Quarantining for Acropora pests

[alp5747]

I see a lot of people posting about after getting AEFW or red bugs and other acropora pests. But their is not a lot of threads talking about prevention.

I hope I can get some help with the following questions any help would be greatly appreciated.


1. What is the actual probability of getting AWFW on Maricultured acropora any anecdotal number is fine, as I have no idea how probable it is if it’s 1 in 5 or 1 in 100

2. When quarantining acropora do you just observe and if no pests are seen then add to main tank or do you still dip like 2 a week.

3. If you observe AEFW in your quarantine tank do you just throw away that piece and treat the rest or assume that all the acropora has them?

4. What dips do you use when getting AEFW? And how often do you dip? And for how long?

5. If you are getting LPS or other sps (non-acropora) is there a chance that those could carry acropora pests?


Any help to any question would be greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[kartrsu]

I see a lot of people posting about after getting AEFW or red bugs and other acropora pests. But their is not a lot of threads talking about prevention.

I hope I can get some help with the following questions any help would be greatly appreciated.


1. What is the actual probability of getting AWFW on Maricultured acropora any anecdotal number is fine, as I have no idea how probable it is if it’s 1 in 5 or 1 in 100

2. When quarantining acropora do you just observe and if no pests are seen then add to main tank or do you still dip like 2 a week.

3. If you observe AEFW in your quarantine tank do you just throw away that piece and treat the rest or assume that all the acropora has them?

4. What dips do you use when getting AEFW? And how often do you dip? And for how long?

5. If you are getting LPS or other sps (non-acropora) is there a chance that those could carry acropora pests?


Any help to any question would be greatly appreciated, thanks

The short answer is to quarantine in seperate tank and treat as if there were pests. Once something like AEFW gets in, it’s a PITA to deal with. Imagine you are 19/20 on introducing clean acros, and they were growing solidly for a year or two, then you add the 20th frag with AEFW and now it has spread to all your colonies.

The best shortcut is to KCL dip, cut acro above healthy flesh off base, discard base, and then run in a QT with interceptor with 3 weekly treatments for bugs. If the bugs get in, you can do in tank interceptor treatment.

KCL at 2 tbsp per gallon for 10 mins is best for AEFW but not eggs. Repeat weekly dips for 6-8 weeks.

There is a chance that non acros can introduce pests but chance is way low.

 

[alp5747]

The short answer is to quarantine in seperate tank and treat as if there were pests. Once something like AEFW gets in, it’s a PITA to deal with. Imagine you are 19/20 on introducing clean acros, and they were growing solidly for a year or two, then you add the 20th frag with AEFW and now it has spread to all your colonies.

The best shortcut is to KCL dip, cut acro above healthy flesh off base, discard base, and then run in a QT with interceptor with 3 weekly treatments for bugs. If the bugs get in, you can do in tank interceptor treatment.

KCL at 2 tbsp per gallon for 10 mins is best for AEFW but not eggs. Repeat weekly dips for 6-8 weeks.

There is a chance that non acros can introduce pests but chance is way low.

Thanks for the reply

I do have a dedicated quarantine tank running at all times so I have no problem running a long quarantine period. My current approach will be: right after receiving I put them straight into the quarantine as I don’t think the coral can handle a dip after being in transport for 24 hours. Then observe over the following weeks to check for pests. But I am honestly expecting to get AEFW or white bugs or other acro pests so I might dip 2-3 times a week for 8 weeks even if I don’t see signs.

But my other question would be a am also getting some non-acro sps like stylo and pocillopora and I am wondering if i would quarantine them as well or could I just dip them right after they arrive and put them straight into my main system. Could they potentially carry any acropora pests? And would LPS other be able to carry Acropora pests? Keep in mind they are all maricultured.

I really don’t want to add lps to the tank if I can avoid it so that I can have more flow and not have the extra calcium and alkalinity consumption. But I am still concerned about getting acropora pests through the lps and sps. What do you think?

