Hypes SPS Dropoff Peninsula-New Skimmer

[Ebn]

Consensus is to dip twice a week due to the life cycle of aefw. 

[4x5]

Argh, sorry to hear about the AEFW. Little jerks, good luck with their eradication.  Always nice to add another Wrasse though! 

[TJ_Burton]

9 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Tell me about it...Its always something  Well in this hobby its not how many times you get knocked down but how many times you get back up

 

Ain't that the truth!

[Rehype]

22 hours ago, Asureef said:

 

Man, it sucks!

I just found some in my tank too!!! 

 

Oh no really?! Have you started treating them yet? Whats your plan?

 

20 hours ago, Ebn said:

Consensus is to dip twice a week due to the life cycle of aefw. 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Im going to try to but I dont want to stress the frags too much. Ill see how they respond

 

17 hours ago, 4x5 said:

Argh, sorry to hear about the AEFW. Little jerks, good luck with their eradication.  Always nice to add another Wrasse though! 

 

Thanks alot Shaun. Im super optimistic since I dont have really huge mature colonies. So far ive fragged the few infected and glued them to one small isolated rock. This way I can easily remove the entire rock and treat all the corals at once. Whats interesting is I have a frags (two unknown acros and a pretty large hawkins echinata)  that are totally unaffected no bite marks nothing. I've read that they have an affinity to certain acros. In any case I plan to dip these corals anyway just to be on the safe side. I just ordered a small frag rack that I will confine them to during the treatment period. The other good news is the worms can only can live a week without eating so once Ive confined their food source to one area they will be drawn in like to moths to a flame..lol I probably should be more bummed but I think its a learning experience for me as I've never had them before and just can just add another notch to my belt once I have them beat. Im mostly mad at myself for not noticing them sooner. The other good news is these guys dont bother montis at all (so my monti spongondes and monticap look terrific) I figure worst case scenario I can always fill my tank with all the awesome species of Montipora to get my sps fix (Im a huuuuuge fan of digitata)

 

I probably should have added the wrasse sooner but I was trying to get my pod population to very mature levels first (good news is I totally succeeded ) as these guys are totally relentless. These guys are so good at their jobs Im excited to have another one around.

 

15 hours ago, TJ_Burton said:

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

What doesn't kill us just makes us better reefers...amirite?  

[Asureef]

8 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Oh no really?! Have you started treating them yet? Whats your plan?

 

Some what, I dipped 3 larger sps that's still browned out and nothing but pods dropped. I haven't dipped the colony I found it on, I need some time to break it from the rock first.  I will probably do another dip on my next water change.  The funny thing is, I know exactly where I got it.  Just around 4 months I purchased a nice sps colony around 3-4".  I found it was infested with red bugs and flatworms when I got home and dipped it.  I dipped it in revive for 10mins and then 15mins in Bayers.  I then raised it in clean saltwater, cut the base and mounted it on a new plug.  I closely inspected it before throwing it in the tank.  It did fine in my 40g, no new bite marks were ever seen.  But, I would trade aefw for red bugs any day of the week.  Aefw comes in all sizes, the babies you can't even see.  It makes it even harder that they're nearly invisible on a coral.  The only visible signs are bite marks and when you see those, you're likely already infested.  

 

I'll likely try the dipping method for a few weeks.  If they're still noticeable within a few months.  The next option would be setting up a frag tank. I have extra parts from my old tank mp10s, skimmer, etc.   so all I'd really need is a holding tank and lights. 

[Weetabix7]

10 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Oh no really?! Have you started treating them yet? Whats your plan?

