My own AEFW (Acro Eating Flatworms) images
- Thread starter melev
- Start date
Rogger Castells
New member
Melev, how many fluke tabs did you use in two gallons of water?
Rogger Castells
New member
also, I thought the original treatment was 20 minutes, has this changed to 1.5 hr?
Neptune777
Premium Member
I've been running with 4 tablets in a 5g bucket (with about 3.5 to 4 gals of tank water) for approx 25 min.....sometimes a bit longer as the acros don't mind. I also have a mj400 circulating the bucket water....I also hit them with a turkey blaster just to make doubly sure nothing is avoiding the full effect.
Only thing dying from the treatment so far has been the AEFW's....it's a keeper!
Only thing dying from the treatment so far has been the AEFW's....it's a keeper!
Neptune777
Premium Member
Stoney- did you experience any issues if you dosed higher? Just curious about your initial experiment.
Melev- is that a DIY special dip tank? I love the idea of being able to view from the side and the black acrylic to contrast the FW's....
Seeing that makes me want to get a 2.5 or 5gal aquarium and paint all but the front side black for future dipping.....
Melev- is that a DIY special dip tank? I love the idea of being able to view from the side and the black acrylic to contrast the FW's....
Seeing that makes me want to get a 2.5 or 5gal aquarium and paint all but the front side black for future dipping.....
Stoney Mahony
New member
Zoom- Yeah, I went ahead and dipped them all one more time before I reintroduced them into the display. I am 100% sure there dead but it would be my luck that one last AEFW has been hiding in the QT this whole time and then decided to catch a ride back into the display.
Fishy pets- No ones tried it yet but I think you could use it sucessfully as an in-tank treatment in a BB as long as you QT your fish. Do the hour dip, run carbon, big water change, and I think that you might just have a treatment. With a sand bottom I would be afraid of it getting stuck in your sand bed kind of like how pestacides can build up in the ground. A possibility for that would be to do everything like you would the BB but afterwards, siphon out the top 1/2" of sand and replace with new. As a bonus this could help out some tanks that are due for a small fresh sand exchange. Tests need to be done but these are my predictions. As far as the fish go, I just havent tried it on any so I can't coment on how they will react.
Dudester- I treated in a single QT
Roger- You are correct. The original treatment I performed was a 20 minute dip in a 5g bucket filled w/ about 4 gal water. That killed all the FW's I had. I kept a few frags that were infested and tested them at different times to see how long the corals would hold up to the dip and thats when I found that they don't mind a super long dip. I tested them for 4-5 hours and the frags all had full PE shortely after. I started dipping for an hour after the first kill but never saw any AEFW's again. The good thing about this dip is that you can just dip the coral and forget about it, your not gonna OD the coral.
Neptune- I didn't experiment with anything over 4 tabs, just 1, 2,3, and 4. When I tried to add more it beacame so cloudy I couldnt even see the coral. 4 worked awesome and the corals tolerate it 100% so I figured that was the lucky # and I had no need to add any more. When I tested at lower #'s like 2 tabs in 4g, it still killed the fw's, it just took longer.
Melev- AWESOME post!!!! Thanks for taking all the good pics. I like your dip container, it works perfectly for documenting the process. People can see how it looks like a cloudy snow storm. All that slime on that Secale and then when it's back in your tank it looks beautiful. Good job
Fishy pets- No ones tried it yet but I think you could use it sucessfully as an in-tank treatment in a BB as long as you QT your fish. Do the hour dip, run carbon, big water change, and I think that you might just have a treatment. With a sand bottom I would be afraid of it getting stuck in your sand bed kind of like how pestacides can build up in the ground. A possibility for that would be to do everything like you would the BB but afterwards, siphon out the top 1/2" of sand and replace with new. As a bonus this could help out some tanks that are due for a small fresh sand exchange. Tests need to be done but these are my predictions. As far as the fish go, I just havent tried it on any so I can't coment on how they will react.
