Need some help or advice...Fighting AEFW and no polyl extension
- Thread starter Vmacisback
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I found AEFW in my tank a couple of months ago. I pulled the affected colonies (which were basically still frags), cut them off their plugs, dipped them, and re-glued them to new plugs. Let them sit in my frag tank for a couple of weeks and dipped them again. The second time I found no AEFW, so I put them back in. A few weeks ago I found more AEFW in a different area of the tank and did the same thing. I currently can't find any evidence of flatworms in the tank. What do you think the chances are that I got lucky and found them early enough that they're gone now? Should I just go ahead and pull everything and do as ritter describes?
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
You'll have to pull all the acros out to let the tank go fallow. Similar to removing fish from your tank to get rid of ich. Just as any fish in your tank still carries ich, any acro in the tank will still carry aefw. It just takes one egg or 2 aefw to multiply into thousands in no time.
Darn. I'm starting to realize that it needs to be done though. Fortunately my tank is only 9 months old and the vast majority of my corals are frags and most of them haven't even fully encrusted yet. I do have a red planet and a pink wild colony that are encrusted on the rocks, but I'll just have to save those for last and chisel them off. I just hope my frag tank is big enough to hold them all.
Next question, if I keep them all in my frag tank and keep everything out of my display, is there any chance they could still infect my display from my frag tank (they share a common sump). I'd really hate to set up a completely separate system.
Also, how often and how many times did you dip yours before you felt like they were all gone?
Next question, if I keep them all in my frag tank and keep everything out of my display, is there any chance they could still infect my display from my frag tank (they share a common sump). I'd really hate to set up a completely separate system.
Also, how often and how many times did you dip yours before you felt like they were all gone?
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Now is a good time to do it then. My tank was 5 years old when I had to break it down. I tried the basting method and it helped some but I was just wasting time by not getting rid of them completely.
You will have to set them up in a separate system. They will find their way back to the acros if you have a shared sump.
I only dipped mine twice. Once out to the frag tank and one back in. The key is to make sure not to transfer any eggs.
OP
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Vmacisback
Vern McCalla
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so you dont think i run the risk of leaving some in the tank or attached to my rock if i just make sure the rocks are clean of any acros or scraps from them?
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
It's definitely risky. Worth a shot before breaking down the tank or leaving the hobby though.
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Vmacisback
Vern McCalla
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THere may some renovations to the house and I may be downsizing my tank anyway. Id hate to leave this hobby if i do downsize would you say to just clip frags and dip the heck out of them before putting them into the new tank?
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Vmacisback
Vern McCalla
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can you explain the kalc burn thing?
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Yes. Inspect them like crazy to make sure you aren't adding any surface that eggs could transfer on. Not even any plugs or dead tips. As soon as you cut a frag don't even put it back in the tank, make sure it goes straight into the dip.
