BEWARE of Flatworm Exit

[johnny]

I wanted to post this to warn everyone so they could learn from my experiene. I haved used Flatworm Exit in the past to eradicate both flatworms and nudibranches... but this time something went terribly wrong. I treated my tank a week ago and after three days of the first dose everything looked fine. I needed to go on a business trip to DC for three days so I left my wife in charge of adding water and feeding. I came back to find nearly every single coral dead. My sps are completely bleached, lps gone, polyps on the verge of death. Im not sure what went so wrong this time, but it went really wrong. Needless to say it will be the last time I use FWE.


Nick

A video from a few months ago...

http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid110.photobucket.com/albums/n105/johnnyq627/aquarium/2012Jan%20frag%20swap/2012-03-26_21-00-56_307.mp4

Today :'(

 

[DIY Reef Guy]

Thats what happens when you leave a woman in charge!

But seriously that product has been around forever, unless you terribly misused it I would be looking elsewhere for the problem.

 

[johnny]

My routine hasnt changed and nothing else has been added or removed for months. There were no power outages, temp is stable, and water parameters checked out. No doubt in my mind that it was anything other than the fwe. I was using it to treat nudis, not flatworms...i used one and a half bottles for a bit over 300g of water volume (1.5x dose is needed for nudis vs flatworms).

 

[IamTomm]

Did you remove carbon and do a water change after dosing?

If the faltworm exit kills a lot of flatworms and no water change is done they seriously pollute the water.

 

[M88A2]

i've used 2x the recommended dose before then again 3 days later with no problems. is there a chance that your wife accidentally screwed something up or maybe too many target pests died polluting the system with toxins/decomposition?

 

[johnny]

Did you remove carbon and do a water change after dosing?

If the faltworm exit kills a lot of flatworms and no water change is done they seriously pollute the water.

I didnt have flatworms, just a few nudis.

 

[johnny]

i've used 2x the recommended dose before then again 3 days later with no problems. is there a chance that your wife accidentally screwed something up or maybe too many target pests died polluting the system with toxins/decomposition?

Yeah like I said ive done this a couple of times before also with no ill affects. My wife has een in the hobby for years also, so hard to beliee.she could have screwed up and added vinegar or something. She didnt notice the problem because she leaves for work before the lights are on and returns after theyve gone off and she had some long hours those days so she didnt pay much attention. My only guess at this point is a bad batch of fwe. It may have sat in the hot sun for an afternoon when it was delivered, could that of somehow "cooked" it into something else?

 

[rigleautomotive]

Thats terrible bro.Large water changes and GAC changed every two days.Remove all dead or dying tissue and carry on bro.I will throw you a few frags when I see you to get things rolling again.Let me know if there is anything you need.Sorry bro !! I know how that must feel.

 

[tmz]

There are a couple of local reports of similar outcomes. I have used it in the past without issues but I am reluctant to use it now.

 

[johnny]

Thats terrible bro.Large water changes and GAC changed every two days.Remove all dead or dying tissue and carry on bro.I will throw you a few frags when I see you to get things rolling again.Let me know if there is anything you need.Sorry bro !! I know how that must feel.

Thanks Dan. I've had small problems in the past due to stupidity/inexperience, but nothing to this extent. I've never seen anything like it, even my softball size candy canes lost all their tissue, yet my fish, urchins, stars, and snails are unaffected... Just makes no sense to me. I'm running carbon and getting another large waterchange ready. I'll move on and rebuild, but this was just heartbreaking.

 

[coralreefnc]

do u have the date FW exit?

 

[johnny]

do u have the date FW exit?

I can check when I get home. I bought 6 boxes, so I have 4 left and the half bottle, although I dont know if the bottle has a date?

 

[johnny]

There's no date on the bottle or box, but it says Batch 312-A.

 

[rigleautomotive]

IMO---You had some type of bio mass die off that was toxic to corals.beyond that,you would need pathology of the animal to be sure.these type of in tank treatments are always risky and IMO are a last resort.No use beating yourself up or Salifert,the reasoning I would use is never again.Going away after the treatment was really lining up the odds against you.if you were there,and do the careful observation daily(like I preach)you could have caught it at the onslaught and acted appropriately.This is a hard learned lessen but the way we form our school of thought and husbandry skills
You are part of our club so I am sure some of us will be glad to toss you a couple pieces to get you growing again.

 

[rickyfins]

This would be a good opportunity for Johnny to share his experiences with the society at one of our meetings/swaps. Covering his QT procedure if any, treatment, etc... We can then follow his talk with a short but detailed plan on how to safeguard the display from invasion as well as treatment options if a pest does make it to the display.