AEFW experiments and study
- Thread starter tektite
- Start date
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
Is there any possibility to establish whether there is any connection between AEFW's and Redbugs?
I ask because many reefkeepers reported AEFW infestation immediately following a Redbug eradication process; thereby thinking that the Redbugs controlled the already present AEFW population.
I ask because many reefkeepers reported AEFW infestation immediately following a Redbug eradication process; thereby thinking that the Redbugs controlled the already present AEFW population.
trueblackpercula
New member
So now that your back up and running what is your first method of eradication of them? Will it be a dip or a full in tank treatment?
tektite
I never finish anyth
Ouch, not a theory I want to test lol. If AEFW were eradicated after getting red bugs, that'd be something to look into! Wish it worked like that, as red bugs seem much easier to get rid of than AEFW.
tektite
I never finish anyth
I'm still letting the AEFW population build in the AEFW system, I didn't start with many as I wanted the corals to adapt to the new tank before they played host to AEFW. When I do eventually start experiments on killing them, I'll be testing dips first. Hopefully with the information we learn about them from upcoming experiments we can figure out an in-tank treatment for them. At the moment there's non other than levimasole, and the number of people who report major coral loss after a month or so of dosing is not encouraging.
trueblackpercula
New member
Has anyone thought about using praziquantel????
Atomikk
SPS OG
HA! Glad you asked this question. About a year ago I was going through my battle with AEFWs. I setup a proper QT and was trying to get rid of the worms through the addition of the Flatworm Stop product. By chance, I discovered that I had also introduced red bugs into the QT. While continuing with the addition of Flatworm Stop I noticed that the red bug population was increasing. At one point every acropora had red bugs on their branches. After I let the red bugs reach a certain population level, I dosed the now scarce Interceptor de-wormer. After 3 doses and water changes, all of the red bugs were gone. To my surprise, about 80-90 % of the AEFW were too. After I finished the Flatworm Stop protocol, the worm population was extinct. Confirmed this through varying dipping methods.
Could have the product Flatworm Stop eliminated the worms all by itself? I don't presume so. It wasn't a product that acted very quickly in aiding the process of eliminating the worms. What it did do is allow the healing capabilities of acroporas to be accelerated.
I personally think that the red bugs were fighting with the worms for the same food source and tried to eliminate them from the food chain.
Some food for thought from my experiences with them.
trueblackpercula
New member
Well here is an idea that if you can and don't laugh please at me just asking here. Can you take some fresh lemon juice draw in in a syringe and spray it over a single AEFW to see what happens? I just learned that the lemon juice kills aptasia anemones, so I tried it and it works like a charm better then marketed products.
Just a thought. I would try it but I don't have worms.
Just a thought. I would try it but I don't have worms.
tektite
I never finish anyth
LOL! Well, as it just so happens, I have some extra AEFW in my sump that went wandering from their host corals and are parked out on the glass, and some fresh lemon juice in the fridge from my lemon tree...now whether or not SPS would be OK with an acidic dip like that is the pertinent question.
tektite
I never finish anyth
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I had actually wondered in the past why it never seemed that people had AEFW and red bugs together, despite them both being fairly common pests. I guess I know why now.
prop-frags
SPS Slave
The linkage between red bug infestation, red bug eradication, and AEFW infestation has been raised in several forums I've read. These interactions are complex, and the speculation about them is highly subjective and non-scientific. I haven't performed any kind of controlled experimentation (nor am I aware of any), but I do suspect that systemic treatment of red bugs (interceptor, milbemycin oxime) plays an important role in the symptoms that some people are reporting. I used to treat systemically with milbemycin oxime, but stopped doing that several years ago after seeing some concerning side effects and suspected long-term negative effects to our reef. In short, I don't think we fully understand the interactions between red bugs and AEFW, let alone the systemic poisoning of red bugs and what that does relative to encouraging or discouraging AEFW populations. I certainly think it is worth looking into at some point.
Great! And I'm getting ready to treat my tank in a few days for red bugs, followed by 2 weekly treatments. I also suspect AEfw but can't confirm it.
Bruce Leroy
New member
If you go back over the old posts when the new treatment for Red Bugs was Developed using Interceptor, it was shortly after that the Flatworms or AEFW seemed to explode out of nowhere.
Almost unheard of before this.
Almost unheard of before this.
trueblackpercula
New member
I would suspect that what ever importer most Sps come from has infected the hobby trade with red bugs and AEFW in one shot. Most pieces are held in the same holding tanks so red bugs and aefw are in the same areas. I do think it's anything more then that.