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Im going to try to but I dont want to stress the frags too much. Ill see how they respond

 

 

Thanks alot Shaun. Im super optimistic since I dont have really huge mature colonies. So far ive fragged the few infected and glued them to one small isolated rock. This way I can easily remove the entire rock and treat all the corals at once. Whats interesting is I have a frags (two unknown acros and a pretty large hawkins echinata)  that are totally unaffected no bite marks nothing. I've read that they have an affinity to certain acros. In any case I plan to dip these corals anyway just to be on the safe side. I just ordered a small frag rack that I will confine them to during the treatment period. The other good news is the worms can only can live a week without eating so once Ive confined their food source to one area they will be drawn in like to moths to a flame..lol I probably should be more bummed but I think its a learning experience for me as I've never had them before and just can just add another notch to my belt once I have them beat. Im mostly mad at myself for not noticing them sooner. The other good news is these guys dont bother montis at all (so my monti spongondes and monticap look terrific) I figure worst case scenario I can always fill my tank with all the awesome species of Montipora to get my sps fix (Im a huuuuuge fan of digitata)

 

I probably should have added the wrasse sooner but I was trying to get my pod population to very mature levels first (good news is I totally succeeded ) as these guys are totally relentless. These guys are so good at their jobs Im excited to have another one around.

 

 

What doesn't kill us just makes us better reefers...amirite?  

 

Urgh, so sorry you're dealing with this!!!

However, it sounds like you've got a great plan of action, so the rest of us will follow along for the ride and learn from you. 

 

[Rehype]

9 hours ago, Asureef said:

 

Some what, I dipped 3 larger sps that's still browned out and nothing but pods dropped. I haven't dipped the colony I found it on, I need some time to break it from the rock first.  I will probably do another dip on my next water change.  The funny thing is, I know exactly where I got it.  Just around 4 months I purchased a nice sps colony around 3-4".  I found it was infested with red bugs and flatworms when I got home and dipped it.  I dipped it in revive for 10mins and then 15mins in Bayers.  I then raised it in clean saltwater, cut the base and mounted it on a new plug.  I closely inspected it before throwing it in the tank.  It did fine in my 40g, no new bite marks were ever seen.  But, I would trade aefw for red bugs any day of the week.  Aefw comes in all sizes, the babies you can't even see.  It makes it even harder that they're nearly invisible on a coral.  The only visible signs are bite marks and when you see those, you're likely already infested.  

 

I'll likely try the dipping method for a few weeks.  If they're still noticeable within a few months.  The next option would be setting up a frag tank. I have extra parts from my old tank mp10s, skimmer, etc.   so all I'd really need is a holding tank and lights. 

 

Dipping works great but unfortunately it doesn't affect the eggs (I personally use melafix marine) The only sure fire way is to QT for at least a month.  Do you have any wrasse such as a six line, yellow coris or melanarus? These guys are exceptional at pest control/removal IME.

 

The key for me when dealing with previous pests is if you cant setup a QT isolate the coral from your main scape on a smaller rock or frag rack so that you can easily visually inspect and dip without hesitation. Additionally adding one of those three species of wrasse for ongoing pest control is very important.

 

7 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Urgh, so sorry you're dealing with this!!!

However, it sounds like you've got a great plan of action, so the rest of us will follow along for the ride and learn from you. 

 

 

Thanks weets! I always say ill try just about anything once as it relates to this hobby and I guess pests/parasites are no different 

 

In celebration of my treatment plan I bought a couple of species of montipora since they can grow and thrive while I get the acros sorted out 

[Weetabix7]

Just now, Rehype said:

 

Dipping works great but unfortunately it doesn't affect the eggs (I personally use melafix marine) The only sure fire way is to QT for at least a month.  Do you have any wrasse such as a six line, yellow coris or melanarus? These guys are exceptional at pest control/removal IME.

 

The key for me when dealing with previous pests is if you cant setup a QT isolate the coral from your main scape on a smaller rock or frag rack so that you can easily visually inspect and dip without hesitation. Additionally adding one of those three species of wrasse for ongoing pest control is very important.

 

 

Thanks weets! I always say ill try just about anything once as it relates to this hobby and I guess pests/parasites are no different 

 

In celebration for my treatment plan I bought a couple of species of montipora since they can grow and thrive while I get the acros sorted out 

 

I like that approach!!!

Monti's have always been my favorite SPS.

[Nano sapiens]

Good luck eliminating those pesky varmints!

 

Montis are a good choice (just watch out for the nudis)!  

[Rehype]

3 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

I like that approach!!!

Monti's have always been my favorite SPS.

