SDguy's AEFW adventure

[SDguy]

So this isn't like red bugs where I have to kill every living centimeter of acro tissue in my tank to make sure I eradicate them?

[SDguy]

You know, with all the benefits certain wrasses add to a tank, I'm gonna have to break down and add at least a small area of sand for some....

[MFR]

AEFW problem - DON'T panic. You've had them longer than you realize & acting in haste will not do any good. Some people have nuked their whole tanks & their corals in the process. There are different approaches. I like the idea of focusing on affected corals & treating with the least amount of damage. Fluke tabs seem to be the least harmful to corals. I too have a BB tank but for a small area in the corner with sand. I am a wrasse-o-maniac. I was led to the discovery of the AEFW by my yellow "coris" who I saw acting strangely picking at a tri-color. he actually pointed them out to me & I caught a BIG one which I had to fight him for. I have that wrasse, a splendid leopard, the melanarus & the green in my SPS tank. I have a little bit of sand & they fair well. I will post more pix when I get to my other computer. For now "blast" your corals with a baster & your fish should eat them in the water column.

M

[SDguy]

The biggest issue is moving the corals, even to dip. My corals, once detached, can not be put back without a lot of effort, and A LOT of glue. So, I'd rather just treat them in a QT.....

[Therapy]

If you took out the SPS corals from your tank, how long can these guys live in your tank without anything to eat?

[MFR]

can take months. It is estimated that the cycle of th eggs is about 10 days. The FW are estimated to live about 6 days without acros. In quarantine you should dip the corals weekly & scrubb for eggs & hope there are no stragglers & acro tissue in your main tank. I found way to many people losing acros that way so for me, it was not worth it. My tank is almost all Acros. so a big quarantine for me is way to much of a hassel as it has been for others. Here are some pix:
Here is my tank:




Top view:




Another top view, dense acro growth:


The first one I found:



Highly affected acro, you can see color loss around base:



The same acro after pulled it out due to there being too many. I fragged & dried out the rest. You can see the egg clusters:




My AEFW crew (note the little bit of sand in the back:



Best,

MFR

[jblaze]

Which wrasses are known to eat AEFW? I always hear the yellow coris wrasse but looks like you've got a couple different ones.

[Lo0seR]

MFR's clean up crew is they way to go. I have had them twice, or really never got rid of them at all the first time. The first time I just threw huge colonies away, just way to ticked to deal with the issues of a quarantine and reef drugs to rid myself of these spawns of reef hell. Sometime later I found them on my Valida,Efflo,Bonsai, they love these group of acro's for some reason. But before I found them I was up at Gcarrols house from RC buying some frags and he said he had them at one time, maybe still does but this is what he did. Bought a yellow coris wrasse (small) and taught it with a turkey baster, some mysis and a little squirt at the base of the Acro where the problem was and before long the fish learned where the flat worms were and was a source for food with the help of mysis to show them where they were at. Well I did the same thing, color came back on those acros and I have yet to find a bite mark on anything, so if they are there, this guy keeps them in check, just wished I had done this sooner.

[SDguy]

Mike Paletta spoke at MAX and essentially did the same thing...trained his wrasses to eat them before letting them loose in the tank.

[Retzius]

Best of luck to you SDguy. I hope I never have to deal with these things but at some point I think I may with my luck.

[iwantone]

Put the sand in a some tubberware. That will solve your sand dilemma.

[DaveMorris]

You know, with all the benefits certain wrasses add to a tank, I'm gonna have to break down and add at least a small area of sand for some....

Did they start selling slushies in Hades???

[SDguy]

Dave, check that blue mille I gave you. I didn't find any on any of the tenuis frags, but I'm pretty sure they do go after milles

[DaveMorris]

I did already and didn't see any signs.

Sand??? In Peter's tank???

[SDguy]

Alright already, get over it