48 replies to this topic

[Living_Stones]

Hi everyone,

Yup I'm infected... thought of starting a thread on the treatment possibilities for these corals.

What started as little recessions a few weeks ago is starting to show quite clearly now. For starters, here are some pics of what are and how symptomatically sick SPS corals look like. These pest have been known to only affect SPS of Acropora type.

The flatworms :



Their trademark bite marks can clearly been seen here. Do look out for pieces with slow recession at their bases then work upwards. From what I've seen they look like 1 to 2 mm oval blotches of missing skin.

[Living_Stones]

I know very little about AEFW. The first time, I came across this was the horror it did to AT's tank. I'm sure the flatworms hv been around for ages before, but much literature on their treatments to eradicate them came about 2006 in popular forums. For those who did try to treat them, conclusions vary. Some are happy to have not seen them for some time; some have, so sadly, ended v negatively, with whole tank wipeoffs, and some had colour losses... and all would say, they'll quarantine very thing that comes in the next time.

Treatment is difficult as results don't show immediately... usually only bad things show quickly, so most definitely not something that anyone would want to go through. Bare in mind the maxim, no treatment or cure shld be worst than the cause.

I'm not sure how the flatworms came about except that its multiplied quite recently, maybe in the last 3 weeks or so. While I don't like to dip my hands into the water, I do keep an eye on my tank and can usually spot something amiss within minutes. The tank is small, 36" by 18" by 18", which is about 150l. I take frags from very few ppl... but the AEFW cud hv come from the NSW I use or new corals introduced or even from new fish, when they pooped out waste... or they cud have been around for sometime and just decided to party big time now.

Well they have decided to party at different premisses now. Here two more where I jus spotted new blotches of bite marks last nite. Pic was taken abt a week back.

[Living_Stones]

So I decided to go with an out tank, as oppose with an in-tank one. and I haven't decided on which medicine to use, considering how easily available they are. So here jus thinking aloud whats tried and how good they are (pls feel free to add to or oppose any findings here) :

Betadine: Easily available. a 60ml bottle from Guardian cost S$6 +. a broad spectrum antiseptic
Not strong enough (3ml to 1liter of saltwater) to kill FWs, good enough to stun them, but prolong treatment results in loss of colours.

Salifert's FWE: Not sure who carries them here, read that it is result in FW death but hv to use higher dosages. Those who hv used them, use them for in-tank treatment says, turn off UV and ozone, keep skimmer on, change water and run carbon immediately after.

TMPCC : Again I don't know who carries them in Singapore. Tropic Marin Professional Coral Care, considered as ideal quarantine medication for out-tank treatment. However, it resulted in excessive sliming for the corals that fishdoc11 treated... standby lots of water and carbon if going this route.

Levamisole : Animal de-wormer, kill FWs and zooanthellae, so generally speaking, FWs gone, but SPS may go also.

Fluke Tabs: doesn't kill FWs, and doesn't kill zooanthellae, hence coral retains colour... good candidate for out-tank treatment. Some positive results hv been posted on Marc's thread in RC from fluke tablets.

Waterlife Parazin P tablets : Available here in fresh water LFS. Its treats for the same as fluke tabs.. but doesn't say weather can be for salt. Easy application. Dump one tablet for every 115l and wait, apply another tablet in 40 days time. Pls if anyone wants to try this, do keep us posted on the outcome. I bot two tablets yesterday... but no guts to try yet. See here for more info : http://www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/parazinp.htm

[Copperband]

Not sure about you... but this sentence : ( Levamisole : Animal de-wormer, kill FWs and zooanthellae, so generally speaking, FWs gone, but SPS may go also. ) sounds very dangerous... but then again it is the most effective...

I guess Betadine, salifert FWE,FlukeTAB is the best option from your list.. JMO...

[wonder]

Here is the picture of Fluke-Tabs but not sure where to get them.

good luck

Fluke Tabs

Attached Files

•  fluke2.jpg   64.29K   1 downloads

[kelstorm]

u know what.. i think they do not just attack SPS.. but suns as well

[Living_Stones]

Ok. I'll be going with betadine. It'll be an out-of-tank treatment on the affected corals... and while at that try to manually remove all those pest xenia.

Standing by N. salt-water for treatment solution , GAC, 2 spare containers, towels, new RO/DI water for making salt water. Anything else?

[Living_Stones]

u know what.. i think they do not just attack SPS.. but suns as well

how come? I hv a colony of suns too.

[Copperband]

N. salt-water refers to natural seawater is it?

[Vanquish]

I think Salifert's Flatworm Exit have a good record of being effective... just that you have to use a higher dose than the recommended dosage but it doesn't harm the coral much... and corals generally recover well after treatment...

I would however suggest you treat the corals and the tank seperately...

[dongdong]

there are flat worms that eats lps too... like gonio.

[Living_Stones]

I think Salifert's Flatworm Exit have a good record of being effective... just that you have to use a higher dose than the recommended dosage but it doesn't harm the coral much... and corals generally recover well after treatment...

I would however suggest you treat the corals and the tank seperately...

Yup. I'm doing that, out-tank treatment. Where can u find FWE? Thnx.

[Ash]

Sounds scary man

btw tink i cam across at Iwarna before

[Ash]

I mean the FLAT WORM EXIT

[iantoh]

hi ivan,

check this out- an article, fresh off the reefkeeping september press, about the use of various treatment compounds on the aoelid montipora-consuming nudibranchs. i would think that, to some degree, treatments that are effective against the monti nudis could also prove deadly to AEFWs?

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/eb/index.php

cheers,
ian