Eradicating acropora eating flatworm AEFW
- Thread starter ACTreef
- Start date
- Tagged users None
ihavecrabs
2500 Club Member
I won this battle a few years back. I was lucky in the sense I caught the AEFW early and I was able to remove the acropora from the tank to dip. I had to kill a small amount or encrusting acro on the live rock.
Once I did that I kept the acros on a rack in the display and dipped weekly for 6 weeks in Bayer. Rinsed twice in two separate containers with tank water and returned them to the display.
If you have an established tank, I'd recommend starting a frag system, frag each coral for a back up, and then tackle your main (either by attempting to treat or maintain.)
Good luck.
Once I did that I kept the acros on a rack in the display and dipped weekly for 6 weeks in Bayer. Rinsed twice in two separate containers with tank water and returned them to the display.
If you have an established tank, I'd recommend starting a frag system, frag each coral for a back up, and then tackle your main (either by attempting to treat or maintain.)
Good luck.
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
If you have AEFW you can maintain it for awhile by basting or using flatworms stop but eventually it will take its toll on your tank and ultimately crash your tank and ruin the fun in the hobby. I don't believe it can be maintained long term and you'll never spend the money on adding new sps frags. The lifecycles that others have posted is excellent and spot on so reading about others experience is very helpful. How many acros in your tank and do you know how many are infected? If you can identify the acros that are infested get rid of them. If you don't have a QT tank setup setting one up in a day or two is worst then adding SPS to display after a few days of setup. Depending on how many corals are infected you may have to move all acros to a frag rack and cleaning the rockscape of acro and dipping for a month should work as freshly hatched eggs will starve out in 24 hours and won't make it up the glass. Adding expoxy to the acros on the rock should kill the remaining acro and cover any eggs or flatworms already there. Dip the rack in bayers every 5 days you will break the lifecycle. If you've not yet had success growing SPS in your display tank then having success with them in a QT will be that much more difficult, so I vote for in-tank dipping treatment over any basting or flatworm medicine that just is a temporary solution. If possible setup a QT tank that you can use now and forever for any new SPS addition, its surpising how many vendors carry pest these days, I won't risk it anymore QT tank for 2-3 months
Three to four months if you are diligent. I never had a side effect with KZ Flatworm Stop. @BoomCorals is using it everyday as well...last I heard, he has no issues either.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2670592
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2670592
BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
I did an initial test on an infested small colony I received from someone, in a small QT system that was basically live rock, an anemone, snails, and a fish. I used a quadruple dose of FWS. After 4 weeks the eggs and flatworms were gone. After 8 weeks still nothing. Now it’s about 11 weeks and the acro remains aefw free and has grown considerably. I run a double dose of FWS in my QT now just because it helps anything that other dips might miss, and the acros seem to like it. It’s just another part of my QT safety routine now.
From what others have said running a double dose for at least 4 months should have good results and eventually eradicate them. It’s not cheap though.
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
Thats great testing results!!! Whats in FWS that helps them stop and why so many so so results? My guess its just a matter of time used, amount of infestation, or people stopping too soon. Anyways its the reefers who test and share at the end of the day that will make these pest easy to eradicate and ultimately we'll find a new pest to deal with - ive heard of these black bugs :mad:
Rispa
Valuable Member
Had anyone thought about having two qt tanks and removing the whole rack to vdip, then transferring frag rack to the 2nd tank, dumping everything in the first tank and letting it dry in the sun then repeating the process? More work, but it should be kill the ones that weren't dipped and kill eggs if they lay them off the rack.
Sallstrom
2500 Club Member
We will try this at work(small public aquarium). Have bought a 20um filter and will start clean tanks with filtered aquarium water(same system as the corals were in before the dip) where we will put the dipped coral(just living tissue, no LR or plug). Havn't decided yet the whole procedure, we'll have to figure it out as we go :)
Plan is to move all our corals to frag tanks during a rebuild of our whole aquarium building. Around 40000 litres of coral tanks will be shut down and the corals will be moved to smaller frag tanks. Will take some time :D
/ David
Wormwood is the supposed ingredient in Flatworm Stop, but nobody knows for sure. Boom also has noticed elevated levels of iodine in his frag tanks (not awful, but still elevated), so there could be some iodine in there too, but no idea which kind.
I just mixed up 2 liters of wormwood solution. I am going to dose it to my frag tank. I do not have AEFW, so this is more to see if the stuff is reef safe. If so, then maybe somebody can try it on a AEFW infested tank.
Just remember than any worm can survive a dip or two and hang on when basting... maybe not for more than that, but this is why it is so important to keep on dipping or wait-out the lifecycle. Life finds a way, so be diligent.
I just mixed up 2 liters of wormwood solution. I am going to dose it to my frag tank. I do not have AEFW, so this is more to see if the stuff is reef safe. If so, then maybe somebody can try it on a AEFW infested tank.
Just remember than any worm can survive a dip or two and hang on when basting... maybe not for more than that, but this is why it is so important to keep on dipping or wait-out the lifecycle. Life finds a way, so be diligent.
BoomCorals
2500 Club Member
Since I get stuff in reguarly and it goes into my QT system I'm happy to test wormwood next time I find these little buggers on a shipment.
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
This just had me thinking I also have elevated Iodine 0.09 even after stopping lugols 6 months back. Never thought of this until I read your post but I use a lot of aiptasia X. Do you know if this also contains Iodine and contribute to my levels always testing above 0.09 (red sea and icp test)
mclark452
Community Member
As far as I can tell, and this is just my opinion, AiptasiaX is nothing more than Kalk paste with a pretty purple dye.
We don't have to pray. This works. Theirs probably will too.
Similar threads
