Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 I noticed a few corals not doing well... tissue receding, browning up, polyps not opening as it should. Especially the efflos.... and a Fiji table acro specimen. An investigation.... and an old friend of a different species have appeared.... acro-eating flatworms. First visible sign... egg patches, this one under an efflo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Zooming in on the eggs. They are coloured brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member subxero Posted June 22, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted June 22, 2005 Wonder if any Fishes will eat up these eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV-65 Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Ewww... AT, wat's the next course of action u intend to take?? Maybe can share it with us... would like t know wat I should do it I ever encounter this problem... Quote People do not plan to fail; Often they just fail to plan... Wat I do to prevent myself from tearing my hair out... My stress remedy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Can you spot at least adults on this efflo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 circled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV-65 Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 circled. Damn... I would never have spotted them... Quote People do not plan to fail; Often they just fail to plan... Wat I do to prevent myself from tearing my hair out... My stress remedy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 A green acro colony that was green was turned browner and browner and was receding over months. I wondered why.... finally, I reached in and turned it over... #$*(&! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Shocker coming right up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Flipping it over, just out of the light... were loads of adult flatworms.... the invisible acro-eating ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 would you have thought this patch to be a flatworm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Some of the infected colonies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member Reefaholic Posted June 22, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted June 22, 2005 Gosh... these is really nasty Recently i got one aquacultured, and Luckily when i put it on the sand bottom before gluing it and found so many roaming flatworms on its body. Quickly take it out and dip in fresh water. within 10 secs all float up and died. Then there goes my sps too the next day. Better be safe than sorry. Lost one better than lost all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Leaving them to dry out... jelly blobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Dried out on my efflo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member CalciumReef Posted June 22, 2005 SRC Member Share Posted June 22, 2005 Would dipping sps with salifert flatworm exit for example be a good measure to remove any possible flatworms before introducing the coral to main tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 A freshwater dip for one of my Fiji green table corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 The aftermath of the FW dip. At least 50 flatworms of different sizes have dropped off the bottom of the coral. They were almost invisible to the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV-65 Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Did the FW dip get rid of all the flatworms? or did some still managed to cling on?? Quote People do not plan to fail; Often they just fail to plan... Wat I do to prevent myself from tearing my hair out... My stress remedy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 I think they all died. Result: One highly stressed SPS coral. Here back in my tank... releasing flourescent green zooxanthellae.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 It has browned/bleached instantly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 I'm expecting to lose it at the worst or have a very brown coral for a few months at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV-65 Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 It has browned/bleached instantly.... Awww man... Tink I really gotta inspect properly when buying SPS next time... I'm always too excited... Quote People do not plan to fail; Often they just fail to plan... Wat I do to prevent myself from tearing my hair out... My stress remedy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Tang Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Gosh... these is really nasty Recently i got one aquacultured, and Luckily when i put it on the sand bottom before gluing it and found so many roaming flatworms on its body. Quickly take it out and dip in fresh water. within 10 secs all float up and died. Then there goes my sps too the next day. Better be safe than sorry. Lost one better than lost all. A good reason why we should all have quarantine tanks to hold all new specimens for at least 3 months. 3 months is what I hear most people recommend for such flatworms to complete their life cycle to adulthood from eggs. Sadly, this is not a luxury or practice that most of us follow... with such consequences. The upside to this is that those with green-spotted mandarinfishes, six-line wrasses or leopard wrasses may find them feasting on these flatworms (NOT the red planaria) IF they spot them. I guess a good countermeasure is to observe each specimen closely for negative changes, suspect the worse and try to spot for parasites such as these. The eggs can be scrapped off with a sharp knife and you can kalkwasser paste the adults if you have the time. If not, a dip with Lugols iodine (may not work for some species) or flatworm exit or Freshwater Dip may kill them (with risks to corals). Bottomline: I HATE FLATWORMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV-65 Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 A good reason why we should all have quarantine tanks to hold all new specimens for at least 3 months. 3 months is what I hear most people recommend for such flatworms to complete their life cycle to adulthood from eggs. Sadly, this is not a luxury or practice that most of us follow... with such consequences. The upside to this is that those with green-spotted mandarinfishes, six-line wrasses or leopard wrasses may find them feasting on these flatworms (NOT the red planaria) IF they spot them. I guess a good countermeasure is to observe each specimen closely for negative changes, suspect the worse and try to spot for parasites such as these. The eggs can be scrapped off with a sharp knife and you can kalkwasser paste the adults if you have the time. If not, a dip with Lugols iodine (may not work for some species) or flatworm exit or Freshwater Dip may kill them (with risks to corals). Bottomline: I HATE FLATWORMS. Thanxs for the good advice... guess this should be an awakening call to me... been too careless so far when buying SPS... Quote People do not plan to fail; Often they just fail to plan... Wat I do to prevent myself from tearing my hair out... My stress remedy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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