Aptaisia control

[snakeman]

A while back I got a frag that after being in the tank a few weeks an Aptaisia appeared. Again I looked for easy solutions.

A few years ago I was plagued and looked for control ideas. One site said injection with concentrated calcium hydroxide (kalkwasser) would do it. This sounded good as I used kalk. "It may take more than one application." Boy was that an understatement. I did not see control, but did see the rapid population Aptaisia are infamously known for.

A green file fish was recommended. Not the most interesting or best colored addition to my tank, but eating the dread Aptaisia from the moment I dropped it into the tank. In no time I took a liking to this lime green assassin it did pick at the corals, but not often and they didn't seem to be harmed. After a while I stopped seeing any Aptaisia. The file was eating frozen food but suddenly lost weight and died. This was particularly unfortunate as its death was followed by a tank crash.


A few months ago I find myself again looking for a solution to another infestation of Aptaisia. In checking around Copper Band Butterflies were an sugestion. I spoke with Mark at Ultimate Aquarium in Visalia and asked him to order me one. Soon he gave ma a call and said it was in.

I went to pick it up and it looked great, so home it went. In my tank it looked great, ate frozen food but didn't even look at the flake. It would pick here or there never messing with my coral but also seemingly never messing with the Aptaisia. Weeks went by Aptaisia still there. I enjoyed the looks of the Copper Band and that it didn't eat my coral, so it could stay even if it was lazy and didn't do the job it was hired for.

Back to looking for control. Lemon juice injections. Sounded easy and low impact to the tank. Problem was I didn't have any and kept forgetting to get any. Finally remembered, bought some brought it home, looked in the tank for who the lucky first participant would be...

None. Not one. Not anywhere. Copper Band wiped them out. I keep a close eye to make sure it doesn't take a liking for my coral, but it hasn't so far. It has decided that the occasional flake food is okay to eat but much prefers the frozen.

[whodah]

Love my copperbands! They're just so fragile and hard to get passed that initial introduction period. Sounds like you got a good one!

[snakeman]

This morning Copperband came begging. She doesn't mess with any of my coral so far even when I am on vacation, and my tank is clean.

[wonrib00]

I have always liked the CBB as well, smooth fish and peaceful. But as whodah said, very fragile. I have only had one, and it didn’t make it a month.

[snakeman]

tank conditions are not what they should be but the copper band I got from mark at ultimate aquarium has nailed it

[Richard King]

If I can pass along a tip... I had a large CBB for about four years. Like yours, he didn't eat the aiptasia initially, but then wiped them out. Mine would eat live black worms and frozen mysis shrimp. At a point, my tank started to have some water problems and I cut the feeding schedule down. Big mistake. This fish eats frequently and I strongly suspect when I reduced his feeding, I caused his death. Figure out how to keep your parameters correct and make sure the CBB gets his feedings.

[FishyBusiness]

I too had a CCB for about two years. I ended up giving him to another reefer when I took that tank down. My only beef with him was that he desimated my small tube worm population. I really like all the small and diverse stuff on the rocks and he was ruthless to it.