 

[kartrsu]

Thanks for the reply

I do have a dedicated quarantine tank running at all times so I have no problem running a long quarantine period. My current approach will be: right after receiving I put them straight into the quarantine as I don’t think the coral can handle a dip after being in transport for 24 hours. Then observe over the following weeks to check for pests. But I am honestly expecting to get AEFW or white bugs or other acro pests so I might dip 2-3 times a week for 8 weeks even if I don’t see signs.

But my other question would be a am also getting some non-acro sps like stylo and pocillopora and I am wondering if i would quarantine them as well or could I just dip them right after they arrive and put them straight into my main system. Could they potentially carry any acropora pests? And would LPS other be able to carry Acropora pests? Keep in mind they are all maricultured.

I really don’t want to add lps to the tank if I can avoid it so that I can have more flow and not have the extra calcium and alkalinity consumption. But I am still concerned about getting acropora pests through the lps and sps. What do you think?

I don’t think you are likely to introduce acropora pests with LPS or non-acros (anacropora is iffy). A good dip should clean them up. AEFW tend to lay eggs near acros, especially the base, but there could be an odd chance it laid it elsewhere. If there were acro bugs that came in on LPS, interceptor is easy unless you got precious crustaceans.

 

[alp5747]

I don’t think you are likely to introduce acropora pests with LPS or non-acros (anacropora is iffy). A good dip should clean them up. AEFW tend to lay eggs near acros, especially the base, but there could be an odd chance it laid it elsewhere. If there were acro bugs that came in on LPS, interceptor is easy unless you got precious crustaceans.

I know the chance is slim I would guess somewhere around 1 in 200 chance. But I will still not take those chances. Do you think most LPS can take a dip after being in transport for like 24 hours?

 

[kartrsu]

I know the chance is slim I would guess somewhere around 1 in 200 chance. But I will still not take those chances. Do you think most LPS can take a dip after being in transport for like 24 hours?

It depends on the LPS to be honest and the condition of shipment, but generally should be fine. Torches can be more finicky, but something like an acan or meat coral should be fine.

The chance aspect is just hard to put your finger on. Maybe a high volume coral store could tell you, but I suspect it gets lost in the day to day. Perhaps you can ask if the maricultured LPS corals are kept a good distance away from acros in a separate system. That would give me a lot of confidence. If you get non-acro SPS, they might be kept in the same tank as acros.

The risk is likely very low, especially with a dip and a SOLID rinse, but I think an observation period is still worth it since a dip won't eliminate everything. For example, I had digitate hydroids hitchhike in on LPS corals and they just don't go away for me. They sting my acros and the growth stalls out, so it becomes a manual job to remove them.

 

[alp5747]

It depends on the LPS to be honest and the condition of shipment, but generally should be fine. Torches can be more finicky, but something like an acan or meat coral should be fine.

The chance aspect is just hard to put your finger on. Maybe a high volume coral store could tell you, but I suspect it gets lost in the day to day. Perhaps you can ask if the maricultured LPS corals are kept a good distance away from acros in a separate system. That would give me a lot of confidence. If you get non-acro SPS, they might be kept in the same tank as acros.

The risk is likely very low, especially with a dip and a SOLID rinse, but I think an observation period is still worth it since a dip won't eliminate everything. For example, I had digitate hydroids hitchhike in on LPS corals and they just don't go away for me. They sting my acros and the growth stalls out, so it becomes a manual job to remove them.

I also have digitate hydroids in my system but they only appear when I stop using mechanical filtration like filter sock or filter roller, or if I dose insane about of coral food. But when I hooked up my roller mat they disappear.
Interestingly I have 3 tanks hooked up to my sump so the hydroids only appear in the tank with a small turnover rate.

I also wrote to the wholesaler and asked if the LPS is kept in another system so I can be sure no acropora pests are on them. They haven’t answered yet. But I assume they would have separate system with more nutrients in the LPS system