Flatworm invasion! Please help!

W

Westpat

New member
I am getting killed with flatworms in my 75.
I have done three waterchanges in the last week and it seems like everytime I clean a bunch out the rocks are coated again the next day.

My pH, hardness, and nitrates are great.
My salinity is about .22 and I have no idea what my phosphates are.

These things are driving me crazy!
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
David
 
Are you talking about the red flatworms?

If so, I suggest that you first suction them out with airline tubing to reduce their number. Then you can use Flatworm Exit. You need to do a big water change and use activated carbon afterward since the little buggers release toxins when they die.

I have tried Blue velvet slugs but they don't get every one of them.

Mandarin goby can keep them at bay (you won't see flatworms in your display with Mandarin goby while they flourish in your fuge.) I hear that a six line wrasse is a great flatworm hunter, but I never had one myself since they compete with Mandarin goby for food.

HTH,

Tomoko
 
I agree with Tomoko about a mandarin or a six line wrasse. I would go with the wrasse personally. I love them they do a great job.
 
I have been wanting a mandarin again for a while. I had one for about two years until she fell over in the overflow and was never the same. I did not know anything would eat them because they were toxic.
Thanks,
David
 
Some individual fish will eat them, some won't. Scooter dragonettes are another fish where some individuals will eat flatworms.

When it comes to biological controls, if you want the fish and can support it, go for it. Otherwise Tomoko's FWE plan is the most likely way to succeed, but it has some dangers.

Of course, there's always prevention so you don't get the uglies in the first place...
 
Nicole,
Thanks for your thoughtfulness. As for prevention, it is kind of like being eight months pregnant and finally deciding that birth control is a good idea.

The best I can tell is that I got them off a rock I bought from a very reputable LFS. I have had to focus on the rigors of adopting and adapting 3 teenagers from Ukraaine, and my attention to this tank has been sporadic at best over the last year.

I have an engineer goby in there that is about ten years old so I am a little nervous about the Flatworm Exit.

David
 
The prevention comment was for everyone else reading the thread who has yet to deal with a nasty. It's rather like watching all of your cousins get pregnant one by one, and then wondering how it could happen to you.

The best fish store in the world has uglies in their tanks. They can't help it -- the ocean is full of them. The holding tanks at the wholesalers are worse. If it's wet it needs to be quarantined regardless of source; if you can't QT, don't bring it home.
 
In addition to the fish already mentioned, a Melanarus wrasse should do a great job on the flatworms. One fish took care of an infested 270G tank in about two weeks. May not be the best choice if you have ornamental shrimp, though.
 
Man that is a pretty fish!

Also Nicole,
I am serious in asking how you would reccomend QTing live rock.
I have done this for fish, but never for rock. Which I guess is pretty obvious!

Can you treat it, or do you just observe and take back to store if there are undesirables attached?

I laughed about the cousins because the three female ones I do have are all in their 30'sand 40's and have never had children.

Thanks everybody,
I kept a lunare wrasse for about six years and I miss the mean little guy. I am leaning toward the wrasse if I can find one.
David
 
You don't necessarily have to cure every new live rock. It is suffice to observe it for a little while in a small QT tank. When we buy corals, they are usually attached to small live rock rubbles or reef plugs. Some nasties such as flatworms come in hitch-hiking on these rubbles or plugs. As you quarantine your coral, you need to watch for these hitch-hikers as well. If you find things such as the flatworm, sea spider, sundial snails, seaslugs, red bugs, or what have you, you need to take measures to get rid of the hitch-hikers.
 
I'm afraid I disagree with Tomoko; I think rock needs to be QT'd, too, for a minimum of 6 weeks to allow specific fish diseases and parasites time to starve off before introducing them to the tank. Most especially ick.

(Of course, if you have cirolanid isopods, you can't really starve those guys in anything less than about 6-8 months. But they are fairly rare and it's like winning the reef nasty lottery.)

QT'ing rock is easy, and sure, you can QT and cure at the same time. You need a heater and a powerhead and a Rubbermaid tub or old tank. Oh, and salt water. Personally, I prefer using a tank because it's easier to see anything popping up or crawling on the rock that is either cool or needs to be addressed. It is not unknown for fish to hitchhike in on live rock. either from the store or even all the way from the ocean.

Personally, I don't "clean" live rock when I get it -- I just pull off large dead stuff. And I prefer to cure the rock using large water changes -- daily if necessary -- to minimize the cycle and preserve as much life as possible. I like the "live" in live rock.

Can you treat it, or do you just observe and take back to store if there are undesirables attached?
Click to expand...

Depends on what it is. Many nasties can be cured, but some can't. Every tank has all kinds of algal spores (so does the air we breath) and aiptasia makes me think those medieval folks were on to something when they theorized spontaneous creation.

But no, I would not return a rock. The ones the store probably all have the same things, and totally clean rock is a rarity. If I hit the nasty lottery and found cirolanid isopods... well I'd TELL the store. Then I'd probably bleach the rock. :(
 
+1 on melanarus wrasses. i've got a male in my 180g and a female in my 40g. i got both from aquarium fantasies in montgomery, and are WONDERFUL!!
 
GL I've had them for years.. They don't really hurt anything but when you treat for them you will have problems.. I've used flatworm exit several times. They always seem to come back. The corals seem to handle the treatment pretty well. The fish however don't.. I've lost several fish over the years when I treated for flat worms. The problem is when the worms die they pretty much just melt into the water this is what causes the problem. Carbon will help but dont expect to much. This is coming from someone who buys carbon in 5 gallon buckets, so its not like I didn't use enough haha. I now just let them be. I keep flat worm exit so when I take corals out to trade or give away I always rinse them off with tank water then add a couple of drops of FWE to the bag. 4 drops treats 5 gallons so a drop or two in a bag with a frag is more then enough to kill any that might be left. I think the problem with treating them in the tank is you can't dose strong enough to kill them all quick but at the same time you can't leave the FWE in the water at a lower dose long enough to kill every worm so they always just come back. I've taken several corals to my tank at my office and it still has stayed flat worm free so FWE does work when given both more time and a stronger dose.
 
Thanks,
They are ugly and annoying, but have not touched the frags I put in as an experiment. I will lie and tell everyone that it is indeed a new form coralline algae.
 
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