AEFW infestation
- Thread starter kevinpratt823
- Start date
ReeferMedic
Non-member
I see is that you are going to remove each acro and treat one by one. FWIW, the aefw are not always on an acro. They travel from acro to acro via what ever is in between(egg crate, rock, etc). There is a good chance that you will miss some with this method. You really need to treat the whole QT set up all at once, then do a large water change. Sad to say, but it's inevitable that you will lose at least a few acros. I lost 80% four-5 years ago when I had to deal with them. The toughest part is keeping the QT tank stable with out live rock and live sand. You'll likely need a skimmer on the QT also.
OP
OP
kevinpratt823
Non-member
Very good point, Reefermedic, thank you. I cannot afford to miss that one traveling on the eggcrate while I do the dip(you KNOW he will be there). I do have a skimmer running on the cube right now. I will revise my plan. So I remove the rock and treat the whole tank, do you think I can still use the betadine. I could cram everything into one tank for the treatment, then transfer it all to the other tank wich would be full of clean tank water, then reverse the process the following week, what do you think? For some reason I'm avoiding using Levamasole, but maybe I should consider it with this process in mind, more room for error in the dip/bath time I guess. I may end up being able to fit everything in one cube, as I've lost a couple colonies in the firs round of dips. I also think I will do my frags in the 50 gal breeder(frag tank) which is valved off from the system right now, but it would be nice to not have to run another light.
tigerslacrosse4
Reef Addict
Since we are on the topic of flat worms. Do the rust colored flatworms harm corals? I have noticed a decline in some mushrooms and I am still fighting the rust colored ones. Also if I get FW exit can I dose directally into the display (via RODI of course) but can I dump that into the display?
Luckily for me the milli colony and a tricolor and bottle brush frag from you are the only acros I have in my tank ATM. They are still in my tank and I am observing them looking for evidence of the AEFW. So far I haven't seen anything, although I certainly realize that doesn't mean a whole lot. But, all of the edges seem to be growing with no bite marks and I don't see any eggs. I didn't cut the dead part of the milli off (where it was resting on the bottom of your frag tank) and it looks like all around the entire perimeter the tissue is growing undisturbed.
So I'm keeping close watch on it now. To be safe I'll probably go ahead with the 6 week isolation/dip thing, but I'm in no rush.
So I'm keeping close watch on it now. To be safe I'll probably go ahead with the 6 week isolation/dip thing, but I'm in no rush.
NeverlosT
Engineer with a reefing problem
jocko, they are really tough to see with the coral in the tank since it is mostly the nether-regions and underbits that are affected. It might be worth taking a frag out and looking at it under a bright light with a magnifying glass if you have one, to be safe. In fact, if it is just three frags, id just take them out and do a dip and powerhead jet and see what comes off, if nothing, then you are likely in the clear. (oh and do the powerhead rinse/jet into a white bowl, so you can see anything that comes off).
Good luck.
I tried the "more complete" dip procedure last night with some new frags and liked it. Only critters I blew off the frags were some tiny starfish and copepods, looks like the sources of those ones were clean!
Good luck.
I tried the "more complete" dip procedure last night with some new frags and liked it. Only critters I blew off the frags were some tiny starfish and copepods, looks like the sources of those ones were clean!
Last edited:
jayman10134
Non-member
Do blue velvet nudibranch work for the AEFW? They only eat flatworms, I was wondering if they only eat certain kinds of them?
OP
OP
kevinpratt823
Non-member
It depends on what your definition of "works" is. If you mean keep them at bay so they don't wipe out your tank, then maybe.
To me and what I'm looking to do with my corals, these are completely unnacceptable, and I am cutting no corners, leaving no chance whatsoever of them coming back. I need to KNOW that they're gone in order to be comfortable that I have a pest free system.
To me and what I'm looking to do with my corals, these are completely unnacceptable, and I am cutting no corners, leaving no chance whatsoever of them coming back. I need to KNOW that they're gone in order to be comfortable that I have a pest free system.
jayman10134
Non-member
How would they "come back" if as soon as they hatched a nudi was there to eat them. Therefore not allowing them to get to a mature egg laying stage.
OP
OP
kevinpratt823
Non-member
These things lay thousands of eggs, the ammount of nudi's to effectively erradicate them is unrealistic. All it takes is one worm to make it, and with about 300lbs of rock to hide in, he's got a pretty good shot. I want to know that there aren't any left. If you have eggs laid in just a few spots, I don't think the nudis sit and wait for them to hatch, they're traveling the tank hunting.
ReeferMedic
Non-member
The biggest problem you'll have is keeping the QT. Even if you could somehow use LR in the QT, the betadine would kill off anything beneficial any way. I couldn't do it and watched a few grand worth of acros die slowly over the course os a few months. It $ucks, but I don't see any other choice. I am glad I did it though. I wouldn't be able to be one of the reefers that lives with them. I was able to save small frags off the tips of some of the acros, but most I had to find all over again. And, yes, betadine will work ime/imo, you'll just have to use more of it.
Chuck Spyropulos
Non-member
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I lost 300 gallons of Acros to these pests. Now I have a permanent separate QT system in which I place all new comers. They are treated periodically throughout the QT period with betadine (outside the QT then they are placed back for further waiting and inspection) and kept in QT for a few months. I also treat my QT with Interceptor.
