how do i get a rid of them

[coast2coast7390]

BROWN FLATWORMS in my reef tank...how do i rid my tank of them...

 

[davidknulp]

flatworm exit from Salifert. It is really good. Use double concentration.

 

[coast2coast7390]

Reef Safe???

 

[bertoni]

Well, usually. Just be sure to follow the directions closely. If the flatworms are Convolutriloba retrogemma, they will leach a serious toxin when killed, so use lots of fresh carbon, remove as many of the pests as possible before treating, and have water on hand for changes.

I'd do a picture search to make sure of the id before proceeding.

 

[Lishoop6]

or you could get rid of them with a natural method velvet nudibranchs the eat exclusively flat worms of all variety and they look very nice

 

[coast2coast7390]

bertoni-they are too small
lishoop6-what if the nudi cant find them and dies will it harm my tank

 

[bertoni]

The velvet nudibranch won't find them all before starving to death, so unless you want to culture planaria indefinitely, that approach won't help.

Google should turn up lots of photos of C. retrogemma for an id check.

 

[sufunk]

If you can, remove as many infected pieces of coral and/or lr that you reasonably can and use flatworm exit on them in a small container outside of the tank. That way you can easily siphon out the dead/dying ones and not worry about crashing your tank.

AAfter doing as many as you can, it should be much safer to treat the entire tank since there will hopefully be much fewer flatworms.

Still have a large water change and lots of carbon on hand though.

 

[coast2coast7390]

are there any fish alternatives???i had one and hes now in my sump where i cant get him with out tearing the whole filter apart

 

[coast2coast7390]

yup thats him cept more brown

 

[bertoni]

There's no species of fish that reliably eats them. Sometimes, people get lucky with some animal or the other.

 

[Lishoop6]

I have had success with the nudibranch and they don't hurt the tank when they die. Those little guys took care of the whole infestation for me

 

[coast2coast7390]

bertoni-i noticed them right after my yellow wrasse jumped into the sump
lishoop6-really did you use them in your 29???i have the same size tank

 

[sufunk]

Nudi's are a pain times 10,ime. They are powerhead magnets. Almost every day when i came home i would have to turn mine off so it could unwedge itself. No matter what i did, it found its way into the inlet.

 

[jon99]

I've had these in my reef tank and they never seemed to bother anything, just an eyesore. They went away on their own (for the most part) after a while. Siphoning them during water changes and increasing circulation (point a powerhead in an area they are concentrated) seems to help.

 

[loosecannon]

Davidknulp: You say use salifert, than say use double concentration, than you say follow directions. He ask if it was reefsafe and you say usually come on! First off this worm reperduses asexualy. It only takes one, to make moor . I would try a sixline, or a fourspoted wrasse. Lishoop6: The velvet nudibanch, that eat`s them . Only eat`s them than dies from no food. p.s. It`s a Chelidonura varians [Headshield slug] .

 

[coast2coast7390]

i bought that but never used it
loose-ill try the sixline

 

[kuoka]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but how big are flatworms and how would I see/find them? Are they nocturnal? Do they eat anything besides snails and clams?

 

[Lishoop6]

I passed my nudibranch on to another member in my club when it finished the job

 

[Sk8r]

Remember this is a new tank, and will be chemically fragile. Get test kits for alkalinity, ph, calcium, nitrate, ammonia, and apply them frequently while using Flatworm Exit. I don't know if all of them are helpful, but they're interrelated, and I have read numerous posts from people who have crashed their tanks---I suspect by not paying strict attention to params while using the stuff. I'd be testing every few hours and logging the results to spot any developing trend.