AEFW-Plan and Attack!

Discussion in 'Coral Diseases' started by dowtish, Nov 27, 2012.

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  1. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    Well unfortunately I have discovered that I am a victim of one of the worst pests you can battle. AEFW, Acropora Eating Flat Worms.

    I will say first off, I dipped every single coral I have ever put into my tank. But unfortunately all coral dips do nothing for AEFW eggs. I have used coral Rx for everything, until recently reading about using a insecticide made by Bayer. I have used this dip now for the last 6-8 months, and the results speak for themselves.

    I was lucky enough to have just upgraded my sump and skimmer on my DT, so I am using the old sump and skimmer on my new QT. The plan is to pull all Acros from the tank, desrtoy any encrustation on any rock, and put all the Acros in my QT for 8 weeks. Dipping once every 7 days. AEFW will starve and die in 5 days without any food source. The gestation period for the eggs is 2 weeks. So during the QT process all living/remaining flatworms will be eradicated from my DT due to starvation. I have already began dipping what acros I can, and have placed them on frag shelfs or racks until the QT was ready.

    Here is the dip I am using. This can be acquired at Lowes for about $12. I use 5-6ml per 1 cup of SW for 10 minutes. I put heavy flow on the coral, and also blast them with a baster at the end. Rinse in clean SW and place back into the tank.

    Warning: This dip is highly toxic to inverts. You will want to rinse each coral very well in clean SW after dipping, but this is no guarantee that it will not kill off your ornamental shrimps and some of your pod population. This is why I highly suggest using a QT.
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    This is what the first dip results looked like. How many AEFW's can you count?!
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    Last edited: Dec 5, 2012
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  3. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    I am using a 36x18x12 tank with a 20L sump. A SWC 160 cone, Ecoplus 396 return pump, and 3 36" ATI's w/12 CREE royal blue combo DIY fixture. I got the stand from a friend and painted it since it would be setup in the spare bedroom, and my mom's is staying for Xmas. ;D

    I got it all plumbed up this past weekend, and have water in it now. Going to transferring everything over tonight. I will keep this thread updated as I go.

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  4. evolved

    evolved Wrasse Freak

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    Did you consider ZeoVit FlatwormStop? Likely not a miracle and mixed results from users so far, but might be useful.
     
  5. ingtar_shinowa

    ingtar_shinowa Giant Squid

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    Ouch. Fight the good fight sir!
     
  6. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    I did consider it, but after reading the mixed reviews I decided to go this route. Simply the time that it takes to even see possible results was too long for me. And it is not a true solution IMO. I might see using the product as a preventative measure, but I'm really not wanting to spend that kind of money on something that isnt truly proven.
    The truth is, my tank is not SPS dominate. It is a mixed reef by all accounts, and to remove all of the acros is not as daunting as it sounds. I really only had 2 rocks that had considerable amounts of encrustation, and those rocks are easily removable from the tank. I am going to get some diamond plated wheels for my dremel, and just remove it that way.
     
  7. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Sorry Chris,

    I can not say I have ever had that particular misery.

    There are many thread on living with them to some degree though.

    Seems if you have the right types of wrasse you can merely turkey baste your coral routinely and the wrasses are able to keep up with the population.

    Pipe fish seem to find AEFW tasty as well.

    Another theory is that RB keep AEFW in check, lovely IMO just what I want one pest to treat another.

    Sounds like you have a good handle on it.

    Best of luck and let us know how it goes please.
     
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  9. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    I got all Acros moved over tonight. Start the clock ....now!

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  10. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    I find the RB theory interesting, because I dipped a few corals a while back for them, no signs of them after, and then this happened with a vengeance. Especially on the corals that had the most bugs, have had the most AEFW.
     
  11. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Hmmm very interesting seriously.
     
  12. dowtish

    dowtish Horrid Stonefish

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    Noticed a little too much sliming on the tips of the colonies laying down on the glass this morning. I will be making some PVC stands for them today after work.