red flatworms

[zygote2k]

I have a maintenance tank that literally has thousands of these critters covering the corals and the glass. Some corals aren't affected by them, but some are so covered with them that they don't open up at all.

How do I kill these? Flatworm eXIT? Experiences?

[hypertech]

FWE will knock them back. I've dealt with them by focusing on water quality and hitting them with FWE to keep the numbers down. I've had them twice. Both times they were small tanks with limited filtration. Once I got the water quality improved they just suddenly disappeared.

[Chad]

Don't you normally recommend letting it take its natural course?

 

 

Flatworm exit will do it. A hand full of wrasses (coris, leopards - though these have separate issues) will also do it, as will a blue velvet nudibranch.

[wvreef]

wrasses will reck havock on them.....

[zygote2k]

It's a 160 predatory reef tank with a Miniatus, Blue Lined Trigger and a 12" Blue Carpet Anemone. Water quality is top notch. I can't add a sixline because it will get eaten. I would say that nature will take its' course (chad), but these critters are out of control. There's a neon green sinularia that is now red. I have some eXit but would like to hear others' experiences about using it.

[Jan]

I have hundreds of FW's in my hex. I purchased a 6 line just so it could eat these pests. The sixline won't touch them. I've also dosed 4 times with FWE in the last 4 months. I've even doubled the dose with the last two treatments and all FWE does is reduce the population. It annoyed many of the FW's. Some died but many just moved really fast. I purposley don't feed the 2 fish in this tank often just to see if the 6 line will eat the Fw's. Nothing! They are almost impossible to get rid of. The only thing that I saw eat these like a vacuum cleaner are blue velvet nudibranch/head shield sea slug. For two days all the BVN did was eat FW's. The problem with the BVN is they get stuck to the powerheads and filter intake. Recently I've been doing a lot of reading about prazipro. It's a dewarmer. I was thinking of experimenting with prazipro but I don't have the time. I want to knock down the hex this weekend.

 

I've also taken several corals and dipped them in fresh water and placed them in QT to make sure the FW's were gone. It worked on all. All the softies made it, but I killed off most of my gorgonians. SPS wont withstand FW's dips. Syphoning also helps, but is a PITA if the tank is deep and wide.

 

If you go for buying the nudis I'd get them from liveaquaria. They are big and healthy and come with a 14 day guarnatee. I purchased them from another well known online vender and I could hardly see them. They didn't last a day in my tank. the ones from LA are about the size of my pinky nail and fat.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Jan

[OldReefer]

I have had a few wars with these over the years and I have to say FW Exit works pretty well. It isn't a 100% kill like Jan has said, but usually it knocks them back far enough that they do not come back in great numbers. I have more than doubled the dosage without any ill effects.

 

Of course you will need to do a big water change and run a bunch of carbon in a catridge filter for a few hours. In your business you have all the tools to do that, so I would fire at

will..

 

In my current tank, I just ignored them and they have mostly gone away. Flow seems to really annoy them and I have lots of that.

[Almon]

Flatworm Exit works well. I recommend two doses, one week apart. Most inverts will die if not removed.

 

 

 

 

Some people have had good success with Flatworm Exit and others have not. Here are more helpful links:

 

Topic: Dips and cures - red bugs to Acro eating flatworms

 

Topic: Flatworms, and their demise

 

Topic: Tank Crash! Thanks Flatworm Exit!!!

 

Topic: Flat Worms, How to control or take care of them?

[hypertech]

I had no problem with inverts or anything else when I dosed FWE and I did it at triple the dose. I was prepared with water changes and carbon following the treatment, but I don't think I had enough water available the do as big of changes as I should have. I don't think it is the FWE, but I had a ton of them and I think when they die they release something. Some SPS colonies turned brown following treatment, but they colored back up over the next few months.

[Jan]

I didn't lose any inverts. Rob, why not take as many corals out of the tank that can be dipped in FW or hyposalinity and dip. Then syphon what you can and then treat with FWE. Time consuming, I know, but it will significantly reduce the numbers for you. Then treat with FWE again in a week or so. Had I done the FW dips at the start along with sypon and FWE I may have eliminated them.

[Jon Lazar]

I didn't lose any inverts. Rob, why not take as many corals out of the tank that can be dipped in FW or hyposalinity and dip. Then syphon what you can and then treat with FWE. Time consuming, I know, but it will significantly reduce the numbers for you. Then treat with FWE again in a week or so. Had I done the FW dips at the start along with sypon and FWE I may have eliminated them.

 

I think it's a "best practice" to siphon flatworms before dosing, as Jan recommends.

 

Many will siphon flatworms during a water change, but you can only do that for so long before you run out of tank water.

 

I had red planaria in a previous tank. My technique for siphoning was to run the end of the siphon hose into a filter sock in the sump, and leave the return pump running. You can siphon all day and the DT stays full of water. Then pull the filter sock and rinse in freshwater.

 

Also, if an invested coral is too sensitive to do a fresh water dip, you can dip it in a small container with saltwater and FWE.

 

Good luck!