Aiptasia are absolutely up there as one of the top three all-time annoying and unwanted reef tank pests. They are extremely hardy, surviving and multiplying in conditions that we would consider less than optimal for most coral to sometimes survive let alone grow makes Aiptasia so difficult to get rid of at times. The fact that they can enter our reef tanks so easily despite our best efforts and can remain undetected for some time makes them even more irritating. So, if you find yourself facing off against this common enemy of the reef tank then don’t worry, we’ve all been there and there are a number of things you can do.
Firstly, lets understand the enemy. Who is the Aiptasia? What does it want? How did it get here?
Aiptasia are a family of anemone. There are 17 different species however they all look similarly alike. They have a long body or stem and long thin stinging tentacles. They are often brown, clear or sometimes under LED can look slightly brown/purple’ish. Like all other anemones they possess stinging barbs within their tentacles containing venom to catch and immobilise their prey. These stinging tentacles can also sting coral in the aquarium and as they spread or grow, the tentacles can come into contact with more and more coral causing destruction for the reef tank and headaches for you. They reproduce quickly both sexually and asexually meaning, if there are two of them, they can
reproduce together to create a genetically new Aiptasia or if there is only one present in the reef tank it can split itself to create an identical clone. When the Aiptasia reproduce this way, they can quickly go from one to two, two to four, four to eight and so on and so on. What makes it worse is that they can often split as a response to stress, such as you the reef keeper trying to get rid of them which is often why you find two small Aiptasia in the roughly the same place not long after trying to get rid of one larger Aiptasia. Annoying, right? So how did they get into your reef tank in the first place? They can come in on Live Rock, coral plugs and even in the water column if you’ve received a
fish from an infected system (the latter being unlikely but possible). Like all anemones they can retract and shrink down to a tiny size which makes them almost impossible to see on coral frag plugs sometimes and certainly on Live Rock because they will secure themselves in the little nooks and crannys. What do they want? World domination! I joke, or maybe they do, who knows? Ultimately like all creatures they’re looking for a place to survive and multiply as much as they can and maybe that place is your reef tank! Here’s what you can do;
Analyse your aquarium.
What is the situation? Have you got one Aiptasia or one hundred? If you’ve got one, I would place a wager that you’ve got a few more lurking about unseen for now but you’re still in a good place, you’re ahead of the problem. If you’ve got a hundred though, consider why you’ve got a hundred. What is your feeding schedule like? Do you broadcast food all over the tank in a large quantity giving the Aiptasia time to catch some? Perhaps consider slowing down the feeding and feed the fish a small amount at a time to ensure that they eat all the food and none goes to the Aiptasia. If you’re feeding corals then try to target feed as much as you can to restrict what goes to the pests. It won’t get rid of the Aiptasia on its own but if you can restrict their source of nutrition then you can slow down their growth and potentially reduce their ability to recover from the remedies listed below.
Chemical solutions.
Now, I'll be the first to say, avoid putting any chemicals in your tank. Often case they are a remedy to a symptom and not the root cause but with Aiptasia sometimes they are needed. There are a couple of options here though. Some home remedies include using a hyper dermic needle and syringe to inject boiling water or lemon juice or even a combination of the two into the main stem of the anemone. This is often tricky and has mixed results. You’ll need to turn the flow off and be careful not to disturb the Aiptasia else it will retract quickly into the rock work and not reappear for some time. The other chemical solution is to use a solution like Aiptasia Rx. This is a white chalky liquid that you syringe over the Aiptasia (make sure the flow is off) and leave. The liquid kills the Aiptasia quickly and the added benefit is you can easily apply it to multiple Aiptasia in one go. Make sure you read the instructions however as there is a safe limit to how much you can use in one go.
Natural solutions.
In my opinion, natural solutions are always the best options in a reef tank. You’re trying to establish a natural balanced environment in your aquarium and by using these methods you’re helping it along. Plus, by adding a natural Aiptasia predator you have a lasting and permanent solution swimming or scuttling about the tank whichever the case may be.
Peppermint Shrimp – These little shrimp are natural predators for Aiptasia and will readily seek out and eat all but the largest of Aiptasia. They are very shy however and can sometimes take time to settle into a reef tank especially if there are other shrimp already present. They will eventually settle and start foraging for food though at which point they will find the Aiptasia, it may just take them a little bit of time. A positive for these guys as well though is that they are very peaceful, keep themselves to themselves and make a great addition to a reef tank regardless.
