AEFW experiments and study
- Thread starter tektite
- Start date
dadummy
Active member
yea I almost bought it myself but was reluctant. Even with QT I managed to introduce them back into the system, unless I never fully eradicated them. Been battling them for years now.
Are you dipping smooth skin in the Bayer at that dose? I have a few echinata, carduss colonies, haven't seen any bite marks or eggs so haven't dipped them.
I am using Revive. It has been a few weeks of consistent dipping, and the plan is to keep it going this time. Have a 150g set back up with all dry rock, and a frag tank loaded down with acro. Will shoot myself if I get AEFW in the new system lol
dadummy
Active member
FWIW Bayer doesn't kill them either or at least the ones I have. Sure they curl up and do the death roll, however remove them from the dip, put them back in tank water and they uncurl and cruise around.
I never got rid of them this time because I get burnt out on spending a few hours every week dipping coral and slack off
I never got rid of them this time because I get burnt out on spending a few hours every week dipping coral and slack off
dadummy
Active member
I don't care if it kills them, as long as they come off, garbage disposal kills them for sure lol
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2374413
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2374413
I have found some aefw on some of my acros.
I have about 300 frags/colonies in a 600 gal system and I have noticed two things:
- I did not found any aefw on any of the colonies hosting a trapezia crab. I also close inspected them and couldn't spot any egg.
- All this acros sit on big eggcrate trays with no sand or rock, I keep everything squeaky clean and the distance between them is about 1", so they sit very close one to each other, something that could facilitate aefw propagation. Acros are lined up in species rows: milleporas, microclados, formosas, carduus...
The odd thing is that infection affects only to some species (a whole row completely affected while adjacent ones unaffected). I found many aefw on thick branched and little hairy and slimy ones such as formosas and none on slimy ones such as Bali Green Slimmer or hairy ones such as milleporas and prostratas.
I have about 300 frags/colonies in a 600 gal system and I have noticed two things:
- I did not found any aefw on any of the colonies hosting a trapezia crab. I also close inspected them and couldn't spot any egg.
- All this acros sit on big eggcrate trays with no sand or rock, I keep everything squeaky clean and the distance between them is about 1", so they sit very close one to each other, something that could facilitate aefw propagation. Acros are lined up in species rows: milleporas, microclados, formosas, carduus...
The odd thing is that infection affects only to some species (a whole row completely affected while adjacent ones unaffected). I found many aefw on thick branched and little hairy and slimy ones such as formosas and none on slimy ones such as Bali Green Slimmer or hairy ones such as milleporas and prostratas.
rovster
New member
I did the prohibit in tank treatment and it worked so far. I'm at least 8 months out I think. That said, my tank was bare bottom and I did a tank transfer after the last treatment. I did not notice any negative effects. I would be more cautious in a tank with a sand bed or DSB, or a ton of rock because the potential for massive collateral die off is much higher. I also participated in the other thread mentioned above.
JPMagyar
New member
Any updates and did you have a chance to repeat this simple element of the experiment? Knowing that juveniles die in 24 hours with no food source seems really important and simple. That plus the length of time needed for eggs to hatch is how long a system would need to be acropora free. It doesn't seem like it's a long time.
Tragically I thought I had beat these guys by using Bayer to dip every coral in my tank and take out all my live rock. I believe it did work, but my mistake came when I assumed that Coral Revive could kill AEFW, and now I realize it does not. One of the colonies I lost was Red Dragon so I bought a frag dipped it in Coral Revive for 3 minutes and put it in my tank. Two months later I found AEFW on the colony. So far now worms on any other colonies, but I suspect once in a tank with acros they are likely impossible to eradicate without removing all the acros and starting over.
Sigh . . .
beadlocked450r
New member
Is it possible to keep them contained in a frag tank only and not the dt?
reef bloke
Member
Two years into the study and no real data yet???
There was a set back. last i read into this.
https://experiment.com/projects/the-life-cycle-of-a-coral-killer-the-acropora-eating-flatworm
sad no update has been posted. Granted I now one cant rush research but its been a while.
https://experiment.com/projects/the-life-cycle-of-a-coral-killer-the-acropora-eating-flatworm
sad no update has been posted. Granted I now one cant rush research but its been a while.
SoloGarth
New member
If you look at the page you can find updates:
Summer news from the AEFW tank.... a 'happy' accident?
Kate Rawlinson Kate Rawlinson
8 porsaeo Clearwater zatyr Denny Luan bebow Ozarksreef Pepa robertd_johnson Pete Orsaeo, Gary Wilkinson, André M. Fagerlid, Denny Luan, Bob Bowman, OzarksReef, Josef Barak, and Robert Johnson like this
Cat has had an frustrating, but potentially exciting, time of late. The currently planned AEFW life cycle experiments have been delayed because of that, but this delay may prove to be amazing.
She had the AEFW population up and ready for new life cycle experiments when they suddenly all died off. This was despite there being many healthy host corals in the tank! This was an extremely unexpected event, and we have begun researching why this might have happened. While this is slowing down our planned experiments, we might have accidentally stumbled across a potential reef safe in-tank treatment.
We're not going to say anymore at this point as we want to see if we can repeat this 'accidental' die off of AEFW.
Cat is restocking her Acropora with AEFW right now, and once the population has regrown we will continue with both the life cycle experiments and the potential AEFW treatment as well.
We will keep you posted.
Kate & Cat
Summer news from the AEFW tank.... a 'happy' accident?
Kate Rawlinson Kate Rawlinson
8 porsaeo Clearwater zatyr Denny Luan bebow Ozarksreef Pepa robertd_johnson Pete Orsaeo, Gary Wilkinson, André M. Fagerlid, Denny Luan, Bob Bowman, OzarksReef, Josef Barak, and Robert Johnson like this
Cat has had an frustrating, but potentially exciting, time of late. The currently planned AEFW life cycle experiments have been delayed because of that, but this delay may prove to be amazing.
She had the AEFW population up and ready for new life cycle experiments when they suddenly all died off. This was despite there being many healthy host corals in the tank! This was an extremely unexpected event, and we have begun researching why this might have happened. While this is slowing down our planned experiments, we might have accidentally stumbled across a potential reef safe in-tank treatment.
We're not going to say anymore at this point as we want to see if we can repeat this 'accidental' die off of AEFW.
Cat is restocking her Acropora with AEFW right now, and once the population has regrown we will continue with both the life cycle experiments and the potential AEFW treatment as well.
We will keep you posted.
Kate & Cat