 

Me too I always wanted to do a tank with only montipora digitata since seeing wawawangs 40 breeder years ago

 

43 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

Good luck eliminating those pesky varmints!

 

Montis are a good choice (just watch out for the nudis)!  

 

Thanks alot nano diligence and patience are the keys to success....just like everything else in this hobby 

 

I know I battled them and won some time ago but they were by far the hardest to kill pests ive ever encountered.

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

Good luck eliminating those pesky varmints!

 

Montis are a good choice (just watch out for the nudis)!  

I see what you did there!

[Nano sapiens]

2 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I see what you did there!

 

Did I make a funny?  

[teenyreef]

Good luck with the treatment! You're making me feel really glad I've got a six line AND a yellow coris wrasse in my 40g. 

 

The new kps pumps look really by nice! If only they were Apex controllable

[DaveFason]

Hype - I would contact the vendors you received your SPS from just to give them a heads up. In a friendly way that is. Good luck with the treatment, it is a royal paint. 

-D

[Rehype]

17 hours ago, teenyreef said:

Good luck with the treatment! You're making me feel really glad I've got a six line AND a yellow coris wrasse in my 40g. 

 

The new kps pumps look really by nice! If only they were Apex controllable

 

Thanks alot teeny I recommend one of those species to anyone that has SPS..... cheap insurance policy lol

 

The integration with apex would be nice but honestly they are soooooo much easier to program with the aqamai interface.

 

9 hours ago, DaveFason said:

Hype - I would contact the vendors you received your SPS from just to give them a heads up. In a friendly way that is. Good luck with the treatment, it is a royal paint. 

-D

 

Thanks Dave I let the LFS know that I got them from.  Im up for the challenge 

[TheKleinReef]

Good luck with the wormies. I had them once, dipped a few problem corals and never saw them again. 

 

[Lula_Mae]

21 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

 

Did I make a funny?  

It was pun-tastic lol

[Rehype]

On 8/1/2017 at 1:19 PM, TheKleinReef said:

Good luck with the wormies. I had them once, dipped a few problem corals and never saw them again. 

 

 

Thanks man. Its awesome to hear you had success.

 

Hows the rebulid going?

[TheKleinReef]

15 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Thanks man. Its awesome to hear you had success.

 

Hows the rebulid going?

 

I onlyy  we found the aefw on the katropra and Hawkins. Dipped those two 2x a week for a few weeks and I stopped seeing the aefws.  Dipping killed the Hawkins though, it did not like frequent dips. 

 

It's going alright. Teenyreef sent me an sps care package and the tank is looking okay. Parameters are kind of crazy though. 

Alk was stable at 9.5 for almost two weeks then suddenly jumped to 10. Ca is low at 370 and I can't get it any higher. Magnesium is doing the same. I think I might ditch the BRS big three. 

[Rehype]

On 8/3/2017 at 11:18 AM, TheKleinReef said:

 

I onlyy  we found the aefw on the katropra and Hawkins. Dipped those two 2x a week for a few weeks and I stopped seeing the aefws.  Dipping killed the Hawkins though, it did not like frequent dips. 

 

It's going alright. Teenyreef sent me an sps care package and the tank is looking okay. Parameters are kind of crazy though. 

Alk was stable at 9.5 for almost two weeks then suddenly jumped to 10. Ca is low at 370 and I can't get it any higher. Magnesium is doing the same. I think I might ditch the BRS big three. 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Im going with one dip per week as they seem to tolerate that better. So far my hawkins doesnt look too bad but Ill definitely keep that in mind.

 

I wouldnt try to chase numbers just keep it stable with water changes for now.

[TJ_Burton]

3 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Thanks for the feedback. Im going with one dip per week as they seem to tolerate that better. So far my hawkins doesnt look too bad but Ill definitely keep that in mind.

 

I wouldnt try to chase numbers just keep it stable with water changes for now.

 

That is good news! Hawkins is beauty. Keep us posted on how the dips go. Maybe before and after pics so people can get a general idea of what acros look like pre and post dipping? I remember doing freshwater dips on my Montiporas... man that was brutal. They survived, and all the nudis and eggs died, but they went from brightly colored to brown in one shot. It was disheartening!

