new to RAMF, howdy all...info and a question

Hello,
Name's Paul and I have a 75 gal. modified Berlin setup.
Tanks's been established about 18 months now, doing well.
I seemed to have picked up an Aipitasia bloom that's turning into a
colony in one corner of my tank. I'd like to get a copper banded
butterfly to take out the unwanted anemonies but have an established
feather duster tube worm colony that's my wife's favorite "attraction"
and am afraid the cbb will attack the feathers after dining on the Aip.

Are there any online or mailorder suppliers of nudibranches?
I'm thinking of trying that route but my LFS's don't carry them.
I tried some peppermint shrimp but unfortunately they ended up as food
for the Reef lobster that's the scourge of the tank (he's coming out
when I get the urge to rip apart my rock structures)
Any ideas?
thanks...Paul in Stoughton,WI

"Paul Schnettler" wrote in message
...
Hello,
Name's Paul and I have a 75 gal. modified Berlin setup.
Tanks's been established about 18 months now, doing well.
I seemed to have picked up an Aipitasia bloom that's turning into a
colony in one corner of my tank. I'd like to get a copper banded
butterfly to take out the unwanted anemonies but have an established
feather duster tube worm colony that's my wife's favorite "attraction"
and am afraid the cbb will attack the feathers after dining on the Aip.

Are there any online or mailorder suppliers of nudibranches?
I'm thinking of trying that route but my LFS's don't carry them.
I tried some peppermint shrimp but unfortunately they ended up as food
for the Reef lobster that's the scourge of the tank (he's coming out
when I get the urge to rip apart my rock structures)
Any ideas?
thanks...Paul in Stoughton,WI


If you didn't know, the nudibranch that feasts on aiptasia? The only thing
it eats is aiptasia, so once your aiptasia is gone, the nudibranch will
starve to death. Not a nice way to go, eh?

Just thought you might like to know.

hth

--
Harald
130 g Skimmerless SW Tank
290 pound 6" DSB
70 lbs LR
3 B/G Chromis, 1 Tomato Clown, 1 Lawnmower Blenny, 1 Flame Angel, 1 Foxface.

20 gal Skimmerless SW Nano
80 lbs/6" DSB
31 lbs LR, 1 - 3-Striped damsel, 1 Blue Devil, 1 sm. Tang

I've been pondering that dilemma, my LFS has a bunch of Aiptasia
problems...which is where I'm sure I got the critters.
Water issues aside, there's a good chance the nudibranch could find it's
way into 4 or 5 other reef's that are currently inoculated with
Aiptasia. It's not a good solution...best one is to setup a 20 gal.
quarantine tank and put my feather dusters in there for a while and then
try to find a friend willing to lend me a Copperbanded or Raccoon
butterfly to act a cleaning crew. Only prob. I've got a pretty agressive
yellow tang that I wouldn't like to stress the CBB with.
Some of the Aiptasia are 1in. in diameter and 3-4in stalks...too big for
the peppermints to attack and then they end up as food for my reef lobster.
Quite a quandry I've gotten myself into!
thanks for the reply though.

Harald wrote:
"Paul Schnettler" wrote in message
...

Hello,
Name's Paul and I have a 75 gal. modified Berlin setup.
Tanks's been established about 18 months now, doing well.
I seemed to have picked up an Aipitasia bloom that's turning into a
colony in one corner of my tank. I'd like to get a copper banded
butterfly to take out the unwanted anemonies but have an established
feather duster tube worm colony that's my wife's favorite "attraction"
and am afraid the cbb will attack the feathers after dining on the Aip.

Are there any online or mailorder suppliers of nudibranches?
I'm thinking of trying that route but my LFS's don't carry them.
I tried some peppermint shrimp but unfortunately they ended up as food
for the Reef lobster that's the scourge of the tank (he's coming out
when I get the urge to rip apart my rock structures)
Any ideas?
thanks...Paul in Stoughton,WI



If you didn't know, the nudibranch that feasts on aiptasia? The only thing
it eats is aiptasia, so once your aiptasia is gone, the nudibranch will
starve to death. Not a nice way to go, eh?

