AEFW Reminder

[NYPDFrogman]

at war now!
my millis seem to be ok but every smooth skin Acro I had is done
dipping remaining corals in coral revive every 3 days

 

[jejton]

In the last few weeks I started noticing a new critter in my tank that I believe are Red Planaria. I only see them on the rocks - not on the glass - and on the hardened epoxy I used to mount some frags. Thats how I first noticed them as they stand out on the white epoxy. I havent found them on the corals themselves but I cant say for sure they arent. The thing is they dont look exactly like the photos here - http://melevsreef.com/id/flatworm.html - but I havent looked with a magnifying glass. They are basically orange/red little blobs that move very slowly and only seem to come out when the lights are on. They are not on the glass - which is where I was told I would see AEFW's and Red Planaria. Do these sound like Red Planaria? I only have a handful of SPS - digitata, moni plate, 2 Bali slimers and milli. How can I definitively ID these guys? If they are Red Planaria, what's my best course of action? The tank is 65 gallons.

The person from whom I bought the most recent frags ( the monti and digitata have been in the tank since the spring and I only noticed these creatures a couple of weeks ago ) said he has never had an infestation and I did do FWE and Lugol's dips but I guess it didnt help.

 

[ming]

In the last few weeks I started noticing a new critter in my tank that I believe are Red Planaria. I only see them on the rocks - not on the glass - and on the hardened epoxy I used to mount some frags. Thats how I first noticed them as they stand out on the white epoxy. I havent found them on the corals themselves but I cant say for sure they arent. The thing is they dont look exactly like the photos here - http://melevsreef.com/id/flatworm.html - but I havent looked with a magnifying glass. They are basically orange/red little blobs that move very slowly and only seem to come out when the lights are on. They are not on the glass - which is where I was told I would see AEFW's and Red Planaria. Do these sound like Red Planaria? I only have a handful of SPS - digitata, moni plate, 2 Bali slimers and milli. How can I definitively ID these guys? If they are Red Planaria, what's my best course of action? The tank is 65 gallons.

The person from whom I bought the most recent frags ( the monti and digitata have been in the tank since the spring and I only noticed these creatures a couple of weeks ago ) said he has never had an infestation and I did do FWE and Lugol's dips but I guess it didnt help.

It sounds like you have the regular planaria, not AEFW. You really can't see the AEFW unless you dip in TMPCC or have huge colonies with an infestation to the point where you see eggs everywhere.
You should use FWE on your tank, but not before siphoning out as much as you can first.

The regular planaria look like this.

 

[jackson6745]

Damn, that sucks Frank. Been there and it's not pretty. Keep at it! Eventually you will have a tank full of corals that ALL do well. No mysterious deaths or recession, and great polyp extension and color.

Jejton, you will not see AEFW at all. They are practically invisible to the eye until they release their grip from acros. They do not stay on the glass like planaria and it is unknown if they live in the rock.
If you are worried the only sure way to know is to dip your acros in Revive or procure. Swish the water around with a turkey baster (in the dip bowl) and see if any AEFW fall off.
They look like this
Pic borrowed from melevesreef again

 

[jejton]

I tried your trick and turkey basted them off the rocks to see if the fish would eat them. A.) Afterwards one managed to stick to the glass and I was able to verify that they are red planaria and b.) I couldnt tell if the fish were specifically targeting them as a lot of algae and detritus got blown into the water column and they were pretty much sampling everything. I will try to siphon them out as I do my water changes ( almost every other day as I try to raise my SG back up to normal ) and then will try the FWE. If I run carbon on the tank, do I have to worry about the FWE affecting my corals or inverts? Do the planaria directly harm anything or is just their death releasing toxins?

 

[oceanrealm]

Since I had the aefw a few yrs ago, Im very concerned since I lost a 180gal full of sps to aefw. I happen to come across this post on rc. I have recently heard of some locals using PraziPro to treat their whole system. I am waiting for results as to the long term response of the corals to the treatment. The flatworms were definitely killed but I am waiting to see if there are any long term effects to the corals. If all of their acros come through unharmed I may try it myself.

