Caulerpa Prolifera dip for flatworms.

[Subsea]

After battling flatworms (Convolutriloba retrogemma) with Exit, I gave up after 6 months.

Initially, I crashed my 75 Jaubert Plenum but was able to claim victory over flatworms in the top. In my 30G refugium, I used Exit at 4 times recommend dose with no success. Because I felt flatworms had built up an immunity to Exit, I decided to remove sump from system and bleach it. This required removing both doors to remove 30G tank. I kept this tank outside for 10 days before bringing back on line.
Two months later, I have flatworms in both top and bottom. I will use wrasses in the genus Halichoeres. To help them get infestation under control, I will aggressively synponing them out.

Now, back to the macro dip. Two different protocal will be used. Fresh water dip then a quarantine. The other treatment will include Bayer insecticide that has been used as a coral dip. I am it sure what a fresh water dip will do to flatworms, but we shall see. I am fairly certain that Bayer insecticide at the high dosage that I use will kill flatworms.

Give me a day or two and Inwill gave prelimi art results.

First picture is 75G Jaubert Plenum on top. Second picture with 30G mud filter/refugium on bottom.

 

[Subsea]

My picture taking sucks. Sorry.

 

[Subsea]

Initially, this refugium had Chaetomorphy. After adding C. Prolifera & C. Paspoides, they dominating over Chaeto. I run high nutrient systems. I suspect that if I ran normally accepted reef parameters, the Chaeto would have dominated.

This first study will include a small amount of Chaeto with Caulerpa Prolifera. Macro was removed from sump. It included amphipods, copepods, roitfers as well as numerous flatworms, Convolutriloba retrogemma. An easy test to identify this flatworm is to smash it with fingertip against glass. It will leave a reddish stain on your skin and smell of strong iodine.

Macro was put in empty white bucket with numerous moving things falling to bottom. In a seperate clear glass container, fresh water was added with macro submerged for 30 minutes. After macro was removed it was put over white bucket and gentle shook. Numerous things fell, but none were moving. The texture of macro seemed to be intact with no external damage from fresh water dip. Macro was rinsed twice with fresh water and added to 10G growout tank with 50W of CFL.

 

[tastyfish]

I suffered a flatworm outbreak after a batch of macro-algae bought from eBay infected the tank. I now freshwater dip all algae. Flatworms definately jump off. I've been using PolypLab CoralRevive as a coral dip (with tank water). Not sure what effect it would have on macro algae, but suspect it would be ok (potassium salts).

 

[Subsea]

Thanks for the input.

I suspect some of the deep water macro, like red grapes & dragonss breath, would not respond well to fresh water dips. I am not sure about Charto, but I suspect that Prolifera and Ulva will have no problem with fresh water dip.

The main issue is "does it kill all flatworms". Considering that fw produce both sexually and asexually they are a true testimony to survival. In addition, the fw in this study have become immune to Flatworm Exit.

 

[tastyfish]

Thanks for the input.

I suspect some of the deep water macro, like red grapes & dragonss breath, would not respond well to fresh water dips. I am not sure about Charto, but I suspect that Prolifera and Ulva will have no problem with fresh water dip.

The main issue is "does it kill all flatworms". Considering that fw produce both sexually and asexually they are a true testimony to survival. In addition, the fw in this study have become immune to Flatworm Exit.

I freshwater dipped Racemosa, halimeda and a few others. They grew like crazy afterwards

Flatworms jump off instantly with freshwater and die. Not sure about eggs though

 

[Subsea]

For the second test, C. Prolifera & Chaeto were dipped for 10 minutes in Bayer insecticide at a concentration of 20ml in 8oz of tank water. This immediately nuked all critters, good & bad.

After macro was removed from dip, it was rinsed twice with water from receiving tank, then allowed to sit in Fresash prepared salt water. After 10 minutes, it was introduced to 10G tank with established pod population.

I got information for this thread from nano reef. The original post was for a 5 minute coral dip.

 

[Subsea]

C. Prolifera soaked in fresh water for 30 minutes is disentigratong.

 

[BlueCat1949]

C. Prolifera soaked in fresh water for 30 minutes is disentigratong.

I have heard of this happening before. Maybe a shorter soak time or?

 

[tastyfish]

C. Prolifera soaked in fresh water for 30 minutes is disentigratong.

There's no reason to do it for that long, a few mins would likely be enough, especially if you are agitating.

I haven't tried it with algae, but a kinder method may be with tank water and something like PolypLabs Reef Primer. This is potassium salts, but from coral dipping I can tell you that flatworms, snails, absolutely everything jumps off and dies.

 

[Subsea]

I am sure that 5 minutes is adaquate.

What is seen is evident. The concern would be for eggs and larvae of some pest, in particular the cyst stage of marine ich. Flatworms are more complicated as they reproduce both asexually and sexually.

 

[Subsea]

After having used Bayer insecticide on BTA and button polyps covered in flatworms, both were dipped for 5 minutes with two rinses and a soak in small container of new tank water. Fresh mixed to a SpG of 1.024.
Many dying amphipods were noted coming from both of these rocks. I will put button polyps with mushrooms into newly cycled 130G tank. This will leave BTA to be temporary propagated in a 10G tank.

My third 10G quarantine tank is diver collected live rock cured in outside growout system. The light on this 10G tank is 5K CFL at 5W/G.

 

[jbvdhp]

Have you tried using flatworm exit by salifert? That stuff works.

 

[Subsea]

Yes, I use Salifert FW Exit. When moving live rock, I soak for 30 minutes at four times recommended dose.

My use of Bayer insecticide was more about seeing if macro was injured at high 10% dosage rate.

 

[butcher333]

Updates?