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Aiptasia Laser


SuncrestReef

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A couple months ago I found an aiptasia growing from below a scoly in my tank.  I removed the scoly and injected the aiptasia with lemon juice, but a week later I saw it came back.  I repeated this a couple more times, but the lemon juice wasn't killing it.  Last week I discovered 3 more aiptasia, but this time on rocks I can't remove or easily get to.  I just bought a 4 watt laser and burned them all within 5 minutes.  It worked easily and quickly, and gratifying to hear them crackling and sizzling.  I'm sure there are others that I can't see, but for now the unsightly ones are gone.  If they continue to spread I might invest in some berghia nudibranchs, but the laser it a lot more fun!

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Edited by SuncrestReef
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Willing to rent it out? I have one aiptasia. I've had it for 10 months and it's the only one in the tank. My little peppermint shrimp probably eats any new aiptasia that pop up which is why I only have one. I've treated it with aiptasia X at least a dozen time and it always eventually comes back. It's deep in the rocks so it's hard to get to but would be willing to try the laser if it works

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1 hour ago, Manny Tavan said:

Willing to rent it out? I have one aiptasia. I've had it for 10 months and it's the only one in the tank. My little peppermint shrimp probably eats any new aiptasia that pop up which is why I only have one. I've treated it with aiptasia X at least a dozen time and it always eventually comes back. It's deep in the rocks so it's hard to get to but would be willing to try the laser if it works

I don't think I'd be comfortable renting it out due to liability issues.  This thing can cause permanent blindness and can start fires.  I'd need to consult with my lawyer and that would cost more than I'd collect from rental fees.  But believe me, if you have aiptasia and want a very cool toy, you should buy one!

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17 minutes ago, pdxmonkeyboy said:

I would buy an aptasia and put it in my tank just to use that laser!! 

 

will it kill zoas?

 

 

It will kill anything in your tank that you aim it at!  You can actually hear the crackling and sizzling as it burns its target.  I even used it on a patch of wire algae in a rock crevice my emerald crabs can't reach.

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10 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said:

I don't think I'd be comfortable renting it out due to liability issues.  This thing can cause permanent blindness and can start fires.  I'd need to consult with my lawyer and that would cost more than I'd collect from rental fees.  But believe me, if you have aiptasia and want a very cool toy, you should buy one!

where can I buy that one. Most of the ones on ebay are only 500 mw

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14 minutes ago, R-3 said:

Kick me if its a dumb question. 

Will this damage glass?

 

The laser can be focused.  It only burns at the point where the laser beam converges to a tiny dot.  If you look at the photo I posted above, the beam is about 1/8" diameter where it passes through the glass, but the end touching the rock is where it's focused.  The unfocused part of the beam is harmless (except to your eyes).  I wouldn't attempt positioning the focused point right onto the glass to see what happens, but it's perfectly safe to pass the wider beam through the glass.  I even used my Avast top-down portal to shine the beam down onto one aiptasia I couldn't get to from the side.  It didn't harm the acrylic.

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8 minutes ago, Jorge said:

Be careful. I was tagged with one of these or something similar on my last tour. Caused permanent damage.

Yes, I'm being VERY careful.  I wear the protective glasses that are specific to this laser's wavelength, I put my dog outside, I close the doors to the room so I'm the only person present.  I also keep an eye out for fish swimming nearby and turn off the laser if they get close.  When not in use, I remove the batteries so it can't be turned on by anyone unaware of what it is.  Definitely don't want to mess around with this thing.  When I was first testing how to focus it, I was pointing it at a sheet of white paper.  It caught on fire very quickly!

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13 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said:

Yes, I'm being VERY careful.  I wear the protective glasses that are specific to this laser's wavelength, I put my dog outside, I close the doors to the room so I'm the only person present.  I also keep an eye out for fish swimming nearby and turn off the laser if they get close.  When not in use, I remove the batteries so it can't be turned on by anyone unaware of what it is.  Definitely don't want to mess around with this thing.  When I was first testing how to focus it, I was pointing it at a sheet of white paper.  It caught on fire very quickly!

That's great you're taking it seriously. I hope there are instructions so that anyone who owns one is aware of how dangerous they can be. I often see kids playing with the red lasers or being used to play with pets. Even the reflection from hitting the glass at an angle could hurt someone. 

Besides that, must feel good zapping those hard to reach aptasia!

 

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That seems a little high priced, I got one that looks like this and works fine:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/450nm-Blue-Beam-Laser-Pointer-Pen-5-Head-Case-Battery-Charger-Goggles-0-5MW/292225403243?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180213162448%26meid%3D874663c38a3d484688084a557b9df5d1%26pid%3D100930%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D264033285686%26itm%3D292225403243&_trksid=p2056116.c100930.m5375

 

Yes, these can be dangerous but using common sense everything is fine. I did have the reflected beam start to melt a swishy golf shirt (don’t know what that material is called LOL). Key with using these effectively is to keep hitting the aptasia repeatedly every few days. They are pretty hardy little buggers so this is usually not a one and done process.

 

also, for SuncrestReef, be careful with the battery chargers. The one that came with mine almost caught fire the first time I plugged it in (smoke came out, quickly pulled it)....gotta love China! I bought a 4 battery one that I use now.

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