I think I have AEFW. Quarantine question

BlennyKravitz · Jan 16, 2017

Please forgive my ignorance but I'm a bit shaken up right now. Of course, now that everything is starting to look happy, acros are growing and coloring up with great PE and my parameters are stable, I think I have noticed some AEFW aftermath.

My question is regarding quarantine/dip treatment. Can I setup a tank adjacent to my display and plumb it into my main sump?

Are AEFW or their eggs able to pass through a filter/sock/skimmer/sponge etc? Or do they need to crawl around from prized acro to prized acro?

For obvious reasons I would like to share sump water and add water to the system, but obviously if that compromises the treatment then I'll set up another independent system.

I don't think I'll dose the entire quarantine tank, but will try periodic dipping and removing all acropora from the display for a few months. I just am worried about my babies that are thriving now. I'd hate to change the water stability on them

Another couple questions regarding AEFW, as I'm not 100% sure, is will they eat only acropora? I noticed a small, isolated patch taken out of an orange setosa overnight about a week ago. No evidence of eggs or typical AEFW bites and it hasn't gotten worse since that one occurrence.

Other question is I haven't added any new acropora for at least 6 weeks. How long would it take to see evidence of an infestation after a guilty frag/colony is introduced? I'm trying to rule out evidence here.

Thanks in advance for your help! This is not cool. 8(

EW_Fish · Jan 16, 2017

Take your acros out and look at them. This will tell you its AEFW. Don't quote me on this but I think they can flow in the water column. You could have AEFW for weeks and not notice them till they get to the point where they are doing damage. If you had one frag that you added to your system with AEFW and it only had 3 then it would take a little bit for them to reproduce and have a major impact on your reef

Lionfish Lair · Jan 16, 2017

Can you take a piece of, swish it in some water vigorously no see what comes off? If you can, use enough water to move it back and forth like a washing machine.

BlennyKravitz · Jan 16, 2017

Thanks for the replies guys. I did try swishing it around and didn't see any obvious FW. I'm also a bit perplexed because one was a millepora and one was a setosa. Are these devils specifically eaters of acropora only?

Any ideas what might have done this to my setosa?

Lionfish Lair · Jan 16, 2017

I think they are pretty specific to acropra as their scientific name would indicate, Amakusaplana acroporae. They are pretty easy to tell when you see them, as they look different from the rest. If you had enough to harm your coral, I think you would have spotted some with the swooshing. I don't know enough about SPS to speculate on the damage itself.

Here's a close picture of one for reference.

ritter6788 · Jan 16, 2017

Turn off your flow and blow the acros with a turkey baster. If you have aefw they will blow off and your fish may possibly eat them.

They don't eat anything except acros. Your setosa is not being eaten by aefw.

There was someone here who isolated their acros on a frag rack and did repeated dips. It would be possible to plumb into your display. You'd have to make sure there is no acro, not even scraps left on the rocks or it won't work. If you could keep the acros (the food source) totally isolated and dip until you kill all aefw and make sure there are no eggs I think it could be done, more risky and might take longer but it could possibly be done.