Can Aiptasia disappear on there own?

[Pinkfish]

Can Aiptasia disappear on there own? or does something have toeat them ??

I ask because I have Aiptasia in my tank and then when lights are out the following day there gone, they regrow in the same area but different spot and then this whole process repeats itself.

Any ideas ?

Mike

[Tangman]

Hi Mike. Aiptasia can and do move all over the tank as they are from the anemome famliy, they never go on there own accord but if you annoy them they will reproduce and you will have hundreds. If you have a fish only system its easy to get rid of them just put a racoon butterfly in and it will eat them. If you have a reef system its a bit harder as you have either to put in Peppermint shrimps or kill them with Kalk or some other remedy. HTH. Eric

[Pinkfish]

Sorry what I ment was for example, last nite before lights out I had 3 large Aiptasia and now this morning at lights on, there is only 1 small Aiptasia left.

The 3 large ones are no where to be seen.
The area where they grow is just above where my Mythrax crab lives so Im thinking hes snacking on them through the night.

Mike

[callum_parsons]

what other fish and inverts so you have in your tank?

[MR Teee]

Sorry what I ment was for example, last nite before lights out I had 3 large Aiptasia and now this morning at lights on, there is only 1 small Aiptasia left.

The 3 large ones are no where to be seen.
The area where they grow is just above where my Mythrax crab lives so Im thinking hes snacking on them through the night.

Mike

I doubt it is the crab eating them:eek: Not a very tasty meal IMO.

Maybe the crab is walking over them causing them to retract into the rock?
Do you eventually see them again in the same place a few days later.

Als, as they are anemones it might be possible that they are detachin themselves and moving around using the water flow to move them. If this is the case I would be looking at a method of getting rid of them pretty quickly. HTH

[Pinkfish]

No I only have Aiptasia in one location in the tank and they dont come back. Just regrow from small form a few cm away.

Mike

[Pinkfish]

what other fish and inverts so you have in your tank?

I have in my tank -
2 Yellowhead Jawfish,
2 Pyjama Cardinals
1 Salfin Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Regal Tang
1 Firefish
2 Clowns
1 Scooter Bleenie
1 Fairy Wrasse
1 Strawberry Gramma

30 Hermits
30 Snails of one type or another
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Mythax Crab
6 other unidentified crabs - freeloaders 1 and a half cm in size

Anything here that may be munching on them ?

[Tangman]

Hi Mike I would not have thought anything you have there will eat them, there is only Butterfly fish and Peppermint shrimps that eat them as far as i know so its a mystery. You will have to do a bit of tank watching to see if you can find out whats taking them.:) Eric