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Flatworm eating nudibranch


Larry Grenier

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I was talking with Quazi last night and he mentioned a shop in Virginia beach where they had nudis that supposidly ate flatworms.  Anyone have any more info on these?  I have lots of flatworms and would rather not use chemicals.  I understand they are know to have a polulation crash bbbut they've been going strong for a few months now and multiplying.  The nudi may be a kewl addition anyway.  I do have 2 peppermints if that's an issue.
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I just talked to Leroy @ Fish Safari in VA Beach.  He sez it is "Chelidonura Varians."  He had them for $29.99.

 

Maybe Grim @ TRT can get one for you.

 

Good luck,

 

Quaz

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Quazi, wow! $30.  Yea, I'll check with TRT.

 

David, I had a 6-line in my old 55; very kewl fish.  He drowned himself on the basement floor one day   :(

 

Anyone else have experience with a wrasse the liked to eat flatworms?

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I have heard these nudibrachs do in fact eat flatworms.  You can get some experiences over at RC.  Inherant problems with any nudibrach- pumps/overflows, and exhaustion of food supply.  The later though is easy to take care of....just send it over to reefmon's house when it has cleaned up your tank :)
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Larry,

I had flatworms in my tank by hundred and tryied many things,lowering the temp in the tank does help to stop  or slow their spawning cicles /syphoning / and I have a six line and a lepard wrasse there are some products out there but personally I wouldnt put any quemical.

You do want to be on top of this before it get get out of control ???

I still have some few around but very few.

I would definatelly pay the money for the "Chelidonura Varians."  but they are hard to get.

Iif TRT has them or can get them let me know. :;):

 

~Rob

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Thanks for the info folks.  I've herd good stuff about Sailfert's "Flatworm Exit" and you may remember cbo talking about success with "greenex".  I'm reluctant to use these options for fear of hurting other critters (I have other worms like bristle, 1 big maybe a peanut, and hundreds of little dusters).  I also have spawning snails of different species with tiny baby snails all over the tank.  Any other success stories with wrasses.  My readings say that the nudibranch has a short life even in a healthy tank.
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We should start a WAMAS nudibranch borrowing club for these guys and Berghia verrucicornis.  These critters are useless once your tank is clean, will die from starvation anyway, and are easy to catch in a reef tank. :;):
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Guest snapper

Larry,

  There's some boys up en dem hills there that eat flat worms.  Gotta get'em to squeal real nice first, tho.

 

I've heard they hate hairspray, problem is, so does everything else.  Does make the skimmer work better.

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Larry, I bet he would bring them to the meeting this weekend.  That way you can save the shipping! :p
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Quazi, you notice Dr. Mac's looks very very different from the black with blue stripes.

 

Someone explain to my Wife why I want to buy a $40 slug  :p

 

Snapper: ben drinkin too much ah dat moon-shine   :;):

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Guest JFish
There was a discussion on RC that stated that the only ones that ate the flatworms were the black with blue stripes and that these tongan ones will not.  I do not know though.
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Larry, that is not a good looking slug  :) , but maybe it will work, I would call the good Doctor.

 

Now, convincing your wife that you need a slug is a whole other issue... :p

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Guest JFish
More bad news... I don't think Dr. Mac is coming to the meeting on saturday. :(
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Im going to jump in just to add my two cents to this thread:

I bought this same nudibranch (2 of them and put them in a closed area in my refugium with some flat worms.... nothing happened  ??? next day ... ??? nothing happened so I decided to take em back Just be 100% they are flat worm eating nudibranch any refernce book out there that show's it does the job just very curiouse???

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Dear ilustrious lecturing professor ROBZ  :D  :D :

 

You are right, they won't touch the flat worms. As stated above, the only ones that will, and although it is a guess I suspect it is a hit or miss, are the ones commonly known as "greek goddess". The black with bright blue stripes.

The ones you are refering to and the ones Dr. Mac sells will eat some bryopsis, extremely slowly and if the current or pump intakes don't kill them first. I finally got some more and they are working hard to make a tiny ding to it. Bryopsis grows like there is no tomorrow. :angry:

Another note is that if you all are following some of the flatworm threads in RC, you will notice some people that have used the salifert flatworm chemical thing have had good results. I would be extremely cautious with that stuff since although I don't think the chemicals will harm your corals the toxins released by thousands of flatworms dying at once will. That is why people that have flatworms crash on them have their tanks nuked!. I personally would be more afraid of that than anything else.

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The C.varians is definitely black with 2 electric blue stripes and eat red flatworms very nicely.  I have never had or heard of one not eating flatworms immediately.

 

Unfortunately as already stated, they don't do well in current and will certainly find a powerhead, overflow, or a murderous BTA :(  Not to mention they tend to starve prior to complete elimination of the pests.

 

I was letting one cut into the flatworm population prior to blasting the tank with Flatworm Exit....but I have not seen the little slug in 24 hours and suspect a BTA lit him up :(  Getting ready to siphon out as many as I can and nuke the tank tomorrow.

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