If you purchased peppermint shrimp that ate aiptasia, please post the source

[Miami Reef]

Thanks, That's why I've put off getting a CBB for some time. Concerned about eating. I've had this one 2 weeks. He is eating pellets and frozen blood worms, frozen mysis, nibbling on some algae (live and dried), but I have my doubts that will work long term. I hope I can keep him going long enough to get him in the DT with the aptasia or I will have to try the shrimp route too

Try your best! Pellets are very calorie dense, so it’s looking good so far.

Worse case scenario, we got some good sources of peppermint shrimps here. I’ll update on my experience with them. I got 6 for my 260 gallon, and I’ll track the aiptasia with pictures to see if they are decreasing.

 

[Gtinnel]

Thanks, That's why I've put off getting a CBB for some time. Concerned about eating. I've had this one 2 weeks. He is eating pellets and frozen blood worms, frozen mysis, nibbling on some algae (live and dried), but I have my doubts that will work long term. I hope I can keep him going long enough to get him in the DT with the aptasia or I will have to try the shrimp route too

If after 2 weeks he is already eating pellets, frozen, and algae then keeping it fed likely won’t be a problem, as long as once he gets put into your display he doesn’t get bullied and stop eating.
I’ve had my CBB for several years and he is an absolute pig when it comes to frozen food, but it took me feeding live worms for a year before he would touch frozen foods. I personally wouldn’t get a new CBB without a thriving white worm culture. I got lucky and when I got my butterfly a local hobbyist gave me a full culture which kept him alive.
Mine also took several months to start eating aiptasia in the display even though he ate them in a qt tank before going into my display. Once he did start eating them, my tank went from covered in aiptasia to being gone within about a week.

 

[exnisstech]

Curious, I have a Copperband butterfly in QT at the moment in preparation for adding him to my DT to fight aptasia. You've had bad luck with this approach. Did you lose the CBB's to disease, bullying, or just not eating anything?

Thanks

I have one in observation now. My observation is a tote with live rock full of pods and soft coral. There was aiptasia but he took care of that the first day. I will not add one to my display until it is eating PE mysis (it's a staple in my tanks) from the water column not just picking it off of the rocks. I fatten him up with live black worms and earth worms first. IME they have to be able and willing to compete for food or they will starve. I have one that has been with me for a bit over 2 years and she will swim around eating with the large tangs.

 

[Doctorgori]

For others that may be looking the ones I got from reefcleaners do an awesome job.

reef-cleaners peppermints worked for me

Reefcleaners' peppermints cleared the aiptasia in my tank within days

ditto x3
also copperband worked but I won’t argue the opposite

 

[phillyb614]

https://www.reefsystems.com/

 

[joepdiver11]

I got 3 from reefcleaners and they took care of all my atapsia.

 

[wccbr1]

mysaltwaterfishstore.com is a florida collector I've had luck with

After losing countless Copperband butterflies, I need another solution for managing aiptasia.

If you have a source of peppermint shrimp that you’ve witnessed eat aiptasia, please tell me the source. I’m ready to purchase several of them.

Late to the party but I got mine at Candy Corals (Canadian source). They did the trick

 

[bogliman]

After losing countless Copperband butterflies, I need another solution for managing aiptasia.

If you have a source of peppermint shrimp that you’ve witnessed eat aiptasia, please tell me the source. I’m ready to purchase several of them.

I bought 6 peppermints at absolutely fish in NJ. I think the key to it for the shrimps to eat the aptasia is to make sure you dont feed your tank too much meaty foods. I have an old 34 gal redseamax and only have 1 fish right now. The only fish left in my tank is my mocha storm clown. I make sure when i feed him that i feed him by hand so i dont overfeed the tank. I still have aptasia but not as pupulates like when i first started this last nov 2023. They mostly search when its getting dark when my blue light starts they know its night time feeding for them. I’ve had the shrimps for maybe 8 months. You really have to know or at least figure out how to starve the shrimp so they would eat the aptasia instead of the food you toss in the tank

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Barrier Reef Aquariums

Barrier Reef Aquariums

www.barrierreefaquariums.com

 

[worstcaseontario]

After losing countless Copperband butterflies, I need another solution for managing aiptasia.

If you have a source of peppermint shrimp that you’ve witnessed eat aiptasia, please tell me the source. I’m ready to purchase several of them.

I am up in canada, I'm sure what I have is available where you are. What I have come to find is that the peppermint shrimp I've purchased over the last few years. Dont particularly want to actively seek aiptasia, even when offered right in front of them. I got tired of getting peppermint shrimp and them not doing what was advertised. I how ever stumbled upon what's referred to as keukenthali shrimp. I apologize if my spelling is off on the name. These type actively seek it out to no end once its lights out. I never see them out during the day unless its feeding time for my clowns for a hair of a second. I hope this is of some help. Cheers.

