also must be injected into the Aiptasia bases. Which is no easy task, might I add. They retract and ball up. Like stated above I would only use chemicals as a last resort.

Conclusion

With the information provided, you can successfully control the pest anenome, Aiptasia. From a combination of physical removal and adding some predators to your tank, your corals and polyps might continue to thrive in a peaceful setting. That is speaking only from experience with dealing with this pest myself. Hope that helps someone out there!!!