Dam. AEFW

What a dilemma.... sorry to hear but the milk is spilt here, now its damage control.... Agree with fragging. See if a LFS can host one tank for you with all your frags while your gone and see what you have when you get back. You can also hire a buddy or local refer to blast them away daily until you get back.
 
"Not willing to put in the time"... LMAO Wish there were a viable predator or treatment. Blasting the corals is not a treatment or eradication method. It's a live with it method. And, the corals look awful in the meantime -- certainly compared to when the redbugs were there.

I'm guessing the lfs are widely plagued with AEFW. Just a guess there but that's what I'd say.

I'd rather let it run it's course than rip all the rock out of the tank and start over. That's what I meant on the options. And, with the flow in my tank (6205 and 2 6105s, plus the return) -- and proximity to some of the affected corals of very strong pulsing pumps, hard to see how an MJ will blast them off. Or, perhaps none of my 4 wrasses has a taste for these guys when they do blow off.

I may try a handful of the acro crabs from LA when I get back. Who knows, maybe they'll help.

I may actually try to reintroduce the red bugs too ... what's there to lose? And there may indeed be much to gain.

I'll get frags to someone who offered to dip and hold - he's already doing that. It's getting all the rest of the corals out, most of which are encrusted on the rock, that is troubling.

Varying reports on the egg life. Melev seems to think they hatch in about 6 days. But he's seeing that in the presence of acros, I believe. I've read (can't recall where) that they can remain viable and dormant for many months, then hatch when the acros appear. That is evil.

My tank has more in it than acros, so again, removing all of the rock would require a decision that I don't think I'm going to want to make. Time will tell.
 
Well, even if red bugs do what you think they do in regards to the AEFW, that's even more of a "living with them" option than blasting.

An MJ1200 will blast them off. Use it at point blank range.

But really, I agree with mammoth, it just doesn't sound like you are willing to try anything. GL.
 
Halichores cosmetus.
Camel shrimp/dancing shrimp.

Both above animals are proven Aefw predators and I have one of each in my sps reef.

A velvet nudi only eats flatworms, it is not proven or unproven to predate on Aefw but I would try one if I was you; sounds like your after a biological solution.
 
Tony: you keep them in your DT? In the reef?

So, in your experience, they don't also eat the flesh of the coral?
 
Tony: you keep them in your DT? In the reef?

So, in your experience, they don't also eat the flesh of the coral?

People have said that if you have enough food (like parasites) for them to munch on (besides corals), then you have a good chance of them leaving the corals alone. I've also read about someone keeping peppermints in their QT for this purpose. I think it was Gasman...I could be wrong. If peppermints work, then I think I'd give them a try. Either way, I hope things work out for you.
 
Tony: you keep them in your DT? In the reef?

So, in your experience, they don't also eat the flesh of the coral?

I think reports of camel shrimp eating coral flesh is overstated. In a normal reef tank their attention is spread out and they will feed on Aefw and fish food. Eating coral flesh is low on their list, perhaps a last resort when there's little else to eat. I've seen powder blue and regal tangs eat more sps.

The wrasse I mentioned can be tricky to find but it does work.

As for the shrimp id go for two per 100gal and I think you will have no issues. If in the unlikey event they do eat corals (I bet they won't) then run another course of interceptor.
 
I have 8 peppermints in my display. Never once seen them on a coral like those camel shrimp in the youtube video. Then again, on that video, there's no evidence of them eating flatworms -- they could as well be eating the coral!
 
I've just had a look at your tank thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1782772&page=3

Its far from a huge display and you have plenty of room to work with a small powerhead to reach most corals.

I would urge you to consider blowing the corals with a pump. Also add camel shrimp and a cosmetus wrasse.

Nice tank, good luck with whatever method you choose to tackle Aefw, I've had these pests twice before, they're a pita but you can win. ;)
 
Something I experienced about a year ago I got a frag of Cali tort with red bugs that spread to one or two other frags, one was a nickel sized disk just encrusting so visually easy to see. I added a cleaner shrimp from another tanks breakdown and in a week the red bugs were gone, then the shrimp died after 3-4mo in the tank. Red bugs didn't show up again till last week. I had the nano as coral only with 3 hermits for 3-4 months, great growth no red bugs then Monti nudi outbreak almost killed my montis but I saved most of them with nightly removal on their first life cycle. Also I think I found an aefw at that time and egg clutch, removed and dosed probably 10x fw exit, never saw aefw signs again.

Upgraded a few months ago and no signs of pests for 3 months, after adding a lot of new corals I have red bugs again, added a cleaner shrimp a few days ago and well see how it affects the red bugs this time and if other pests pop up. Maybe a cleaner shrimp could help with some types of parasites. I know your not trying to move corals but while dealing with the nudis I saw the threads on potassium permanganate treatment from reef keeping magazine, 50mg/ liter is the dosage. It oxidizes organics so on nudis it fries their gills, seems to have no long term effects on sps but fries lps. Maybe could do some damage on aefw?

A labor intensive option you may want to explore is remove your sand bed, and the critters in it. Then medicate the tank with fw exit when it won't kill all those worms causing an ammonia spike. Another idea add a large fluidizedbed filter, let it colonize a few weeks then treat, the fluidized bed if large enough and semi mature should be able to keep ammonia levels down. With large water changes could save most of your livestock. Would cost a few hundred prob but better than thousands in livestock.

GL with the battle
 
Levamisol works as a systemic treatment.

Go to cattle store .com search goat dewormer. You can buy a nearly pure Levamisol powder for about $24 shipped. Is called Prohibit Drentch.

Mix it at 5 grams Levamisol to 1 liter RO water. That liter will treat 300 gallons of system water. Dose it proportionally to your sytem volume. Shut off skimmer, pull GFO & GAC. You can turn the skimmer back on after about 4 hours. Repeat the treatment each week for three weeks.

The problem in a system with developed colonies is that the eggs are often on the base of the corals or even on the rock below the base. So you need to monitor closely by dipping pieces randomly, and repeat if needed. Give the system a couple of weeks between three week regemins to rebound. You will loose many pods & mini brittles, but they do bounce back.

I just went through this, and I fragged all my colonies most of which were already pretty damaged. After using the Levamisol, it is worth trying it on your system with colonies first IMO. You do need to remove sea stars, they do not like Levamisol. All my motile inverts were not happy but did survive it. DO NOT O.D. I did on my first treatment and it was BAD!

AEFWs destroyed my reef. The WORST thing that ever happened to me in reefing! But, Levamisol worked! I am now AEFW free.

I now dip, inspect and QT each and every incoming coral, for one to two weeks, even if my mother were to give it to me!
 
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