I am still in the research phase, it may be something you could look into.

 

[ming]

I tried your trick and turkey basted them off the rocks to see if the fish would eat them. A.) Afterwards one managed to stick to the glass and I was able to verify that they are red planaria and b.) I couldnt tell if the fish were specifically targeting them as a lot of algae and detritus got blown into the water column and they were pretty much sampling everything. I will try to siphon them out as I do my water changes ( almost every other day as I try to raise my SG back up to normal ) and then will try the FWE. If I run carbon on the tank, do I have to worry about the FWE affecting my corals or inverts? Do the planaria directly harm anything or is just their death releasing toxins?

The regular planaria (not AEFW) do not harm anything, and are unsightly at the worse

Since I had the aefw a few yrs ago, Im very concerned since I lost a 180gal full of sps to aefw. I happen to come across this post on rc. I have recently heard of some locals using PraziPro to treat their whole system. I am waiting for results as to the long term response of the corals to the treatment. The flatworms were definitely killed but I am waiting to see if there are any long term effects to the corals. If all of their acros come through unharmed I may try it myself.

I am still in the research phase, it may be something you could look into.

Do you have any links on this? I would be interested in trying it myself as a precaution.

 

[oceanrealm]

thread

The regular planaria (not AEFW) do not harm anything, and are unsightly at the worse


Do you have any links on this? I would be interested in trying it myself as a precaution.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1482979

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I' m going to try the prazipro
been dipping my corals every 3-5 days just noticed a milli showing some signs of infestation (bleaching at the base :irked

all I really have left is 2 pocilliaporas and a very large purple rim cap

 

[Dace]

I' m going to try the prazipro
been dipping my corals every 3-5 days just noticed a milli showing some signs of infestation (bleaching at the base :irked

all I really have left is 2 pocilliaporas and a very large purple rim cap

OMG Frank, sorry to hear that, well when start to rebuild let me know, you know you have some freebie's over hear. good luck with the prazipro

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I'm hoping by the weekend all the contents of the 180 will be in the 450
not going to add till I know I have these beat

 

[NYPDFrogman]

did a dosage of Prazi pro 6 days ago
I've noticed better polyp extension on the few remaining acros I have left
my skimmer and carbon reactor have been off also
my ORP has not changed dramatically either

the only side effect I've seen is my filter socks look like protein skimmer as the water tends to foam a bit (alot)


I'm undecided if I should administer another dose?

 

[Malibu361]

I have heard use fluke pills for AEFW...Anyone ever use them or hear if it works?

 

[NYPDFrogman]

in the thread over at RC one report is the prazipro didnt work

I guess I'll find out for myself

 

[ecvernon]

:bump: figured this should be up i got worms now:irked:

 

[reefman]

just a reminder for new sps keepers- you can find out for certain if u have flatworms by squirting a spot on the sps. flatworms does not grip very well (which i find may b a reason they choose certain types of sps to attack).

 

[fernandokng]

Frag Swap time! Also, if you know your tank as AEFW or has previously been infected by AEFW, please let your fellow reefers know so they know how to QT/Dip appropriately.

 

[cybermeez]

I'm battling red bugs right now. The little bastards have me close to swearing off acros, but they are so damn pretty...the acros not the red bugs. So, no selling for me this swap, only buying. Which brings me to my question, does Interceptor work for AEFW? I've never had them....that I know of anyway.

 

[jackson6745]

Interceptor does not work on AEFW. Red bugs are no big deal though. You shouldn't be stressing. So far the best thing that I used for AEFW's was coral revive (two little fishes brand). This is only a dip. As far as I know there is no successful in tank treatment.

 

[prattreef]

Interceptor does not work on AEFW. Red bugs are no big deal though. You shouldn't be stressing. So far the best thing that I used for AEFW's was coral revive (two little fishes brand). This is only a dip. As far as I know there is no successful in tank treatment.

I agree completely on all points.