Ostrow's Tank thread

[ostrow]

FWIW I did treat and just finished my second treatment. What persuaded me was Pat's "What if the receiver" comment. Having seen several folks take large frags I gave away and turn around and sell them within a week or two, and knowing most people fear these things, I went for it.

I really see no difference on any of the corals, suggesting it may not have in fact been red bugs.

The weird thing is the hermit crabs all survived the first treatment. They may not have survived #2. The shrimp all seem fine. The cleaner was acting odd 10hrs after #2 but now seems ok.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

Congrats on the attack. Hopefully its successful!


Remember, when you get a frag, your fragging everyone whose fragged that coral.







LOLOLOL, joke in progress, just needs some work

 

[ostrow]

Congrats on the attack. Hopefully its successful!


Remember, when you get a frag, your fragging everyone whose fragged that coral.

Never, ever again will I treat vs red bugs. Ever.

Within a week all my milles were dead (not my hermit crabs, oddly). Now, several acros are STN-ing. Very slowly.

Today I figured it out. The problem is AEFW. Like others, it seems, who used Interceptor.

My hypothesis is the red bugs are beneficial creatures, who consume AEFW -- maybe the eggs, maybe the young hatchlings. Wiping them out wipes out a beneficial bug.

Be that as it may, wiping them out coincided with this plague, which I have no ability to manage. I leave in 4 days on a 2-week trip. In any event I lack a large holding tank or lighting to make one work. Didn't realize there was no in-tank treatment for AEFW, or that so many who used Interceptor ended up with an outbreak of these. I read a lot on Interceptor treatment before doing one, including Melev's great articles. Never saw mention of AEFW in any of those and I read multiple times while doing Interceptor.

I hadn't added an acro or any other coral for 8 months (until a couple chalice chips a few days ago -- and those were dipped and clean).

Looks like these corals will all die off and I'll leave the tank acro-free for many months. Hard to see another path. No point in fragging as I have no ability to run another large tank, and given the numbers of corals it would have to be fairly large and have a halide on it.

Sigh.

 

[-=Efrain=-]

I have a 30g setup and am QTing a couple small frags that came from a tank with AEFWs I am using the Revive teatment so I can baby sit what ever can fit in the tank, it beats just letting them die.. I have a 400w MH on the tank and a power head for flow. Let me know and I can stop by and grab what you would like to try and save.

 

[ostrow]

efrain -- I thank you. When do you think you could come here?

Tomorrow evening would be perfect for me, or Sunday evening.

Unfortunately, I'd need you to hold them for a while I fear.... shoot me an email and we can discuss that way.

 

[3seconds2live]

Thats awesome efrain i hope it all works out ostrow.

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

Sorry to hear another tragedy struck Ostrow.

--so the montis and most other coral are ok? The clam? Sorry if this is a silly question, just wondering (and if they're not you can stop by again!)

 

[mystery_reef]

sorry to hear it did not go well for you. from most everything i've read it is a very easy and successful process. hope mine goes smoothly, i plan on doing a treatment on sunday.

 

[ostrow]

mystery_reef: not sure what "it" you refer to.

It's just the acros. While perspective lets me know this isn't a "disaster" it also isn't pleasant. Montis, chalices, etc are all fine. It's just acros.

 

[bigevill1]

I also had an AFEW attack shortly after the first time I treated for red bugs. Maybe there is something to that.

 

[ostrow]

My question is, how is everyone getting rid of AEFW? Everyone who had red bugs?

Am I the only one whose acroporas encrust on the rock? Or is everyone removing the rock, drying/bleaching/killing all life in it, after fragging and dipping their corals? Because, I can't see doing that -- not practical or really possible. I guess i'd have to decide if I wish to destroy my reef entirely.

Fragging/dipping/eradicating on the frags is a start. Could remove all the rest of the colonies and ditch them, then I guess scrape as close down to the rock as possible. But there will still be some left. Presumably those would die.

The AEFW left in the tank without acros would die. But I read the eggs may survive months upon months until new acros appear. So suppose one left those frags to grow for 8 months. Those dormant eggs would then hatch.

I don't understand what people are doing in this case. I've read massive threads -- seems I am right that they just reappear. Then turkey baste? I think I'd end up going acro-less.

What a damn shame that would be.

Or test my theory, get acros with redbugs and acro crabs. Hopefully, someone will find a reliable reef-safe predator or whole-tank cure.

 

[Sullyman]

Joel it's unfortunate but you got the AEFW the same way the reds bugs moved in. The 2 pests aren't related, one doesn't affect the other. It's the one two punch. That thread from 08 and later my experience, you can kill red bugs and not have an AEFW out break.

 

[NewSchool04]

This is terrible news Ostrow but I'm not sure about the red bug/AEFW theory. If you come across more info on this, definitely post it.

I've never had to deal with AEFW but know that people that do have them either take all corals out of the tank to treat or just baste the corals and hope for the best.

 

[-=Efrain=-]

AEFW Removal Setup

AEFW Removal Setup

Ok so I picked up about 28 small colonies and frags from Joel and he did a great job at getting me pieces that were pretty clean of bite marks and AEFWs. I got about 15 AEFWs that showed up at the bottom of the bucket and brushed off about 10 eggs off of the base of 2 corals. Every thing is recovering in my 30 gallon QT. I am getting some egg crate ready to make a couple of shelves.
Joel I can get a lot more in the tank if you want to.. Also I would like to glue the smaller frags onto plugs so that way they will go on the egg crate and save even more room. Let me know.
1st photo is of the setup which included Lite magnifying glass, toothbrush, toothpicks. 3 buckets, one with Revive and power head and two buckets with tank water to rinse the corlas after there Revive bath. The 2nd photo is of the corals recovering in QT. Lets hope for the best.

 

[ostrow]

Efrain, anything you do is fine. Whatever makes life easier for you!

I may order a cosmetus wrasse and a mess of camel shrimp. Found a youtube of a the latter going nuts on AEFW.

 

[unbelievable]

I thought AEFW didn't bother birdsnests or were they pulled just as a precaution.

 

[unbelievable]

if u can find that YouTube video is love to see it. thanks and good luck.

 

[powderbluetangy]

if u can find that YouTube video is love to see it. thanks and good luck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrOjKpSZ8PI

 

[ostrow]

It's an acropora. I did not remove the pink birgsnest. But this is a ponape (sp?) and beautiful.

Sorry to be brief here -- between the kids, the Bulls, grades due, and shopping and packing for China on Tuesday, no time at all for anything.

Efrain -- you continue to come to the aid of CMAS folk in need. Thank you so much for your help. It's my hope that between what you are doing, and hopefully some camel shrimp and perhaps a cosmetus that I will add, after removing whatever still needs to be removed, that I can get my tank to a sustainable situation. Would love also to get some acro crabs....

 

[tangstank]

if u can find that YouTube video is love to see it. thanks and good luck.

<video> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ck9pGCOJJQ&NR=1</video>