 

[Delatedlotus]

I hope this helps many, many people!!! I bought at the time. Wild caught peppermint shrimp - Lysmata Wurdemanni ONLY..! Wild caught! from SaltwaterAquarium.com. I talked to them very in depth about this subject. I studied for some three weeks what to do... I was syringing white vinegar and I could NOT keep up, no way. Simply squirt a very fast short pulse right into there mouth! They can NOT close there mouths! And consequently they just EXPLODE..! Try this it works like no other, be sure though to ONLY do a few like in 10 to 20 as you are adding vinegar as in carbon dosing. I do quite few (10 to 20) and then wait and rest 3 or 4 days.

They where hiding everywhere in my tank - lots of live rock- I mean lots..! 280 plus gallon system 120 and a 90 with a huge 100 gallon sump (more than half full). Added peppermints (4) in the 120 main tank and (1) in 90, and 1 in the ole sump... Done deal 1000% they all - everyone of them of any size was gone completely! Like in zero left in 3 days maybe 4 days total. WILD CAUGHT is the secret..! I would not believe it if I was told my someone else. But I saw it happen in my own tanks, and they where infested to the max... No names where I got these from.. But I will never ever get anything from them again.. jerks, man I was ticked off. 28+ year old tanks - never a crash or disease of any kind ever... 300 plus lbs true live rock like you can not get any more never again! But now I really love my new little buddies... I now have them all trained as well, I can pet them and they roll over..

Wild Caught is the secret. NOT TANK RAISED ON PELLETS...!!! Wild Caught they all say they are but... I shopped EVERYWHERE messaging, calling, texting... Lots of my own homework done here on all remedies Aiptasia. I talked to about most of the facilities across the US that had them for sale.. Lot's of home work..! even more. Simple fix very easy, costly huh, not really. Saltwater Aquarium both call them and order some.. They got here extremely fast but where advertised as "Adult Size" and I did get two smaller ones. They will grow..

As for the BerghiasI am not a fan at all after doing all my home work. Getting eaten, never see much, starving, COST of, and the amount of time for clearing the tanks out (very slow movement). And the pastes and calk mixes, and the shocker tubes... ha ha. I wish you luck with that I am not and "I" could not ever get to any of the back side at all. Also to dip and clean your rocks are you kidding me???? A tear down because of Aiptasia infestation is just total madness it's absolutely craziness, and THEN having this plague and not going fishing you will be forever domed!

And then there are so, so, many people that have bought every kind of fish to eat them.. And they won't eat them at all. Again most tank raised fish like to be feed either live, frozen, flakes, and pellet's with no clue what one is. And there are more people out there than you can image that have done just that!!!... Truth be told lots..!

Wild caught peppermint shrimp - Lysmata Wurdemanni ONLY!!, it worked out of this world fast and extremely very efficient! Everyone of them was eating them I know I spent hours and hours watching them! in the dark as well. They are right to the the point, done deal babe. One of the easiest saltwater fix's ever.

If I ever need to hit a rogue Aipastia, use "X" or white vinegar. Get a 50ml syringe and needle they come with 2 needles for any farm and ranch supply (they are so cheap- $4.90). I use these all the time! For everything - any liquid in a bottle, dosing, hanna water tests, absolutely one of the handiest reef tools ever. And by using white vinegar you will not have that white snot crusty stuff gooping all over in your tank either. (Compared to Franks or Kalk paste). Spotting huge white spots that will stay for ever! I know they say you can brush it off latter... Do 50 and see what you end up with... I am I wrong??

Good luck to all fellow reefers...

 

[Miami Reef]

Reeftopia. Legit Florida Keys Peppermints. Great prices too when they have them in stock.

Both proven, Reeftopia , and Salty bottom.

Let’s get this party started!

 

[Delatedlotus]

Small read here. There is a lot of truth to this as well, I have both witnessed, and watched this personally for many, many years.... https://help.algaebarn.com/portal/e...equipped,with their relatively large pinchers.

 

[UnnamedReef]

Dr Reef's - That's where I get all CUC and inverts now. Great prices, they certify species of peppermints, and I bought one but they sent me four. Aiptasia gone from DT in under a week, worked like a charm.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Aquaridise in east brunswick in NJ. Took care of a few of them in 4 days.

 

[Miami Reef]

It worked!!!


Look at the clam, between the clam and acan:

And now!

 

[dnprall]

Biota Group

 

[tbrown]

After losing countless Copperband butterflies, I need another solution for managing aiptasia.

If you have a source of peppermint shrimp that you’ve witnessed eat aiptasia, please tell me the source. I’m ready to purchase several of them.

I got some at Petco and some at Reef Cleaners. I think Petco twice and Reef Cleaners once - all ate Aiptasia for me.

 

[Steven Garland]

I got mine from WWC. It knocked out all mine. Now they are gone,he just eats when my fish eat.

 

[beesnreefs]

@Biota_Marine, and still going strong 2 years later