Dudester- I treated in a single QT
Roger- You are correct. The original treatment I performed was a 20 minute dip in a 5g bucket filled w/ about 4 gal water. That killed all the FW's I had. I kept a few frags that were infested and tested them at different times to see how long the corals would hold up to the dip and thats when I found that they don't mind a super long dip. I tested them for 4-5 hours and the frags all had full PE shortely after. I started dipping for an hour after the first kill but never saw any AEFW's again. The good thing about this dip is that you can just dip the coral and forget about it, your not gonna OD the coral.
Neptune- I didn't experiment with anything over 4 tabs, just 1, 2,3, and 4. When I tried to add more it beacame so cloudy I couldnt even see the coral. 4 worked awesome and the corals tolerate it 100% so I figured that was the lucky # and I had no need to add any more. When I tested at lower #'s like 2 tabs in 4g, it still killed the fw's, it just took longer.
Melev- AWESOME post!!!! Thanks for taking all the good pics. I like your dip container, it works perfectly for documenting the process. People can see how it looks like a cloudy snow storm. All that slime on that Secale and then when it's back in your tank it looks beautiful. Good job
Stoney Mahony
New member
I reassembeled my 55 this weekend and everythings doing great! Heres a few pics:
melev
Well-known member
Stoney Mahoney, I hope all of your corals color up now that they are pest-free. Be sure to quarantine all new arrivals. You seem to have won the battle, but PLEASE be sure to update this same thread if down the road you get a new outbreak. Others really want to know if this will solve it permanently or if it is a stop-gap measure. I know I care enough to know, even if it didn't work out as well as you hoped.
The small tank is a 3g pico I made orginally to raise baby clown fry. Later it was my Seahorse tank, and after that it became my medication/quarantine system for small items.
The small tank is a 3g pico I made orginally to raise baby clown fry. Later it was my Seahorse tank, and after that it became my medication/quarantine system for small items.
orientalexpress
New member
where u guys order flu tab from online?thanks
Stoney Mahony
New member
I will definately update this thread with any future information be it positive or negative. I still have my QT tank set up with a few frags that I could not fit back into the display and will be using this as my "experimental treatment" tank b/c I am not planning on adding anything new anytime soon. My tanks crammed full as it is and I want it to all grow together.
I am going to try and hunt down some AEFW's around here in the LFS's and start experimenting with an intank treatment. I have plenty of Valida frags to sacrifice in the name of science so in a couple weeks, the hunt is on!
still behind stoney
still behind stoney
I too have had success with stoneys method and... all the corals dipped have fpe now and have new growth. I also dipped some and put them right back into the main vat and they are doing fine as well as the ones in qt so all in all it works . it has been several weeks sinse the dip so.... it works thanks stoney
still behind stoney
I too have had success with stoneys method and... all the corals dipped have fpe now and have new growth. I also dipped some and put them right back into the main vat and they are doing fine as well as the ones in qt so all in all it works . it has been several weeks sinse the dip so.... it works thanks stoney
Stoney Mahony
New member
I agree that it would be hard in a small QT but mine is app. 25-30 gallons and has already been supporting SPS for 8 weeks. I have two refugiums on my 55 display so I am going to re-do one of them that is not very efficient so that I only need one on the display, and the other one I am going to hook up to the QT. Then I will take live rock that I already have cured in yet ANOTHER refugium(on a differet tank) and put it in the QT. It should resemble an actual tank when I am finished. Some of my corals were on large rocks and when I dipped them, there was very minimal die off other than fw's. A few pods died but literally as soon as I put the corals/rocks back in the tank the pods would come out and run around all over. I don't think it will have a devestating effect on live rock life. My biggest concern is removal from the water colum after treatment and problems with it getting stuck in the sand bed. I am going to call Aquarium products right now and see what they say about removal from the water via carbon ect.
