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peiji 
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 Topic: Specific questions regarding Flatworm Exit
Posted: August 17 2014 at 9:04am |
I'm going to be doing this this afternoon. I've read all the threads I could find and read the instructions several times. There are just a few questions I have that I can't seem to find answers to.
1. The directions say 1 pound of activated carbon for 50g. That seems like a lot. It's also very expensive for that much carbon. I read somewhere else that they used 1/2 cup. Are there different types of activated carbon where you don't need a pound?
2. How long should I continue to run the carbon reactor? I plan on using my BRS reactor but not add any GFO like I usually do. Do I need to dump all the carbon soon after running because it's all "used up" and toxic? I'm not really an expert on the scientific properties of carbon and how it works.
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Jared Page
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Fatman
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Posted: August 17 2014 at 10:32am |
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I used 3/4 lb of carbon for my 120 gallon (175 with the connected frag tank and sump). I ran it for three days and then dumped it. I think it mostly depends on how many flatworms you can get rid of with a turkey baster as they die.
Fat
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peiji
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Posted: August 17 2014 at 10:53am |
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How do you know when to dump it? Will most of the toxins be absorbed in hours? Days? Is it best to do multiple small batches of carbon?
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Jared Page
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builderofdreams
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Posted: August 17 2014 at 12:13pm |
About 5 years ago i had an issue with flatworms. I used an external canister filter filled with fresh carbon. I medicated the tank removed as many dying worms as possible and about 45 minutes later when the majority was dead and removed i changed about 50 gallons of water(150 glln tank) and changed the carbon and then just let it run the rest of the night and removed it the next morning. Personally 50$ worth of carbon and some salt was not worth the risk of losing even one of my other livestock. Oh yea, i didnt lose anything.  Not sure anyone really knows 100% positively when carbon stops doing its job.
Edited by builderofdreams - August 17 2014 at 12:18pm
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Molli
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Posted: August 17 2014 at 4:57pm |
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An idea instead of using a turkey baster. Get some 1/4"hose and syphon out the dying flatworms. It is a lot faster that way and you don't end up syphoning much water. The quicker you can syphon them out the less toxins they will be putting into the tank.
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peiji
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Posted: August 17 2014 at 5:01pm |
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Here we go. I'm adding the Flatworm Exit now. Hope it goes well. I do plan on syphoning out all the dead flatworms with a 1/4" hose. I've been doing that for weeks now so I hope I got enough of them. I just filled a Little Fishes reactor with AC and plan to run it overnight.
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Jared Page
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peiji
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Posted: August 18 2014 at 9:11pm |
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I'm happy to report that things have gone without a hitch. The inverts, corals and fish didn't seem a bit different. Everything looks the same except the flatworms are gone, for now. The flatworms started dying within 5 minutes of dosing the tank. After an hour, I did a 25% water change and so far so good.
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Jared Page
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Mike Savage
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Posted: August 18 2014 at 9:56pm |
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I'm glad it is working well.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: August 18 2014 at 10:31pm |
I recommend dosing again and again. Like every few weeks.
Adam
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Jeremyw
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 7:17am |
 Adam Blundell wrote:
I recommend dosing again and again. Like every few weeks.
Adam |
Amen to this!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 7:43am |
Agreed. The few remaining flatworms that die will not be as polluting to the water so a huge water change is not necessary, just a change of AC. Aloha 
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peiji
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 7:48am |
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I plan on it. Thanks. Any thoughts on how often i need to dump the carbon after switching it out for a flatworm exit treatment?
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Jared Page
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 10:23am |
Typically, AC is saturated/used up within 2 weeks, depending on the level dissolved organics in the water. Different toxins stick to different places on the AC so that's a difficult question to answer. I'd probably change it 3-5 days after a run where few flatworms died. It's continual presence in the water, even at low levels still has a bad effect on flatworms. That's the principle behind the gradual dosage, no water change method. Aloha
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