AEFW are species-specific flatworms that eat Acropora tissue. They blend with the coral perfectly when not moving. Symptoms: bite marks on Acropora tissue, pale or brown patches, base recession, and the flatworms themselves visible during dipping.
Causative organism: Amakusaplana acroporae
Severity: Moderate to severe
Dip suspect colonies in coral dip (Bayer Advanced Insect Killer at 1ml/L, Coral Rx, ReVive). Watch the dip water for flatworms that fall off the coral.
AEFW are 3-5mm long, oval, transparent with internal stomach contents visible (dark patch). They camouflage perfectly on Acropora. Different from harmless flatworms (red, larger, faster-moving).
AEFW lay eggs that hatch over 7-10 days. Single dip kills adults but not eggs. Repeat 3 times to catch each hatchling generation as they reach dippable size.
Six-line wrasse, melanurus wrasse, mystery wrasse, and yellow coris wrasse eat flatworms in the display tank. Adding one helps prevent re-infestation between dip cycles.
New SPS frags should be dipped and quarantined in a separate frag tank for 4-6 weeks before going into the display. AEFW that arrives on a $50 frag can wreck a $5,000 reef.
AEFW (Acropora-Eating Flatworms) is preventable in 95%+ of cases by running a 4-6 week quarantine on every new fish before introduction. Read the quarantine protocol.