[Rehype]

On 8/7/2017 at 7:01 AM, TJ_Burton said:

 

That is good news! Hawkins is beauty. Keep us posted on how the dips go. Maybe before and after pics so people can get a general idea of what acros look like pre and post dipping? I remember doing freshwater dips on my Montiporas... man that was brutal. They survived, and all the nudis and eggs died, but they went from brightly colored to brown in one shot. It was disheartening!

 

Hey TJ sorry somehow I missed your reply.  Well so far the dipping has went pretty well. After the first few dippings I laid off a bit because the frags didnt look too hot. In the meantime I added a frag rack and gave them some time to recover.  What took me by surprise was I also discovered black bugs (they look like copepods but are darker and like to burrow inside the polyps of the acros) My initial thoughts was I should just burn all my acros and start over but ultimately decided against it.  I wanted to give my best effort  first and hopefully document what works as there wasnt much info on them.  So I went back to my dipping regimen (every 4 days in melafix marine 20ml per 1/2 cup of tank water) This worked well but I still had a number of these pods in the tank. So I finally added a yellow coris wrasse and he made a huge difference in just a week or two.  I was a bit sad to see thousands of pods reduced to almost nothing but it was worth it.  I wish I remembered to take a pic of the millepora as it was almost bleached white but still had a tiny bit of PE now its gotten most of its color back despite repeated dips and abuse. 

 

I also decided to keep adding to my montipora collection as they were totally unaffected by these pests... picked up a nice appleberry.

 

 

 

 Im happy overall since I havent seen anymore black bugs and just one small flatworm in my last dip. So things are definitely looking up. The plan is to dip 1-2 a week for the next month and if I can't  find any pest ill discontinue dipping and finally let these guys color back up. Im a bit amazed at their resilience as I didn't think they would be able to handle so much stress.

 

Just in case you guys never seen a flatworm up close. Took a pic..

 

[Weetabix7]

6 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

Hey TJ sorry somehow I missed your reply.  Well so far the dipping has went pretty well. After the first few dippings I laid off a bit because the frags didnt look too hot. In the meantime I added a frag rack and gave them some time to recover.  What took me by surprise was I also discovered black bugs (they look like copepods but are darker and like to burrow inside the polyps of the acros) My initial thoughts was I should just burn all my acros and start over but ultimately decided against it.  I wanted to give my best effort  first and hopefully document what works as there wasnt much info on them.  So I went back to my dipping regimen (every 4 days in melafix marine 20ml per 1/2 cup of tank water) This worked well but I still had a number of these pods in the tank. So I finally added a yellow coris wrasse and he made a huge difference in just a week or two.  I was a bit sad to see thousands of pods reduced to almost nothing but it was worth it.  I wish I remembered to take a pic of the millepora as it was almost bleached white but still had a tiny bit of PE now its gotten most of its color back despite repeated dips and abuse. 

 

I also decided to keep adding to my montipora collection as they were totally unaffected by these pests... picked up a nice appleberry.

 

 

 

 Im happy overall since I havent seen anymore black bugs and just one small flatworm in my last dip. So things are definitely looking up. The plan is to dip 1-2 a week for the next month and if I can't  find any pest ill discontinue dipping and finally let these guys color back up. Im a bit amazed at their resilience as I didn't think they would be able to handle so much stress.

 

Just in case you guys never seen a flatworm up close. Took a pic..

 

 

I know this has been a lot of frustrating work, but your sharing what you did and the results is helpful. 

Very glad to see positive results from this for you. 

[markalot]

Glad to hear the dipping is going well, good luck!

[Rehype]

4 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

I know this has been a lot of frustrating work, but your sharing what you did and the results is helpful. 

Very glad to see positive results from this for you. 

 

Thanks so much Weetie. It was definitely discouraging in the beginning especially after discovering the black bugs but at this point I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just have to be a bit more patient. And if anyone else is having similar issues let me know I can detail my method more thoroughly.

 

3 hours ago, markalot said:

Glad to hear the dipping is going well, good luck!

Thanks Mark I really appreciate it!