Just thought you might like to know.

hth

"Paul Schnettler" wrote in message
...
I've been pondering that dilemma, my LFS has a bunch of Aiptasia
problems...which is where I'm sure I got the critters.
Water issues aside, there's a good chance the nudibranch could find it's
way into 4 or 5 other reef's that are currently inoculated with
Aiptasia. It's not a good solution...best one is to setup a 20 gal.
quarantine tank and put my feather dusters in there for a while and then
try to find a friend willing to lend me a Copperbanded or Raccoon
butterfly to act a cleaning crew. Only prob. I've got a pretty agressive
yellow tang that I wouldn't like to stress the CBB with.
Some of the Aiptasia are 1in. in diameter and 3-4in stalks...too big for
the peppermints to attack and then they end up as food for my reef
lobster.
Quite a quandry I've gotten myself into!
thanks for the reply though.

You could always set up a quarantine tank strictly for growing aiptasia,
then when the tank is clean, stick the nudibranch in there...



--
Harald
130 g Skimmerless SW Tank
290 lbs/6" DSB
70 lbs LR
3 B/G Chromis, 1 Tomato Clown, 1 Lawnmower Blenny, 1 Flame Angel, 1 Foxface.

20 gal Skimmerless SW Nano
80 lbs/6" DSB
31 lbs LR,
1 - 3-Striped damsel, 1 Blue Devil, 1 sm. Tang

Paul, the problem with the aptasia eating nudis is not so much that they
will die after they eat all the aptasia - it's that they might get blown
away with the current in your tank. If it was to survive you could pimp it
out to other reefers in your area.
If you plan on removing the rock I have a solution for you & with this
method I've never had a re-occurrence of aptasia after removal (no
re-growth). It is non-toxic, but you must not leave the rock in the display
tank when you do the procedure because you will raise your Ph to dangerous
levels.
I'm talking about Sodium Hydroxide in a pelletized form. Get a few
pellets & dissolve them in a minimum amount of water. Until you have a
thick paste You will need a syringe (3cc up to a 10cc) to mix the pellets in
& an 18 gauge needle. Squeeze out one drop per aptasia then dig into rock
with the needle at the site of the aptasia making sure to get all the roots
of the pest. Then rinse in a separate container of Salt water. Make sure you
rinse well because this stuff will continue to melt (yes I said melt) your
rock if not rinsed completely. Then for best results in a tank over-run with
aptasia the cleaned rock should be quarantined so it will not be
re-infected.
Like I said if done properly there will be no re-occurrence since you
are removing the aptasia by boring a small hole where it once lived - there
is nothing left to re-grow.
I know it's too late now but in the future you could quarantine live
rock for at least a few weeks until you can observe what is on it & remove
any nasties or unwanted hitchhikers that you do not want in your tank.
HTH, Steve

"Paul Schnettler" wrote in message
...
I've been pondering that dilemma, my LFS has a bunch of Aiptasia
problems...which is where I'm sure I got the critters.
Water issues aside, there's a good chance the nudibranch could find it's
way into 4 or 5 other reef's that are currently inoculated with
Aiptasia. It's not a good solution...best one is to setup a 20 gal.
quarantine tank and put my feather dusters in there for a while and then
try to find a friend willing to lend me a Copperbanded or Raccoon
butterfly to act a cleaning crew. Only prob. I've got a pretty agressive
yellow tang that I wouldn't like to stress the CBB with.
Some of the Aiptasia are 1in. in diameter and 3-4in stalks...too big for
the peppermints to attack and then they end up as food for my reef
lobster.
Quite a quandry I've gotten myself into!
thanks for the reply though.

Harald wrote:
"Paul Schnettler" wrote in message
...

Hello,
Name's Paul and I have a 75 gal. modified Berlin setup.
Tanks's been established about 18 months now, doing well.
I seemed to have picked up an Aipitasia bloom that's turning into a
colony in one corner of my tank. I'd like to get a copper banded
butterfly to take out the unwanted anemonies but have an established
feather duster tube worm colony that's my wife's favorite "attraction"
and am afraid the cbb will attack the feathers after dining on the Aip.

Are there any online or mailorder suppliers of nudibranches?
I'm thinking of trying that route but my LFS's don't carry them.
I tried some peppermint shrimp but unfortunately they ended up as food
for the Reef lobster that's the scourge of the tank (he's coming out
when I get the urge to rip apart my rock structures)
Any ideas?
thanks...Paul in Stoughton,WI



If you didn't know, the nudibranch that feasts on aiptasia? The only
thing
it eats is aiptasia, so once your aiptasia is gone, the nudibranch will
starve to death. Not a nice way to go, eh?

Just thought you might like to know.

hth