New acropora bug resitant to any dip interceptor flatworm exit,

Reef Solution · Jan 6, 2018

Ok i find a new terror i have tested many dip, Revive, iodine, flatworm exit, potassium noting touch it
even at lethal dose to coral. i also try Interceptor niet, i was to tear down the tank and garbage the coral so i remove badly infected colony and put them with peppermint shrimp to my surprise pep have to eat the bug in a couple hour it was completely bug free so i toughs i win adding tons of peppermint to the tank they clear all my coral of the bug. 4 month have past today to my surprise another colonie infected those baster were only active at night but learn peppermint shrimp was eating them so now they only go out during the day when Pep are sleeping. Anyone have a clue what those sucker are as they are very bad and will eat a nice SPS in a matter of a couple day

Reef Solution · Jan 6, 2018

here a closeup a video is comming

Reef Solution · Jan 6, 2018

here a closeup a video is comming

Maritimer · Jan 6, 2018

These look like a planarian or flatworm of some sort.

My own peppermint shrimp are at their most active during the darkest hours.

#reefsquad, @KJ - have you seen their like before?

~Bruce

Mal11224 · Jan 6, 2018

Definitely looks like AEFW. Plenty of eggs too. May need to move the coral/colony to a quarantine and treat. Check your other acros as well.

Reef Solution · Jan 6, 2018

Have you ever see AEFW? this have noting to do with AEFW. I see some called black bug bit there mostly noting on them

KJ · Jan 7, 2018

@Tahoe61

miyags · Jan 7, 2018

How about a six line wrasse.Did you try a Bayer dip?

kireek · Jan 7, 2018

Mal11224 said:
Definitely looks like AEFW. Plenty of eggs too. May need to move the coral/colony to a quarantine and treat. Check your other acros as well.

I agree.This looks like a really bad case of Acropora Eating flat worms.A truly awful pest to deal with.

Zagreus · Jan 7, 2018

Reef Solution said:
Have you ever see AEFW? this have noting to do with AEFW. I see some called black bug bit there mostly noting on them

Easy Reef Solution, please give people a chance to help you. There some very very experienced people giving you feedback and asking there friends on your behalf for help as well. I know you are in a very difficult and stressful situation now and how heartbreaking it is to loose what you have built for so long. But try to give people who have 5, 10, 20 even more years of experience the respect they deserve in trying to help you.

KJ · Jan 7, 2018

Looks more like pods on dead skeleton with hatched and unhatched acropora eating flatworm eggs.

Reef Solution · Jan 9, 2018

Guy I appreciate you input i know im new member her so maybe look like a newbe but member on RC since 2000 and 25 years in that hobby im one of the first guy on reef central to bring AEFW in picture in 2001 and even found a dip to get rid of them, i have seem about almost all possible pest in my life AEFW, red bug, gorilla crab.... i have culture copepod and grow mostly any coral possible and im telling this is not AEFW and it is not copepod it dont do any bite mark and kill from the base to tip and it is eating acropora at a rate you can't even imagine. AEFW egg are smaller and mostly all in grape those are not layout in the same patern and are not AEFW.

Reef Solution · Jan 9, 2018

miyags said:
How about a six line wrasse.Did you try a Bayer dip?

2x six line wrasse and 4x dragon pipefish are my next try i have them comming tomorrow but im afraid my mystery wrasse will kill it he is very agressive on wrasse that why i will try 2x i have better chance one make it. Bayer no can't find it in Canada and the tank is 500 gallon filled with SPS so im trying to find predator for now or another cure. Pepermith shrimp have work on them until those baster decide to only came out during the day.

Sabellafella · Jan 9, 2018

Reef Solution said:
Guy I appreciate you input i know im new member her so maybe look like a newbe but member on RC since 2000 and 25 years in that hobby im one of the first guy on reef central to bring AEFW in picture in 2001 and even found a dip to get rid of them, i have seem about almost all possible pest in my life AEFW, red bug, gorilla crab.... i have culture copepod and grow mostly any coral possible and im telling this is not AEFW and it is not copepod it dont do any bite mark and kill from the base to tip and it is eating acropora at a rate you can't even imagine. AEFW egg are smaller and mostly all in grape those are not layout in the same patern and are not AEFW.

These are for sure not aefws. Try using bayer or even prazipro as a dip.

Reef Solution · Jan 9, 2018

Dip for now is last resort all the coral there have been dipp multiple time and try many ting before but noting was touching them.

Daltrey · Jan 9, 2018

If you can't get bayer then use coral rx pro. I dip for 15 minutes.

Reef Solution · Jan 9, 2018

Unfortunately coral RX dont touch them

Daltrey · Jan 9, 2018

Well then try a flamethrower or bring the water in your tank to a rolling boil.

Gareth elliott · Jan 9, 2018

Perhaps praziquantel or fenbendazole? These are traditionally used as deworming in canines and felines. But the mode of action in both would work for marine flatworms.

praziquantel is the active ingredient in prazipro, mentioned above, works by paralysis, has no effect on eggs. Would need to be treated in conjunction with knowing the life cycle of the worm in question. If take x days to hatch, need to reapply every x+1 or 2 days. Studies have shown flatworms capable of finding food within hours of hatching, but do not reach reproduction maturity till y days. Y has been shown to decrease in low food environments. So treatment should be done shortly after hatching to ensure generation 3 or 4 are removed from the equation. X for any given species might vary, might require purposely incubating to determine yours.