Print Page | Close Window

Getting Rid of Red Flatworms

Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
Forum Description: If you have an Emergency post here and you should receive a quick reply.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65205
Printed Date: March 29 2024 at 12:17am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Getting Rid of Red Flatworms
Posted By: ajkochev
Subject: Getting Rid of Red Flatworms
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 2:57pm
I'm getting a lot of the red flat worms. My tank is small, what would be good to get rid of them in a small tank?

Tank:
5 gallon hex
Setup Dec, 2012
1/2 gallon vacuum and water change weekly.
Distilled water used for top off and WC.

Everything looks good, params are where they should be, just a lot of flatworms starting to populate.



Replies:
Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 3:00pm
Flatworm Exit should do the job nicely but that kind of depends on what stock you have in the tank and how sensitive they are.

-------------
My ocean.
90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread:


Posted By: ajkochev
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 3:04pm
I have:
Mostly hardy, general run of the mill soft corals and some plating montis. A large featherduster worm, cleaner shrimp and bali star. A few standard CUC inverts. No fish.


Posted By: aceofspadeskb
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 3:05pm
Melanurus wrasse.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1379+2285&pcatid=2285


Posted By: aceofspadeskb
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 3:06pm
scratch that...5 gallon tank.


Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 3:12pm
Originally posted by aceofspadeskb aceofspadeskb wrote:

scratch that...5 gallon tank.
 
My thought too until I saw tank size. A coris wrasse might help but that is not their favorite food like the melanarus.
 
I've had potters wrasse that ate them also, but again a bit large for 5 gallon. Best bet might just be the chemical warfare.


-------------
My ocean.
90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread:


Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 7:52pm
Flatworm exit and call it good.  Stuff is amazing.

Adam


-------------
Come to a meeting, they�re fun!


Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 7:57pm
Flatworm Exit or other like product (a few other companies sell something similar.) You can also use PraziPro, but it's a little too good.

Follow the directions with FWE...siphon out as many as you can first.

Also, study after study has shown that wrasses do not actually ingest the flatworms, and if a piece of flatworm brain tissue remains, it can regenerate itself. Wrasses can help control them by nibbling, but they're not 100%.

-------------
www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water


Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: June 27 2013 at 8:50pm
+1 to flat worm exit. Cleaned mine right up when I had a had an outbreak a while ago.


Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 28 2013 at 9:30am
Aloha.

There is a chemical that does a great job eradicating Flatworms and it is less costly than FW Exit. It's called Levamisole Hydrochloride and I have some. For a 5 gal tank it would take like $5 of the stuff. I would be happy to help you clear up this problem. Here is the thread we did which discusses the modified procedure that saves a lot of the hassle and ensures nothing in the tank is lost. This thread is located in the WMAS Reefkeeping Tips:

How to eradicate pest Flatworms:  http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31636" rel="nofollow - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31636

Mahalo,
Mark Hug
808-345-1049 call/text anytime


-------------
Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:
www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244
Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member


Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: June 28 2013 at 11:19am
Levamisole is a pig dewormer and has been shown time and time again to cause 40-60% losses in sps...which the OP stated he has.

I have not tried the above "modified procedure" but I would highly caution against levamisole. There are much safer treatments, such as FWE.

-------------
www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water


Posted By: beege29
Date Posted: June 28 2013 at 1:49pm
+1000 on flat worm exit, good stuff, i used it one time to kill 1000's of the litlle buggers, need a healthy waterchange after they are all scooped out or filtered out though. And it didn't harm a single coral (sps and lps) or fish.


-------------
90 gallon mixed reef
30 gallon sump


Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 29 2013 at 2:55pm
I have not heard of those studies but I'm not sure it matters. In my use of Lavamisole using the method of close observation during increasing dosage, I cannot remember ever having problems with SPS. I have seen too many hobbyists ruin their tank with the full dosage procedure because they had no idea there was such a massive population of the little buggers. (For every visible flatworm there are dozens more.)

A large population of Flatworms dieing all at once can poison the water to the extreme. It could be a response similar to the defense mechanism of a Sea Slug or as Flatworm Exit suggests in the instructions, their toxic body fluids expelled as they die, but one thing is clear - It can be lethal to almost all organisms.

I encourage use of the modified procedure for both products. I believe it is a logical approach to the use of such powerful chemicals in the infinitely variable environments of our reef aquariums. For me, it also makes things a lot nicer because it is so much easier to change AC than do large water changes. Speaking of the variable environment of each different aquarium, I also suggest that if a reasonable attempt with one product does not complete the job, try the other product. (Unfortunately, I have seen a few Flatworms hang on at 2x full dosage.)

That's my 2 cents.

Aloha,
Mark Hug



-------------
Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:
www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244
Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member



Print Page | Close Window

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd. - https://www.webwiz.net