There IS another option. Turkey baste the crap out of your acros and get as many wrasses as you can in your system. I actually used a small power-head tie-wrapped to a piece of PVC pipe. I ALMOST beat them this way....but in the end I lost everything and went with a fallow tank for months before adding new acros to insure complete eradication of these reef tank locusts!
There IS another option. Turkey baste the crap out of your acros and get as many wrasses as you can in your system. I actually used a small power-head tie-wrapped to a piece of PVC pipe. I ALMOST beat them this way....but in the end I lost everything and went with a fallow tank for months before adding new acros to insure complete eradication of these reef tank locusts!
Last edited:
OP
OP
kevinpratt823
Non-member
Still figuring out this borrowed computer, but these were taken last weekend. Eggs were in the frag tank(empty now), and the frag was alive but receded a bit, it sat in cold treated water overnight and completely died.
ReeferMedic
Non-member
A few years back, I placed a few aefw in a plastic cup with some tank water and left them outside for a few hours. This was during winter time and the temp outside was about 20 degrees iirc. I then brought the cup inside. The aefw began moving around again after the water warmed up a bit. The water was very close to freezing temp when I brought it back into the house. They are tough little pests.
deadskunk
Non-member
most thanks for this thread im a noob and now im looking at the "PEST FREE "live rock i purchased under magnification..ill need to google a bit but i found some tenticle things or thin clear arms comming from a sand made lil tube about 1/4 inch. usually 1 or 2 arms(tenticles) per tube ,
and a second kind in a tube 1/4 inch long 1/16th inch around but these have 4 or so tenticles and are tiger striped looking black grey white alternating..any ideas as i just got all on one new rock.
.i see only the one(1) single 4 tenticle thing on the rest of all the rock.any help thank you ..skunk.. i go now to google to find pictures of your worms
thanks again for this thread and all the great info..
......ps.... i wonder of the use of a uv light on specific spots by the adaptation of a 9w light out of its housing..........
and a second kind in a tube 1/4 inch long 1/16th inch around but these have 4 or so tenticles and are tiger striped looking black grey white alternating..any ideas as i just got all on one new rock.
.i see only the one(1) single 4 tenticle thing on the rest of all the rock.any help thank you ..skunk.. i go now to google to find pictures of your worms
thanks again for this thread and all the great info..
......ps.... i wonder of the use of a uv light on specific spots by the adaptation of a 9w light out of its housing..........
OP
OP
kevinpratt823
Non-member
Skunk, it sounds like you're describing normal, harmless life coming out of your rocks. Tubeworms and maybe little serpent stars or something. I don't think you need to worry.
But since this thread is back, her's an update:
My last of 3 rounds of dips was 2 weekends ago, the corals that survived are starting to bounce back and show some color. The corals that didn't make it or were discarded after they receded too far(about half of my acros) are dead in a bucket. I would say that the corals that had been in captivity for some time(aquacultured, and from other hobbyists) had a much better survival rate than any of my wild colonies, or even maricultured ones for that matter. Out of about 90 acros, only 3 of them had visible worms come off, and only in the first round of dips. My display system has been acro free for over 4 weeks now, and I'm going to keep it that way for AT LEAST another month, and even then, when I introduce acros, they will be new ones, as the others will remain in QT for observation for a couple more months.
A couple pics:
155 DT, Acro Free, lots more LPS!
Acro QT tank, bucket of paperweights
But since this thread is back, her's an update:
My last of 3 rounds of dips was 2 weekends ago, the corals that survived are starting to bounce back and show some color. The corals that didn't make it or were discarded after they receded too far(about half of my acros) are dead in a bucket. I would say that the corals that had been in captivity for some time(aquacultured, and from other hobbyists) had a much better survival rate than any of my wild colonies, or even maricultured ones for that matter. Out of about 90 acros, only 3 of them had visible worms come off, and only in the first round of dips. My display system has been acro free for over 4 weeks now, and I'm going to keep it that way for AT LEAST another month, and even then, when I introduce acros, they will be new ones, as the others will remain in QT for observation for a couple more months.
A couple pics:
155 DT, Acro Free, lots more LPS!
Acro QT tank, bucket of paperweights
I have those guys. As far as I can tell they don't cause any damage. Someone correct me if they know otherwise. My population is starting to decline. Your system will go through various "blooms" of life as it matures. Since my tank first got live rock last October, I've had bristleworm blooms (including swarms of little babies swimming around in the water at night), pod blooms and a flatworm bloom. But those populations are starting to level out now. I wouldn't freak about about them unless its been at least a couple of months and the population never lets up.
And as long as you don't have any acropora for a couple of months (which you shouldn't at this point anyhow), you'll know there are no AEFW in your tank because they would have long since starved. So from there it's just a matter of using what you've learned from this thread to keep them from getting in to your system in the future.
And as long as you don't have any acropora for a couple of months (which you shouldn't at this point anyhow), you'll know there are no AEFW in your tank because they would have long since starved. So from there it's just a matter of using what you've learned from this thread to keep them from getting in to your system in the future.
