Levamisole In-Tank Treatment for AEFW

[Fazio92]

Hi Everyone,

 

I thought i would share this thread I've been following on in-tank treatment for Acro Eating Flatworms (AEFW) on Reef Central (RC). I know that many of us one time or another have had to deal with this devastating pest with little results, but it seems like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel now!! I know Bob was experimenting a few years ago with treatments (chime in if you found anything), but not sure where that went. It seems they have finally found a formalized treatment program for treating AEFW (and any other flatworms as well) for a stocked reef aquarium.

 

Here is the link: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2027706

 

I would suggest just going to the last few pages to see the results unless you would like to read through 20+ pages

 

Hope this helps

 

-Anthony

[scott711]

Anthony,

 

I have been following and contributing to the thread. I have actually been treating my tank with Levamisole. It is a good read.

Edited July 19, 2011 by scott711

[Fazio92]

Anthony,

 

I have been following and contributing to the thread. I have actually been treating my tank with Levamisole. It is a good read.

 

 

Nice Scott, do you agree with the outcomes? Also, would you mind posting your dosing/treatment per volume of tank water, grams of levamisole, etc..? Thanks!

 

-Anthony

[scott711]

I think that many people in the thread were confusing AEFW with red planaria. There was also debate about whether it kills eggs or not. I don't believe it does, that is why it is recommended that you do 6 treatments a week apart. There are quite the difference of opinions on how long to leave it in/when to turn your GAC back on/and whether to turn your skimmer off.

 

This is what I have done:

 

My total water volume is ~200 gallons. I have been following the recommended dose of 5g/300 gallons of water. (If you have questions about measuring/where to get the product let me know.) I have been dosing about a week apart in the evening right around the time the lights go out. There was mention that the AEFW come out more after the lights go out because of the absence of predators. I leave it in over night and turn my GAC back on the next day. I also leave my skimmer on. So far I think it has benefited my tank, but I need to inspect a couple of corals that had the AEFW on them. On the second/third dose I add a little more than the recommended dose (~.3-4 grams extra).

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Fazio92]

I think that many people in the thread were confusing AEFW with red planaria. There was also debate about whether it kills eggs or not. I don't believe it does, that is why it is recommended that you do 6 treatments a week apart. There are quite the difference of opinions on how long to leave it in/when to turn your GAC back on/and whether to turn your skimmer off.

 

This is what I have done:

 

My total water volume is ~200 gallons. I have been following the recommended dose of 5g/300 gallons of water. (If you have questions about measuring/where to get the product let me know.) I have been dosing about a week apart in the evening right around the time the lights go out. There was mention that the AEFW come out more after the lights go out because of the absence of predators. I leave it in over night and turn my GAC back on the next day. I also leave my skimmer on. So far I think it has benefited my tank, but I need to inspect a couple of corals that had the AEFW on them. On the second/third dose I add a little more than the recommended dose (~.3-4 grams extra).

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

 

 

Great! Thanks Scott, let us know how everything turns out!

[Origami]

Great news. I'm going to copy a few of the summary links here for easy access just in case the thread over at RC gets really long, making it hard to find the good summary posts:

 

RC Post #388

"As a general comment, & to underscore the protocol you proposed, starting with a 5grm/300gal dose is important. See how the system reacts, and inspect for the AEFW impact. Ratcheting the dose up by 0.5 grm per treatment is a great way to go. Always observing the system, fish and corals for stress and using that observation to level off the dose or back off the dose. Six treatments 5-7 days apart at a minimum! Always shut down the air to the skimmer but keep all wetted parts of the system flowing. Use of bottom siphoning, turkey basting, WCs, GAC change out and sock/pad change out is system dependant."

 

The substance being used here is "Prohibit," a sheep and cattle dewormer. The concentration of the active ingredient (Levamisole) in the packaged product is 46.8 grams per 52 grams of product. In at least one case, people were using American Livestock (www.americanlivestock.com) as a source. Apparently you can get it in both powder and pill form. Active ingredient concentration may vary between the two forms. Be sure to check and adjust your final dosage accordingly.

 

Here's what one guy (flamron) did on his 120 gallon system:

 

Plan:

Remove skimmer airline

Dose 2.5g of Prohibit

Monitor for five hours (lots of clenching involved!)

Start skimmer back up

Run activated carbon

Replace carbon after 24 hours

Do 20G water change

Repeat every 6 days

 

I may increase the dosage of Prohibit by .25g or .5g every treatment, depending on how the system handles it.

[dbartco]

what is the concentration of levamisole in the 5g of "prohibit". 5g seems like a LOT.

[scott711]

what is the concentration of levamisole in the 5g of "prohibit". 5g seems like a LOT.

 

Depends on where you order it from. Also depends on whether you get powder or pill form.

[Integral9]

what is the concentration of levamisole in the 5g of "prohibit". 5g seems like a LOT.

The substance being used here is "Prohibit," a sheep and cattle dewormer. The concentration of the active ingredient (Levamisole) in the packaged product is 46.8 grams per 52 grams of product.

 

if i remember how to do this correctly it should be this

46.7:52 = x:5

cross multiply

52(x) = 234

solve for x

x = 234 / 52 = 4.5g of levamisole in 5g of Prohibit

 

edit: that's assuming concentrations are the same from the 52g product and the 5g product. The label might be helpful in determining that.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Integral9

[Origami]

what is the concentration of levamisole in the 5g of "prohibit". 5g seems like a LOT.

5 grams per 300 gallons. That's 0.0167 grams per gallon, or 4.3 ppm.

 

It's unclear to me, from the limited scanning I did of the last few pages, whether the dosage is 5 grams of Levamisole or 5 grams of Prohibit per 300 gallons. I assumed that it's 5 grams of Levamisole and that you'd have to correct for the concentration difference in the various forms of the product. In this scenario, you have to multiply the desired Levamisole by the 52/46.7 to get how much Prohibit you need to use. Some clarification would be helpful here.

[scott711]

5 grams per 300 gallons. That's 0.0167 grams per gallon, or 4.3 ppm.

 

It's unclear to me, from the limited scanning I did of the last few pages, whether the dosage is 5 grams of Levamisole or 5 grams of Prohibit per 300 gallons. I assumed that it's 5 grams of Levamisole and that you'd have to correct for the concentration difference in the various forms of the product. In this scenario, you have to multiply the desired Levamisole by the 52/46.7 to get how much Prohibit you need to use. Some clarification would be helpful here.

 

It is 5 grams of Levamisole. Prohibit is a brand name that contains 46.8 grams of Levamisole/52 gram packet

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

I have been checking up on that thread, how long have people been trying this treatment? I saw a post somewhere where they were saying it does long term damage on your tank. Like corals slowly stop growing and die. But I just skimmed over it not sure what the details are.

[Origami]

It is 5 grams of Levamisole. Prohibit is a brand name that contains 46.8 grams of Levamisole/52 gram packet

Thanks, Scott. That's what I'd assumed.

 

I have been checking up on that thread, how long have people been trying this treatment? I saw a post somewhere where they were saying it does long term damage on your tank. Like corals slowly stop growing and die. But I just skimmed over it not sure what the details are.

The instructions say apply six treatments 5-7 days apart. Dosing level is important. At 16.7 mg per gallon, you need a decent, calibrated scale to apply the right dose. Overdosing apparently can cause problems.