Dam pests
- Thread starter allsps40
- Start date
allsps40
New member
I started the tank back on 9-4-11 so not quite a year old yet. However the rock and corals where all mature and moved from my old setup. Here is a link to my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2043078
blackthunda77
New member
You guys might also want to try camel shrimp. If you do a search on google you will find complete details. Its kind of like a saftey net and used in conjunction with dipping.
What i do is i dip all frags before they are placed into my tank obviously. But after i dip and before i add them to the display i add them to a container with 4-5 camel shrimp.
Camel shrimp are similar in appearance to peppermint shrimp. However, camels are not really reef safe and are more aggressive eaters. Anyways, after i dip my corals i put them in a container of seawater with no meds to recoup a bit ( for 5 or so minutes) then i place them in a critter carrier with the camel shrimp. You have to stay and watch this process though because if there are any pests on the frags or coral the shrimp will go after them first. Once there are no more pests on the frags/corals they usually tend to start being more aggressive with the coral tissue, thats when you want to remove the frags and at that point they are pretty much pest free(including eggs if they were accessible by the shrimp). after the cleaning process i just put them back into my sump in a breeder box. i feed them occasionally, esp if i dont have many frags coming into my tank, but if i kow i will be getting coral soon i usually skip the feedings and let them get as hungry as possible and they go nuts when i put frags in front of them.
What i do is i dip all frags before they are placed into my tank obviously. But after i dip and before i add them to the display i add them to a container with 4-5 camel shrimp.
Camel shrimp are similar in appearance to peppermint shrimp. However, camels are not really reef safe and are more aggressive eaters. Anyways, after i dip my corals i put them in a container of seawater with no meds to recoup a bit ( for 5 or so minutes) then i place them in a critter carrier with the camel shrimp. You have to stay and watch this process though because if there are any pests on the frags or coral the shrimp will go after them first. Once there are no more pests on the frags/corals they usually tend to start being more aggressive with the coral tissue, thats when you want to remove the frags and at that point they are pretty much pest free(including eggs if they were accessible by the shrimp). after the cleaning process i just put them back into my sump in a breeder box. i feed them occasionally, esp if i dont have many frags coming into my tank, but if i kow i will be getting coral soon i usually skip the feedings and let them get as hungry as possible and they go nuts when i put frags in front of them.
blackthunda77
New member
Heres the link to the original article...
Just some food for though.
http://www.korallen-zucht.de/index.php?article_id=52&clang=1
Just some food for though.
http://www.korallen-zucht.de/index.php?article_id=52&clang=1
allsps40
New member
Well the battle goes on. I did another dip session yesterday and found some more eggs on a frag that was dipped last week and on my colony of scripps milli. Since the scripps had totally encrusted on a rock I decided to cut my loses and make a frag of it and remove the rest of the colony due to the amount of eggs. Sucks but if the frag lives it will grow back. I hope to get to the LFS tomorrow to trade in some leather coral frags since it it dropping babies like no tomorrow and I hope to find a nice wrasse. I will continue to check and dip all the other acropora and millipora in the tank until I see no more bite marks and eggs for at least a few weeks.
allsps40
New member
Took some frags into the LFS and got $75 credit and I did not even bring them any sps frags. $75 for 5 quarter sized frags of neon green leather, pretty dam good IMO. Anyways I picked up a sixline wrasse and a yellow coris wrasse to help with the AEFW and I also need more po4 media.
allsps40
New member
Ok so a little up date. Since the last dipping I have not seen any more AEFW or eggs. I ended up removing a frag and colony that really where not worth saving and the effected acros are now in QT for the time being. I also got a Sixline Wrasse and a Yellow Coris Wrasse to eat and help prevent any future AEFW. I will also be adopting a more strict dipping method to all new corals since my current dipping method is not very effect at killing off any pest on new corals.
allsps40
New member
No I got rid of 2 of them that had a bunch of eggs on them and where not worth saving, they also had STN from the base up from me letting my alk drop to 6. I need to start watching my alk more closely since the tank seems to be using it up a lot faster than it has in the past.
allsps40
New member
Weekly dipping, inspecting and removing of any eggs and I got 2 wrasses that seem to be doing their job.
Well considering the LFS I traded in the leather coral frags in to is where I got the AEFWs from no harm done and considering that the frags are leather corals which AEFW will not effect and the fact that they know I have AEFW because I told them that they sold me an infested frag a while back. Notice that part in the quote where I said I got $75 credit and no sps where involved, only 5 quarter sized frags of green leather coral.
I am considering doing a Ivermecton treatment to the tank. It is kind of like Interceptor only this stuff kills AEFWs as well and is a much stronger liquid veterinary dewormer. Only thing is is that it will wipe out all other inverts as well like the pods, good worms, brittle stars ect.
Last edited:
fishguy597
Member
I have read about people using ivermecton but never any results. Could you provide a link to it? I would like to read up on it.
Allmost
New member
good all sps 
let ppl know what they are buying when selling frags dont do to others, wht u dont want others to do to you.
Im glad u got wrasses ... they help alot more than a clown fish eats flatworms. If you remember that's what u told me last time.
another advice, as I have fought these guys for a WHILE. dipping may kill some of them ... sure, but it makes your corals soo weak, that they will be subject to more attack! IF continous weekly dipping wasnt working, just blast them 2 times a week with a power head, preferably BEFORE feedign your wrasse whole tank treatment wont kill the eggs, and once they hatch, they will go for weakest of the corals.
let ppl know what they are buying when selling frags dont do to others, wht u dont want others to do to you.Im glad u got wrasses ... they help alot more than a clown fish eats flatworms. If you remember that's what u told me last time.
another advice, as I have fought these guys for a WHILE. dipping may kill some of them ... sure, but it makes your corals soo weak, that they will be subject to more attack! IF continous weekly dipping wasnt working, just blast them 2 times a week with a power head, preferably BEFORE feedign your wrasse
whole tank treatment wont kill the eggs, and once they hatch, they will go for weakest of the corals.
Reef Bass
colors and textures
In my experience, the only way to eradicate all aefw from your tank (without getting rid of all acros) is to take each and every acro out once a week for a dip and egg removal for at least six weeks straight without fail. Some I had to dip in 2 and 5 gallon buckets because they were so large or so encrusted.
I had a bad whole tank all acros case which I finally conquered. No more aefw. Zero. I baste at least weekly and have done a couple "just checking" dips since then and haven't seen so much as a bite mark, let alone any flatworms, in months. Polyp extension and color are returning. The work was tedious but so worth it.
Having watched some of my soft to volley ball size colonies dwindle to small frags after a year of messing with inconsistent and ineffective treatments, I was ready to take extreme action. I was not willing to live with aefw chewing my acros and knowing if I ever shared an acro frag with friends that I could pass on that nightmare.
I had a bad whole tank all acros case which I finally conquered. No more aefw. Zero. I baste at least weekly and have done a couple "just checking" dips since then and haven't seen so much as a bite mark, let alone any flatworms, in months. Polyp extension and color are returning. The work was tedious but so worth it.
Having watched some of my soft to volley ball size colonies dwindle to small frags after a year of messing with inconsistent and ineffective treatments, I was ready to take extreme action. I was not willing to live with aefw chewing my acros and knowing if I ever shared an acro frag with friends that I could pass on that nightmare.
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