Berghia Nudibranches – These guys are Aiptasia hunter killers. They are only small but they’ll take down Aiptasia no problem at all. There are a couple of downsides to these guys though. They eat Aiptasia almost exclusively, so when they’ve got all the Aiptasia in your aquarium they will probably starve unless you can catch them. If you do catch them though then they are always in demand so chances are another reefer somewhere will be looking for one so you could rehome it and it can carry on the Aiptasia fight for someone else! What a great thought that is! Secondly, whilst they are quite interesting and pretty in their on way, they’ll often disappear into the rockwork and not be
seen much if at all. Plus, if you have a particularly large aquarium, it will take them a while to get about, they are only small after all.
Copperband Butterflyfish – Quite a few of the butterflyfish family will take down Aiptasia and one of the most well-known of these is the Copperband Butterflyfish. It’s a really pretty fish but has a reputation for being hard to keep due to their finicky eating habits. They can also be quite shy around boisterous tankmates. There are a couple of tricks to this though, when you’re looking for Copperbands to buy, ask the shop to show you them eating. They should be readily eating and going after food when it’s dropped in. If they’re not and they look really skinny (bearing in mind these are quite streamlined and dainty fish as it is) then perhaps reconsider that fish and look for another. They eat primarily meaty foods such as Clam, Mussel, Brine shrimp and Mysis shrimp. It can be a bit of trial and error to find what it is your Copperband wants to eat but find a fish that is eating in the shop and then feed it at home what the shop is feeding it. If you want to change this then over time you can train it to take other food but ultimately if you want this fish to do well long term then nutritious food like enriched Brine and good quality Mysis is key.
Burgess Butterflyfish – Is another of the Butterflyfish family that is known for eating Aiptasia. Slightly different in appearance to the Copperband this fish is still shy and can be a picky eater but are relatively hardy. They aren’t generally reef safe however, they will pick at invertebrates, feather dusters and coral (particularly LPS). If you have a fish only system though and are in the market for a Butterflyfish then the Burgess maybe what you’re looking for.
Aiptasia eating filefish – Now these are a cool looking little fish, don’t you think? Or is it just me? These little fish will swim about your reef looking for Aiptasia to eat quite happily. They are reef safe with caution, which essentially means it’s hit and miss whether they will go after some of your corals. They aren’t particularly picky feeders though so as long as you keep them well fed with a nutritious balanced diet the chances of them going after coral are reduced. On the plus side they look very different to your typical reef tank fish which I think gives them the cool factor and on top of that they can change colour and texture of their skin to blend into their environment better!
My approach.
I’m certainly not immune to Aiptasia and I’ve had a fight with them in the past so I understand your frustration. Luckily, I didn’t have a full-blown tank-wide infestation so I count myself lucky but I did have a long game of whack a mole with a few where I would attack for them only to reappear in the same place or somewhere just along the rock a few days or weeks later. My approach was a blend of a few things listed above. I started by making sure I wasn’t helping the Aiptasia by controlling my feeding. I then used lemon juice and boiling water to go after the ones I could easily get to. After that I turned to Aiptasia Rx which really whittled them down and I ended up fighting just one single persistent Aiptasia that would keep coming back, it was like the final boss at the end of a video game. Luckily, I was upgrading my tank so all the livestock would be moved out and re added to the new tank with a new rock scape so I jumped on the chance to add a Copperband Butterfly. Since then, I've not noticed a single Aiptasia plus the Copperband is one of my firm favourite fish in the tank! A main takeaway though is that fighting Aiptasia isn’t a one-shot kind of fight, it’s going to take a bit of time and persistence on your side to come out the winner.
So those are some of the main options available in your fight against the dreaded Aiptasia. One thing I have to stress is that if you’re thinking about adding a fish to control them then make sure you research the fish, their care requirements and make sure they’ll be compatible with your other livestock. Ultimately though, I think it's fair to say that every reefer has had a fight with Aiptasia at some point in their reefing journey so if you find yourself up against it at the moment then don’t worry, we understand! And if you haven’t, well then count yourself extremely lucky but do keep an eye out for them, catching them early is often the best solution!