How do I get rid of flatworms?

[BradsOcean]

I have little white things all over the back and side glass of my tank and I am told they are flatworms. How do I get rid of them?

 

[Chrsnwk]

A picture might help, as well as some additional info as to what's in your tank fish and coral wise.

 

[papagimp]

IF they are flatworms and there are noticably white, than they shouldn't present a problem. It's the red planaria that tend to wreck havoc in a reef tank. I have lot's and lot's and lot's of white flatworms in my system and they have never harmed anything.

 

[michaeldaly]

You could just reduce nutrient input in your tank and they should eventually die off.

Some fish are said to eat them or you could buy a product like flatworm exit, but you have to be careful using it.

 

[papagimp]

Just FYI, the requirments to keep flatworms alive are about the same for any invertabrate in a reef system. Reducing nutrient input may help some but not as much as you would think. If they are in plaque proportions and covering the corals or anything, get one of those headshield type slugs that eat only flatworms. You'd have to find another home for the thing once it erradicates them, but since that is all they eat, they'll definatly get em down.

 

[Randall_James]

worm plaque? bet that taste awful.....hehehehe

 

[reeftanker04]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9465594#post9465594 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michaeldaly
You could just reduce nutrient input in your tank and they should eventually die off.

Some fish are said to eat them or you could buy a product like flatworm exit, but you have to be careful using it.

I had a lunare wrasse a few years back that had an incredible appetite for flatties. I would stir the sand a little on top and he would follow the grabber and eat every worm that popped out. It was a lot of fun.

 

[Gooli]

i had the same problem and a six-line wrasse did very well for me

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9466890#post9466890 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gooli
i had the same problem and a six-line wrasse did very well for me

I would never trust any "Borat" avatar

wrasse might work LOL, have also hear that Mandarin's can have a taste for them