Aefw

[Sisterlimonpot]

What is the best procedure/treatment to get rid of these guys? preferably while keeping everything in the tank....
Jimmy

 

[spstimie]

I have not had them at home but have dealt with them in a retail store. I had to pull all the corals out and dip them. Then I used a dental pic to remove any that didnt come off in the dip and get the eggs off. Then you get to do it again a month or so later. Only way I know how to how to get rid of them, good luck.

 

[jonthefb]

Yeah there is no safe in tank treatment at all. Best thing to dip them in is povidone iodine (Betadine) at a ratio of 3mL/L of saltwater for about 30 mins. You will need to do regular dips for abot a month to ensure that you get them all, as well as any eggs/babies.

Cheers~!
Jon

 

[phillipj2]

Is there no fish that will eat these worms?

 

[jonthefb]

Well, a lot of folks will use a turkey baster and blow the worms off into the water column, where of course lots of fish will eat them up, but I wouldnt rely on "training" them to do this. If you want to have a successfull tank with acros, and not worry about passing them around when trading/selling to other hobbyists, you really do need to quarentine them if you can, and perform regular dips on them

 

[Zooid]

I've heard that you can blast them off the coral (in tank) with RO/DI and the fish will enjoy the treats. Anecdotal evidence at best.

 

[Ephesians320]

i got a six line when i have an out break and he did a mighty fine job of clearing my tank all all those little FW

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Here's a couple pics so someone please confirm or deny that these are AEFW's:

 

[spstimie]

+1 on what jon said

im not sure those are acro eating flat worms. aefw are usually only on the corals not the glass from my experience. flatworm exit might fix those.

I really recommend to everyone to get a waterpik.
http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com/downloads/pdf/version8.pdf
i have used these on algae & parasites. you might be able to use the tip under water as long as you keep the motor dry

 

[spstimie]

http://www.melevsreef.com/aefw.html

 

[jonthefb]

+1 on what Sean said. I have never seen AEFW on the glass, they are typically only on the acro, and even then can be almost impossible to find. Those look like they could be one of the many other species of flatworm that inhabit our tanks at any given gime. As long as they arent the red planaria (Convolutriloba sp.) or other coral pest flatworm (Waminoa sp) you should be fine to just leave them in the tank. Of course if you ever feel that their population could explode, you can always treat with Flat Worm Exit by Salifert, or Blue Vet's Flatworm Control, or even Levamisole (only as a last resort).

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Thanks Jon and Sean, I appreciate the advice. and I think that I'm going to weigh on the side of caution and get rid of them.

 

[spstimie]

a sixline(or any Pseudocheilinus) wrasse might eat those since they are easy to find

 

[reefkoi]

Acro eating FW's are typically oval shaped all around and pretty clear, they never leave the acro colony that I know of so I'm with everyone else, those are a different type of flatworm......good news!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15358490#post15358490 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spstimie
a sixline(or any Pseudocheilinus) wrasse might eat those since they are easy to find

The wife has been wanting a 6 line for some time so I guess this is the perfect excuse!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15358490#post15358490 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefkoi
Acro eating FW's are typically oval shaped all around and pretty clear, they never leave the acro colony that I know of so I'm with everyone else, those are a different type of flatworm......good news!

Yeah no kidding, we are heading off for vacation next week and I didn't want to have that in the back of my mind the whole time.