Do spotted mandarins eat flatworms?

[TheGrog]

I have been battling a flatworm problem for over a year now. Thought they were gone, now back with a vengeance. Last time I did the Exit treatment, I had a crash and algae bloom. Not wanting to go that route again unless no choice.
Tank is a 120 reef with sump/fuge and about 150 pounds LR and sand bed.
Rather low bioload right now as with past crashes lost most of my stuff. Just now rebuilding corals.
Got a pair of Melanurus Wrasses (They beautiful and doing great) and they seem to nip at them some, but nowhere near controlling them. Every water change sucking hundreds out.
So, do not want a Nudibrach (too tough to keep alive) and doing more research and keep coming up with the Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) as another option.
Opinions? Experience? Other ideas?
Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Betta132]

Hmm... not sure how much competition the wrasses would be, but in a tank that size, I say go for it.

 

[Chief Reef]

Personally i wouldnt buy a species with such delicate husbandry requirements for the sole purpose of pest control. in regards to flatworms ive heard even with species that do its hit or miss. If he doesn't eat them then your stuck with a finicky dragonet you now have to worry about supplying pods for. Granted your tank is fairly large with a sump but you also have two Wrasse in there which is heavy competition.

Besides Dragonets are very lousy hunters in comparison to wrasse, if you have two melanurus wrasse that eat them but dont make a dent in the population, i doubt a mandarin alone would help much more.

 

[small alien]

A yellow coris wrasse will take care of them. And it's a great and easy fish. Stunning yellow.

 

[small alien]

To answer your original question, yes, they do.

 

[Nina51]

i don't normally like to recommend adding a particular fish for pest control but that being said, i had a significant flat worm problem in my 75g. yellow coris wrasse picked at them but when i added a vrolik's wrasse, he really went to town. i see very few flat worms now whereas before, they were everywhere and i was even scraping them off the glass 2 or 3 times a day. nasty buggars!

 

[snorvich]

To answer your original question, yes, they do.

I agree about the yellow coris wrasse being excellent for this purpose, but what is your source for saying mandarins do?

 

[starkii]

IME mandarins will but I'd rather add a wrasse like a chrysus. If you add a couple their competition is more likely to help solve the problem. I'd only advise them if you like the species anyway just in case they don't work.

 

[sully6956]

Neither my spotted or green Mandarin go near my flatworms unfortunately.

 

[snorvich]

Neither my spotted or green Mandarin go near my flatworms unfortunately.

That has also been my experience. I have heard anecdotal reports of spotted eating them, however, but never green mandarins.