Flatworm exit unsafe for starfish???

rjmayes34

New member
So I had some flat worms so I got some flatworm exit as suggested and when I bought it, it was suggested to dose it higher then the recomendation to make sure it kills the worms. Worms are gone, but I noticed all my little bristel starfish( black ones) were paralised for a while and some are still slowley comin back but some died. My large serpent star(bout 18" across) was paralised for a few hours and is still kinda out of it. While my blue star fish I got from cf is now laying at the bottom of my tank in the back behind my rockwork not moving and I think it is dead. Any one have anything similar to this? I syphined as many as I could get out before treatment then did a 50 gallon water change after, I waited the recomended time well only 20 mins not 30.
Should I wait it out to see if the starfish comes around or will it crash my tank if it is dead? A quarantine tank is not an opiotn cause I don't have one.
And for the future is their any other way to get rid of flatworms??
O and nothing else suffered, not my chalise's, acans, anenonmes nothing else thankfully.
 
If your tank is large enough I would recommend a Melanuras Wrasse as a more natural method over dosing anything.

Though I'm not sure about the starfish having issues. Hopefully someone with more experience with Flatworm Exit could help.
 
O and I did this yesterday late afternoon, after My bills kicked butt!!!
I have a 125 gallon(60"x18"x25.5") so I think it would be big enough. I'll have to look into that wrasse deff, my wife loves wrasses so if it a cool lookin fish and has a great purpose then I'm in. I would prevent ahead of time!!
 
No, since I did the water change I didn't run the carbon. But arnt the chalices,acans, anenomes, and even my armor of god polyps more sensitive than the starfish? If so wouldn't it affect them before my starfish?? Just my thoughts
 
O and the starfish started to hurt and die within 5 mins of adding the flatworm exit. And by over dosin I mean I put in 2 1/2ish caps instead of just under two cap fulls.
 
Yeah that's why I did the 40 percent water change after. It recomends it not says you have to so I figuired that was sufficant and make up for no carbon. If it was the flatworm toxins wouldn't they have affected A coral also? Didn't have any affect on anything else.
 
sorry i didnt see you earlier post. Flatworm Exit should have an additional step. Place all inverts into QT tank. My brother dosed and killed all his clean up crew. syphoned and ran carbon but to no avail. Hard lesson to learn.
 
I don't know if th FWE affects stars,didn't harm mine . Personally, I'd bet on the toxins from the worms. When I used it in tank years ago it didn't effect anything but flatworms as I far as I could tell. I siphoned them out first, then dosed ,then used extra carbon and an extra over the side filter to help siphon them out as they died. Started with 100% of recommended dose , then repeated treatment a week later at 150% .
They will wane as nutrients(N ,P and C ) and detritus in the tank go down,ime.
 
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