animalkingdom
New member
man those suckers live forever without food...
AEFW experiments and study
- Thread starter tektite
- Start date
trueblackpercula
New member
Is there any algea build up on the inside was of the cubes? May me they eat algea as well when a host acro is not available.
Just throwing ideas at ya.
Just throwing ideas at ya.
trueblackpercula
New member
After 9 days no food something's is keeping them alive. This is a five star thread thanks for all the dedication.
ormet
Just one more frag
Medically speaking, most doctors agree that healthy humans can go up to eight weeks without food as long as they have water.
9 days for a flatworm seems more then reasonable.
trueblackpercula
New member
I Agee, but I was vague with my post. Was I was trying to say is maybe they also feed on algea. I can see how if the inside walls of the holding containers will get a slight build up and maybe they are grazing on that. Just trying to give ideas and suggestions of what could be keeping them alive.
tektite
I never finish anyth
Some polyclad flatworms can live for months with no food. Hopefully AEFW don't live quite that long! AEFW living 9 days with no food doesn't surprise me in the least.
tektite
I never finish anyth
Day 10, Experiment 1 (Nov 14th)
Compartment 1: No change (16 total egg clusters to date), all remaining 5 AEFW present
Compartment 2: No change (10 total egg clusters to date), all remaining 6 AEFW present
Compartment 3: No change (10 total egg clusters to date), all 10 AEFW present
Compartment 4: 6 AEFW dead (1 egg cluster to date), 1 remaining AEFW
Compartment 5: All remaining 5 AEFW dead – compartment empty
Notes:
As of today, all of compartment 5, the smallest AEFW, are dead. They were the 1-2mm group in size. Just 1 remaining AEFW in compartment 4, the 2-4mm size group, the largest of them is the sole survivor. Multiple experiment runs will verify or disprove these results, of the smaller AEFW all dying around days 9-10. The larger AEFW continue to live, but are much much less active at night than when first removed from the Acropora.
Waterchange performed at 10am and 10pm
Compartment 1: No change (16 total egg clusters to date), all remaining 5 AEFW present
Compartment 2: No change (10 total egg clusters to date), all remaining 6 AEFW present
Compartment 3: No change (10 total egg clusters to date), all 10 AEFW present
Compartment 4: 6 AEFW dead (1 egg cluster to date), 1 remaining AEFW
Compartment 5: All remaining 5 AEFW dead – compartment empty
Notes:
As of today, all of compartment 5, the smallest AEFW, are dead. They were the 1-2mm group in size. Just 1 remaining AEFW in compartment 4, the 2-4mm size group, the largest of them is the sole survivor. Multiple experiment runs will verify or disprove these results, of the smaller AEFW all dying around days 9-10. The larger AEFW continue to live, but are much much less active at night than when first removed from the Acropora.
Waterchange performed at 10am and 10pm
tektite
I never finish anyth
Correct.
joao junior
New member
some sps keepers have sucess only blasting acroporas,not eggs but you think i can get free of it with blasting?
tektite
I never finish anyth
Absolutely not. Cleaning the acros of AEFW by powerheads helps the corals, gives them some breathing room and time to recover before becoming reinfested. But you miss just a few AEFW, blow them off for them to return on the currents, tucked too tightly into corners, they survive long enough to lay eggs...most egg clusters are 10-15 eggs or more, each egg containing up to 7 larvae. I've had some AEFW capable of clinging to the acro when blasted hard with a baster 1/2" away from them, no matter what you do there will always be the strong ones that remain on the corals. Blasting can control the AEFW to a point the acros are OK, as long as your tank has no problems. Acros are sensitive enough, add predation to the list and things they could normally live through become deadly.
Outdrsyguy1
New member
This thread is awesome. It's seriously going to be googled for years to come.
If you get bored, you might try and test the theory that the zeovit guys put out involving camel shrimp. Supposedly they put an acro with AEFW in a tank with like 10 camel's and they eat all the eggs and aefw before starting to snack on the coral tissue.
Something about leaving it in there for 30 minutes or so, more than that and they devour the acro.
If you get bored, you might try and test the theory that the zeovit guys put out involving camel shrimp. Supposedly they put an acro with AEFW in a tank with like 10 camel's and they eat all the eggs and aefw before starting to snack on the coral tissue.
Something about leaving it in there for 30 minutes or so, more than that and they devour the acro.
Piper27
I love bengals
I accidentally left my 400w 14k ushio on for 4 days which really hurt all my acros but a few months later they are ok. I think one more day would have basically killed them.
I wonder if there is a type of light that does affect the aefw but not corals. At least in some sort of way, like slowing them down or keeping them hiding longer? Just a thought from someone with no knowledge of the subject (light).
Tektite, are you having luck getting acroporas to keep this experiment going? By the looks of the acros in the background of one of your pics it seems the acros in your tank are really hurting.
I think we need to think of a way to keep the water flowing through the test tanks but keeping the aefw in. Maybe using plumbing pipes with the micron mesh inside to keep the light off of them?
We are all very happy your doing this, but guys I think we should let her update instead of clutter the thread with thank you posts. It's getting hard to read through (at least for me I am slow...).
tektite
I never finish anyth
The continuous light experiment will have to be at much reduced intensity. Trying different light spectrums to see if there's a difference in how the AEFW react in comparison with the potential damage to the acros from the light cycle is a good idea. I'll add it to my list
Unfortunately they are hurting. I don't have many acros and they're all infested and have been for months, and are really showing the strain. I got a few corals from some people on RC this week, I'm also buying a box of acro colonies that should be here on Monday. That'll allow me to have my 2 populations of AEFW and take the strain off the acros.
Any comments on future experiments, observations of AEFW, questions, etc are certainly welcomed though!
Constrictor6090
New member
Is it easy for you to get the eggs off the acros? I've taken a toothbrush to them and they didn't come off. I eventually had to just get a razor blade. I'm positive they were AEFW eggs
Constrictor6090
New member
You should try and see what fish will eat them. Maybe purple chromis and six/four line wrasses?
tektite
I never finish anyth
The eggs themselves are attached to a thin sheet that is attached to the coral. They're on pretty tight! However, the eggs themselves are delicate, I doubt any would survive being brushed with a toothbrush without breaking open.
I will be trying different fish down the line. Just need to figure out which ones.