Redox- Awesome to hear and your welcome!:bum:
Dudester
Premium Member
I just re-read the entire thread, and here's the summarized treatment strategy as I see it, once a suitable quarantine tank is established:
1. Scrape off all visible eggs.
2. Perform Interceptor dip using 1/4 tab in 5 gal x 20 min, circulate with powerhead.
3. Perform Aquarium Products Fluke-Tab (100mg) dip, 4 tabs in 5 gal x 20-60 min, circulate with powerhead.
4. Remove coral and blast off dead/dying AEFW in separate container of water.
5. Perform Seachem dip at 1.5x recommended dose x 10 min.
6. Return coral to QT where it should remain for 6-8 weeks.
7. Repeat Fluke-Tab dip weekly, and perform last dip treatment in the QT to ensure that any possibly living AEFW in QT are killed, or do the dip just prior to returning the coral to display tank.
8. If red bugs observed during quarantine period, repeat Interceptor dip as well.
Caveats:
1. large colonies may need to be fragged to remove eggs from base
2. if using tank water for QT, consider first running it through <30 micron filter
3. QT temp at 81 degrees to speed up life cycle of AEFW
Does this appear accurate, and/or does anyone have any additons or corrections?
1. Scrape off all visible eggs.
2. Perform Interceptor dip using 1/4 tab in 5 gal x 20 min, circulate with powerhead.
3. Perform Aquarium Products Fluke-Tab (100mg) dip, 4 tabs in 5 gal x 20-60 min, circulate with powerhead.
4. Remove coral and blast off dead/dying AEFW in separate container of water.
5. Perform Seachem dip at 1.5x recommended dose x 10 min.
6. Return coral to QT where it should remain for 6-8 weeks.
7. Repeat Fluke-Tab dip weekly, and perform last dip treatment in the QT to ensure that any possibly living AEFW in QT are killed, or do the dip just prior to returning the coral to display tank.
8. If red bugs observed during quarantine period, repeat Interceptor dip as well.
Caveats:
1. large colonies may need to be fragged to remove eggs from base
2. if using tank water for QT, consider first running it through <30 micron filter
3. QT temp at 81 degrees to speed up life cycle of AEFW
Does this appear accurate, and/or does anyone have any additons or corrections?
Stoney Mahony
New member
Nice summary Dudester, my only changes would be that I don't think the SeaChem dip is necessary in the treatment plan. I tested corals w/o the seachem and they were still rb and aefw free. Also you do not need the interceptor if your not dealing with redbugs.
As far as fragging large colonies where you cant get to the eggs, I think the best route to go is to fluke dip the large colony and place it back in the display. Then observe the eggs until they hatch. They have to grow up a little before they can actually lay eggs so unless you have adult aefw's traveling from other corals onto the dipped coral, there shouldnt be any "new"eggs laid. When they do hatch, perform another fluke dip and place the colony in the QT. This will ensure that you dont have any viable eggs/larvae transfered into the QT. In my experience, this worked great and I was able to save the colony. I will take some pics when I get home and show how the whole interior is plating/fusing the coral back together. Even if you wait a few days after you think the eggs have hatched, just to make sure they all have hatched, there should be minimal damage from the juvi aefw's in comparison to the adults.
The big "IF" here is whether or not the adult AEFWs will travel from other corals back onto this coral when you place it back in your tank to let the eggs hatch. In my case, the colony was the only SPS left in the display for and additional week or so and when the eggs hatched and I dipped again, I saw no adult aefw's. I would have thought that any left in the tank would have flocked to that coral over the week but to my surprise there were none. This leads me to 2 possible conclusions......either they stay on the corals 100% of the time and when I removed all the other SPS, I removed 100% of the fw's OR they are just not that mobile when not on a coral. With the high flow in my tank, it might have just been to much for them to battle against and they couldnt make the journey through the rock to the coral. I was expecting the colony to be covered but it wasnt.
