how to protect against flatworms?

[njfish77]

how can you make sure that corals are fully eradicated of flatworms, what kind of dip can you do?

 

[Mel-E-Mel]

Revive works great! I do a half cap to a large tupperware container or (one cap to a gallon) with saltwater. dip corals for a few minutes, then with a turkey baster, gently squirt the coral to knock off anything that may be attached to it. Place coral in another container with clean saltwater to rinse before putting in tank. You can also squirt the coral in the rinse container to make sure you got everything off.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

Having a flatworm eating wrasse (like a sixline) in your system will go a long ways toward eliminating them as well.

 

[Mel-E-Mel]

I'd skip the sixline unless you want it to raise hell when you add new fishes. But if it is the last fish you will be adding then feel free. I'd just take the extra precaution in dipping any new corals before adding to the tank.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

I am not advocating not dipping btw... I agree with Mel E Mel. My previous response was in addition to, not instead of his response.

Experiences with 6 lines vary, but they are certainly not the only wrasse that eats flatworms if you dont like their disposition, they were just the first wrasse that eats flatworms that came to mind

 

[njfish77]

what if im adding new stuff to a tank that might have flatworms, what should i do? i have flatworm exit and TMPCC.

 

[ChadTheSpike]

IMO, natural predators are preferable to chemical means which should be used as a last resort. (dipping is an exception in my book)

 

[njfish77]

Well I bought a few pieces of coral at a great deal because they had flatworms.
Right now there in qt while I set up my new tank. How can I make sure they are fully free of flatworms before I put them in the DT?

 

[daveml]

I would treat them in QT with Flatworm Exit. You might want to wait a week and treat again before going in your tank. Always better to error on the safe side as you do not want them in your display.

 

[njfish77]

Yea I actually have some flatworm exit and everything is in qt right now. What do you think about me dosing FWE and then dipping the corals in TmPCC? Can flatworms be carried over by snails and hermits shells also?

 

[daveml]

what type of coral? Are you talking about planaria or AEFW?

 

[njfish77]

Planaria, the rust colored flatworms. a scoly, 2 acan frags on plugs and some sps frags on plugs

 

[daveml]

If it's planaria I would use FWE - not sure about dipping as I've never done it. Planaria can be carried in on anything as they do not need a host like AEFW. AEFW needs an acro to survive. I believe after a about a week without a host they will die off.

Follow the instructions on FWE and you'll be fine as it is pretty safe with small numbers of FW

 

[Chris27]

A Lugols dip is the way to go, follow the directions on the bottle to set the concentration. Most times, a 15 min. dip and a couple of shakes will help dislodge any flatworms or nudi's from the coral.

 

[mfinn]

FWE is a very effective dip for fw.
I usually dip at twice the recommended dose.

 

[prickles]

Just FWE your QT and be careful you don't get an ammonia spike if there are lots of flatworms dying. Use FWE every time you add a coral and you should be good for planaria.