My own AEFW (Acro Eating Flatworms) images

Hope so Marc...this was a one shot trial, and perhaps a bit early to post about it, but if others try it (or I can get some more specimans) we can see if we get the same results. Seems they are making their way into lots of tanks lately. The sooner we find a solution to these pests the better!
 
I have been a little concerned lately as to wether or not i do actually have AEFW so i dipped a coral that i thought was not going as well as it had been. I used betadine but due to a slight mis-calc i only ended up dosing 2.5ml per litre instead of the 3ml. I dipped for around 20-25 minutes and after i found no evidence of AEFW. Could the slightly lower dose not affected the flat worms or do i just not have any on that coral?

Please help me decide whether to redo the dip or just learn to leave things be.:rolleyes:
 
Hard for me to tell since the pieces I treated are under much lower light right now in quarantine, so their colors are going to be muted anyway. I have several pieces I've treated twice and so far so good as far as the AEFW. But, many corals I've treated with various treatments (Interceptor in particular) have browned out then colored back up again. This is a new product so I can't give you all that much info yet. I just tried it recently myself. If anyone else does try it I'd love to hear results.
 
If only one coral in the system is showing signs of the AEFW and all the other corals dipped around it have not got any would it be bestto ride it out and hope that the other corals don't have them??
 
That would be my hope. I think I got lucky in that I was able to deal with them before they were able to spread into my reef. I ended up loosing that beautiful Tyree frag though, and as I look through older picture folders on my site, it makes me sad. I'll have to get another A. valida one day.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10560501#post10560501 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Twistedpro
If only one coral in the system is showing signs of the AEFW and all the other corals dipped around it have not got any would it be bestto ride it out and hope that the other corals don't have them??
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Thats a risk that you need to decide if it is worth taking. IMO, no, its not. The work to pull out off of your corals, treat and QT them and then place them back into the tank is a hassle, but is the only way that you can ensure that you won't have them.

I believe that it is irresponsible to treat one coral assume that you don't have AEFW's and then go on to trade/sell frags of the corals that under your best judgement did not appear infected.


Don't worry about browning out the coral. Worry about irradicating the worms. The corals will color back up in time. I think that I am finally free of AEFW, but I still am not going to trade/sell/give away anything until I can show no signs of sick corals for a year.

So my corals have started to color back up. I'm not quite where I was color wise, but I think that some of that has to do with me down sizing my lights from 4 400W to 3 400 W with Luminarc II reflectors. I added T5's as well and I'm really impressed at how they affect color. I saved a lot of corals, but catching them before they lay eggs is key IMO. If you have eggs, your headaches will increase exponentially. If you treat early, you can get them off of your corals. I used Fluke tabs first and them TMPCC. The TMPCC and crappy conditions with stressed corals caused a color shift, but things are almost back were they were. Here are a couple of top down shots.

P7160009.jpg


P8150020.jpg
 
If there are some corals attached to some live rock does it need to be removed or can i dip the whole thing into some betadine dip. I appreciate other items within the live rock my die but i am keen to treat a piece of corals that is only really just encrusting and cannot be fragged off easily at all.

I would really appreciate some guidance on this issue.
 
You could certainly keep the coral attached to its live rock base for the betadine dip, and you have already mentioned the hazard involved with this. Namely, the betadine may kill some beneficial organisms in the LR. Do you plan to do this as a method to evaluate for the presence of AEFW or to kill a know infestation?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10824475#post10824475 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kirsto71
If there are some corals attached to some live rock does it need to be removed or can i dip the whole thing into some betadine dip. I appreciate other items within the live rock my die but i am keen to treat a piece of corals that is only really just encrusting and cannot be fragged off easily at all.

I would really appreciate some guidance on this issue.
Click to expand...

IMO, I wouldn't just rely on one method/medication. I used Fluke tabs (Metronidazole and Praziquantil) in addition to TMPCC (Iodine).

Iodine based medications are very unstable in water and will quickly disassociate to iodate. Keep this in mind as the dip will lose it potency over time. I agree with the above poster. If you keep the coral on the rock you run the risk of killing not only autotrophic bacteria, but also sponges and other live matter that may cause a nitrogen spike in your tank. This alone could kill a stressed out coral. Personally, I used a hand wire saw and sawed off all of my acros to treat. PITA!!!

Good Luck mate!
 
I would chip off the tissue off the live rock, and either treat it in Fluke, or toss it out if you think it is infested.

Betadine is simply too harsh. I have a huge bottle of the stuff, which cost me about $13. I think I still have $12.90 left. ;)
 
I read the article, but as Eric pointed out, it is too soon to know for sure how that will work out. Keep in mind that was being recommended for monti-eating nudibranchs, not AEFWs.
 
i use potassium permaganate to dip my frags for less than 5 minutes, saw redbugs killed. 1 frag is recovered, the other three are doing alright. still dont know the exact dosage to treat.
 
anyway, i am new to the hobby; i am planning to set a 10 sps gallon quarantine tank. does anybody recommend what light in watt should i use? thanks
 
I am still working with the Revive and am having excellent results! That stuff just takes out the AEFWs almost instantly. We have a great microscope and we can watch them curl up and fall off then basically just dissolve. The acros seem to be doing well afterwards. Definitely worth a try if you're battling these guys.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10831424#post10831424 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Me No Nemo
I am still working with the Revive and am having excellent results! That stuff just takes out the AEFWs almost instantly. We have a great microscope and we can watch them curl up and fall off then basically just dissolve. The acros seem to be doing well afterwards. Definitely worth a try if you're battling these guys.
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Please elaborate on this product. Could you post pictures?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10439443#post10439443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Me No Nemo
Well, I've done some more research since Cstires brought his piece in. I was able to get an acro with flatworms on it and placed it in a new product Julian Sprung is releasing called "Revive Coral Cleaner" that Julian was kind enough to forward me a sample of. Using the recommended dosage, the flatworms absolutely writhed off the piece and were dead in no time. I think this stuff has enormous potential! I've also used it, as he suggested, on some blastos that came in looking pretty "wilted" and after placing them back in the tank they looked amazing.

Here's some info from his website regarding the product:

ReVive Coral Cleanerâ"žÂ¢

Two Little Fishies ReVive Coral Cleanerâ"žÂ¢ is a new product developed by Julian Sprung for cleansing live stony corals. It is a surface cleaning formula based on plant extracts. Use for all general purpose live coral cleansing, as a part of acclimation to aquariums when corals are first received, for rinsing prior to shipping, and for rinsing newly fragmented corals, such as at coral farming facilities. 500 ml (16.8 fl oz) bottle.

Here's a link to more info:

http://www.twolittlefishies.com/documents/1162048240.pdf
Click to expand...
 
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