On a different note, I had some aefw eggs that were down at the base of some valida frags before I moved them into QT. I cant remember why I didnt scrape the eggs off but I think there were tons and I didnt want to scrape them all and miss one. Anyways....I covered them up 100% with super glue gel and it seemed to work. The corals are just encrusting over the big gob of super glue and if the eggs hatched, they are sealed in and cant escape. I wonder if you could cover up the eggs with super glue, put it in the water and let the glue harden for a few minutes, and then pull on the piece of super glue and pull off all the eggs at once. I thought this up for removing bubble algae a while ago but didnt get a chance to try it out on the aefw eggs.
Sorry to ramble on.....about the 30 micron filter. Is there a possibility of the filter actually catching the fw's and tearing them into pieces from the water pressure forcing them through the holes in the filter bag? FW's can reproduce asexually- when any part of there body is sliced off, it will regenerate into a new fw. Could you be creating tons more tiny aefw's by trying to filter them out?
As far as fragging large colonies where you cant get to the eggs, I think the best route to go is to fluke dip the large colony and place it back in the display. Then observe the eggs until they hatch. They have to grow up a little before they can actually lay eggs so unless you have adult aefw's traveling from other corals onto the dipped coral, there shouldnt be any "new"eggs laid. When they do hatch, perform another fluke dip and place the colony in the QT. This will ensure that you dont have any viable eggs/larvae transfered into the QT. In my experience, this worked great and I was able to save the colony. I will take some pics when I get home and show how the whole interior is plating/fusing the coral back together. Even if you wait a few days after you think the eggs have hatched, just to make sure they all have hatched, there should be minimal damage from the juvi aefw's in comparison to the adults.
The big "IF" here is whether or not the adult AEFWs will travel from other corals back onto this coral when you place it back in your tank to let the eggs hatch. In my case, the colony was the only SPS left in the display for and additional week or so and when the eggs hatched and I dipped again, I saw no adult aefw's. I would have thought that any left in the tank would have flocked to that coral over the week but to my surprise there were none. This leads me to 2 possible conclusions......either they stay on the corals 100% of the time and when I removed all the other SPS, I removed 100% of the fw's OR they are just not that mobile when not on a coral. With the high flow in my tank, it might have just been to much for them to battle against and they couldnt make the journey through the rock to the coral. I was expecting the colony to be covered but it wasnt.
On a different note, I had some aefw eggs that were down at the base of some valida frags before I moved them into QT. I cant remember why I didnt scrape the eggs off but I think there were tons and I didnt want to scrape them all and miss one. Anyways....I covered them up 100% with super glue gel and it seemed to work. The corals are just encrusting over the big gob of super glue and if the eggs hatched, they are sealed in and cant escape. I wonder if you could cover up the eggs with super glue, put it in the water and let the glue harden for a few minutes, and then pull on the piece of super glue and pull off all the eggs at once. I thought this up for removing bubble algae a while ago but didnt get a chance to try it out on the aefw eggs.
Sorry to ramble on.....about the 30 micron filter. Is there a possibility of the filter actually catching the fw's and tearing them into pieces from the water pressure forcing them through the holes in the filter bag? FW's can reproduce asexually- when any part of there body is sliced off, it will regenerate into a new fw. Could you be creating tons more tiny aefw's by trying to filter them out?
Dudester
Premium Member
Good point. So did you use "raw" tank water to fill your QT, or did you make up new water (I may have missed this detail)?
The summary above is not based on any experience of my own, it is simply a compilation of what I felt were the best recommendations made throughout this thread. Thank you for making appropriate edits, Stoney, and congratulations on your success.
Stoney Mahony
New member
I used a small amount of water from a different tank in the house(softy/clam tank)but used 90% raw, few day old aged SW. I know that SPS like established tanks/water but I had very few options at the time. I made sure that the new water had the correct water parameters before I filled the QT. Surprisingly enough, it seemed to have little or no effect on the SPS. Thanks dudester!
