Aiptaisia is just a pain in the butt! It is very prolific and is capable of packing a powerful sting to corals, fish etc. It can, and does, spread uncontrollably in the right conditions. It can even create many new anemones if it is scrubbed, torn, etc. as the smallest if pieces can settle and form a new anemone. Much like Calfo's
BTA splitting practices.
Natural controls include peppermint shrimp (make sure they are true pepps - Lusmata wurdemani ), the banded butterfly (Chelmon rostratus), the
Copper Banded Butterfly (Chaetodon lunula) and the Black Lipped Butterfly (Chaetodon kleinii). The shrimp are your best bet, as the butterfly fish tend to have problems in captivity and can get rather large. There is also an
aiptasia munching
nudibranch (sea slug) (Berghia Verrucicornis) that would work, but they too have their "problems" in captivity; to include pump intakes, overflows etc.
Your best bet is to keep peppermint shrimp and for the larger
aiptasia that the shrimp don't eat, use Joe's Juice or your own paste mixed of
kalk and
RO/DI water.
They THRIVE in nutrient rich tanks. Overfeeding your charges will most certainly aid in thier spreading. Keep that in mind if you tend to "broadcast" feed a lot of foodstuffs.
Dave
