Pest ID please
- Thread starter Hammmerhead
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You are correct Antonias. The wrasses are just there to help clean up the SPS. That's what they do in the wild (one of the things anyway). They prey on these parasites. They cannot be expected to knock down a major infestation. However, they are a good "maintenance" plan once you get the AEFW's under control. Best way to ensure total erradication is to quarantine and dip.
Lugol's would work, yes. Other options would be Revive (Two Little Fishies) or Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure. Revive and Lugol's would likely work best and be the more cost effective options.
I have never used Melafix before so I can't comment on that. I believe that melev's site talks about Melafix - you may want to read his info before starting. There is a lot of good info in there with link to other good reads as well. Give it a look. Hope it helps...
Melevsreef.com - AEFW | Acropora Eating Flatworms
Melevsreef.com - AEFW | Acropora Eating Flatworms
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Hammmerhead
Active Member
Thanks Craig. I have been through Melev's article and several others out there in the past few days trying to digest it all. I found that Melafix kept popping up and some said it wasnt as harsh as TMPCC so I figured I would give it a shot. I have everything moved over now. I pretty much blasted everything really good with a pump I had before I moved it over. I hope the flatworm exit helped them to release easier. I have not found any new bites or damage so I decided to wait a couple days for the corals to acclimate to the tub and watch for new damage.
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Hammmerhead
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I found a new spot on an unbitten acro today and decided to start. It took me an hour to dip them all and they each stayed in for two to three minutes except the frags. I basted and shook them all really well. Everything has held its color so far. I found one live worm in the rinse tank I had setup, but couldnt make anything out of the dip bucket, from all slime and junk in it. I couldnt see anything moving, but I know they can be micro in size. The one I found alive in my rinse bucket I placed in a container with some of the sollution
I had. He slowed down some, but was still alive after an hour.
I had. He slowed down some, but was still alive after an hour.
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Hammmerhead
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Thanks Craig. As long as the corals can handle it, Im going for at least 1 dip a week for the next month and possible longer. Im just concerned about the next few weeks and how the corals handle living in the tub. I used 220ml of the melafix (about half the bottle) for around 5-6 gallons of water. Man, these things are evil!
Bigevill1
Big and Evil
I just re-introduced acros to my tank after letting it sit acro free for 7 weeks to kill off AEFW. All of my old infected colonies ended up dying either from the AEFW or from the treatments I tried. So the stuff in there now is all freshly dipped and new to the system. Heres to hoping they dont come back in my tank and that you manage to rid yourself of them in yours.
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Hammmerhead
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Thanks Big Evil. I am keeping 1/2 inch SPS pieces in my main tank as sacrificial bait. Dont know if it will help, but hopefully this will speed up the elimination of them getting them out with them competing for their "last supper". I have one piece in the tank at a time and remove them every 3 days.
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Hammmerhead
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Found another bite on one coral when I got home after work. It pee'od me pretty bad and I decided to do another dip right then. I mixed up a hotter batch this round and left everything in for 3 minutes and then started basting and swishing the colonies. When it was all said and done the pods and micro brittle stars were not moving in the bottom of the dip bucket. This is the second dip in 3 days. I am hoping to control myself and wait a full week until the next dip, but man it sucks to see new bites on the coral. I added a 6 line to the main tank and he went to work immediately picking around in the AEFW hot spot of the tank. I would say 50 percent of my corals are a 8 on a scale from 1-10 (comparing what they looked like when they were in the main tank) as far as color and visual health goes after the dipping effects. The rest seem like its just another day at the office. Although in my main tank they had a 10K MH anywhere from 18-24 inches above them. My QT tank has a 10K about 3 feet above them which might have a little to do with the color.
ctxmonitor
My Reef Creation
Scary thought on getting infested with AEFW.. Hammer, from all your reading i guess there is no sure way to detect it when you get a frag or something.. cause there might be eggs which you wont see or detect. And what the most useful/basic dip you will do when you introduce any new frags or colonies in your tank?
Revive or TMPCC "may" work as a dip when acclimating to the tank. Althought it would need to be inspected with a good light and magnifying glass to see eggs clusters or small AEFW's. They would need to be basted really well while in the dip as well. Ideally, we would all have a qt tank where we could monitor the acros before introducing them into the display. However, who has the money to do that...lol. You just need to be diligent when acclimating. Most people who find they have AEFW's would have sworn a week earlier that they were pest free. That's what makes it tough. Whether you get them from a close friend or a reputable online vendor, treat all acros as if they have pests before you introduce them into your tank. It only takes on frag to infest the tank and then you've got quite an ordeal on your hands...once you realize you have them, they are well established.
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Hammmerhead
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Soccerbag hit the nail on the head CTX. You just never know without leaving your new piece in a QT tank for a few weeks. There are several dips out there...TMPCC, Iodine, Pig wormer etc. I chose Melafix because it didnt seem to be as hard on the corals as other meds. Granted it will involve more dips than when using other meds, but I have experienced no color loss and very little stress using it. Having said that, If I still have worms 3 weeks from now I will be graduating to something more potent. I am about 10 days into the process and my third dip will come tonight. My bites have decreased, but every single last worm will have to be removed to totally be AEFW free and thats after all the eggs have hatched. Seeing how mean and tough these guys are I am really wondering if I will be able to totally erradicate them without pushing my colonies close to their death.
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Hammmerhead
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I completed the 4th dip last night marking the third week I think. All of the colonies are still looking good. Their colors seem to be holding well against the Melafix considering they are just under one 10K halide. This three weeks (so far) seems like months and the smell of Melafix is not something to look forward to over and over. I have been mixing it slightly stronger than the directions show and I have left some acros in for 5+minutes with no ill effects. I have not seen any new bites on my colonies in about a week and everything is healed as of now. I guess more waiting on possible hatchlings..... I have yet to find any eggs. I suggest mixing larger that normal containers for dipping because you are going to slosh and splash a lot, or at least I have.
Thanks for the update Hammer! Keep us posted. I think this has been a good learning thread thus far. Glad to hear your acros are still looking well.
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