SuncrestReef Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Last year when I had an aiptasia outbreak, I added a dozen berghia nudibranchs to my tank and they wiped out the aiptasia in 2 months. This year, the aiptasia are back, and I added more nudibranchs but the only difference is I now have a melanurus wrasse, and I think the wrasse has hunted down the nudibranchs because I'm not seeing the same progress as last time and haven't seen a single nudibranch at night for over a month. Last time I would frequently find them with a flashlight at night. Now I'm considering adding a copperband butterflyfish to see if it will help. I've read they can be hit or miss on attacking aiptasia. I've also read they can be difficult to quarantine. And I've read they can sometimes nip at LPS. To be honest, I'm not terribly concerned about my LPS since I'm going more and more towards all SPS. Questions: 1. How successful have others been with copperbands for aiptasia control? 2. Is it worth the risk to add a copperband without going through quarantine? Any other advice? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fpd4308 Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 I have had a few Copperbands over the last 15 years or so because I love the look of them but was never lucky enough to get one that did anything to aptasia. I honestly have had better luck with peppermint shrimp and you know how hit and miss they can be. I bought the product F Aiptasia and stay on top of it now. When I see one I just hit it with the F aptasia and it is gone. Works on runaway GSP too. As for quarentining, my experience only, I have never quarentined a fish but the copper bands can be pretty sensitive so I would look for one that has been healthy in a shop for awhile. They also seemed to be a gentle fish and are prone to being picked on by others so make sure the rest of your fish are a friendly sort. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregonic Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Wow I just watched a video and briefly read about F Aptasia. Does it actually harden around the aptasia once coated? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttleFishandCoral Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I would only consider adding a Aussie copperband and even that is risky. A fish better left in the wild. We won’t even order in anything but Aussie ones. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumby Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I had hundreds of aiptasia in my tank. Picked up a pearlscale butterfly. Wiped them all out but also like acan tentacles but was worth not having acans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsbunny Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I recently went with. Copper band. I used aptasia x on the large ones. Within a couple of weeks it went after the aptasia. It literally tore at it. After only a couple of weeks , is all gone. It forages with the other fish. Readily eats meaty frozen stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenbasketreef Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Copperband is the best natural predator to aiptasia anemone. I have one in each of my tank and no aiptasia at all. Have to keep trying till you get one that stay alive in the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Finally got a copperband to live in my tank for the last four months. The two big aiptasia are still there lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttleFishandCoral Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 (edited) 25 minutes ago, goldenbasketreef said: Copperband is the best natural predator to aiptasia anemone. I have one in each of my tank and no aiptasia at all. Have to keep trying till you get one that stay alive in the tank 18 minutes ago, Manny Tavan said: Finally got a copperband to live in my tank for the last four months. The two big aiptasia are still there lol Nice to hear u finally got one to live. They are difficult. Edited April 19, 2020 by CuttleFishandCoral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willapa Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I’m in the same boat, John. My first batch of nudibranchs worked great, but the aiptasia slowly came back. It took a while through. I haven’t bought any more since they cost a lot. Thinking about trying a filefish this next round. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkAngel Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I really like the file fish. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilmca Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 back in 2003 my dad and i had tanks full of aptasia. we were both new to keeping reeftanks and didn't know how bad aptasia were. we each got a copperband and we were both lucky enough to get them to survive. both fish loved aptasia and frozen food. didn't touch any corals. it's unfortunate that most copperbands don't survive and they keep bringing them in. i know j-dog had a cobberband in QT and i believe he had to get it live black or blood worms cause it wouldn't eat frozen. it might now but i'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil&Fin Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 (edited) I agree that copperbands are really hard to get through quarantine and that Aussies are your best bet. One thing that helped me was a product called Masstick. You make a paste and stick it on a rock or PVC or even the glass and the fish will graze on it. (It's helped me with angels and other fish that are hard to get through quarantine, too.) You can read more about it here: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/masstick-fish-food-easy-reefs.html. Once they get into the display tank they are going to have to compete with the other fish, so you should transition them to free-floating frozen (or whatever/however you normally feed) in the quarantine tank. Good luck! Edited April 19, 2020 by Gil&Fin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibondy Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 I have copperband and he is doing great in my tank, but he doesn't touch aptasia at all. Wend nudibranch route and all gone. Had a success in the past with filefish. I had no issues with filefish attacking corals, but you can always trade in after aptaisa are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttleFishandCoral Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 26 minutes ago, ibondy said: I have copperband and he is doing great in my tank, but he doesn't touch aptasia at all. Wend nudibranch route and all gone. Had a success in the past with filefish. I had no issues with filefish attacking corals, but you can always trade in after aptaisa are gone. That’s the Aussie one u got for me I think. Much hardier. Sucks it doesn’t do after aptasias though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Wow I just watched a video and briefly read about F Aptasia. Does it actually harden around the aptasia once coated? From what I understand yes, I follow and watch a lot of Melevsreef and he's been talking about F Aptasia for a while, another forum I'm a member of has several members that swear by itSent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregonic Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 21 minutes ago, TaylorW said: From what I understand yes, I follow and watch a lot of Melevsreef and he's been talking about F Aptasia for a while, another forum I'm a member of has several members that swear by it Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk Going to have to try it out. Cant have shrimp or nudibranchs because I love my wrasses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 1 hour ago, TaylorW said: From what I understand yes, I follow and watch a lot of Melevsreef and he's been talking about F Aptasia for a while, another forum I'm a member of has several members that swear by it Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk Typically anything that nukes an aiptasia leads to a bigger outbreak of aiptasia months later. Ask me how I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Typically anything that nukes an aiptasia leads to a bigger outbreak of aiptasia months later. Ask me how I knowYou just cover it with this and wait... Then the aptasia just crumbles away. It's different than all the other stuff on the market, people really seem to like this because it doesn't irritate them (or nuke them [emoji54] lol) into multiplying like mad. There's all kinds of threads on it on Melevsreef and I saw a few others on a couple other forums too, if I had any aptasia I'd definitely try it out. Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 The problem with all chemical treatments is that you need to have physical access to the aiptasia. The majority of mine are in places I can't get to or intermixed with corals. That's the reason I'm going the predator route. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Just picked up a Copper Band from Seahorse and it eat frozen it's first day in the tank - was eating in the store which is why I brought it home. They have actually been having pretty good luck getting ones eating before sending them out... not sure where they are sourced from. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Here is a picture of my copperband with his best friend “Joe the aiptasia” 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenbasketreef Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 46 minutes ago, Manny Tavan said: Here is a picture of my copperband with his best friend “Joe the aiptasia” It will get to job done, that is the longsnout for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 2 hours ago, goldenbasketreef said: It will get to job done, that is the longsnout for It’s been four months...I think they are best friends now. Friends don’t eat friends 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 (edited) Let’s see what Joe thinks of F’ aiptasia Edited April 22, 2020 by Manny Tavan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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