I am going bare bottom

[Nanodoc]

few weeks ago I noticed an outbreak of flatworms in my tank, that seems to grow quickly.
after reading up on it , I have decided to do something about it before it gets out of hand.
I have been blowing them off the rocks, sucking them up, frequent water changes. I bought Flatworm exit from BSL, but haven't used it, the side effects worry me.
So I have been sucking out my gravel, they seems to congregate close to the LR,so now I am almost bare bottom, except some klingons in the cracks..
Snakeman, I know you had a problem with them, what did you do to get rid of them.
I am open to anybody's advice.

 

[techdiver]

I don't think David saw this, so I'll bump it back to the top and add this bit of information for you.

You would vacuum the majority of flatworms and then use the Flatworm Exit. The resource below states that the Flatworm Exit doesn't harm anything, but if enough flatworms die at one time the toxin levels may get high enough to kill reef inhabitants. Check the following website.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

 

[Below Sea Level]

now I am almost bare bottom, except some klingons in the cracks..
.

PLEASE!!!
There are ladies present!!!

 

[techdiver]

.... so now I am almost bare bottom, except some klingons in the cracks..

PLEASE!!!
There are ladies present!!!

:lolspin: :lol:

 

[Below Sea Level]

Seriously though, I have used the product myself and have seen how great and fast it does indeed work. As long as you have a 25% water change close by in case the amount of flatworm corpses are staggering, you should be fine.
I assure you whatever you can see needs to be multiplied many times over for the actual amount in your tank. Do not delay...

There are also several fishes that will eat flatworms also that you could put in your tank after the dosing to help keep the population at bay like the sixline wrasse, springeri damsel (but of course it is a damsel) and I know there are other wrasses as well that will do the trick.

What I am getting at is, before you expose your bottom, check some other wrasses out first and see how they look....

 

[techdiver]

:lol: Good stuff, Dave.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

Hey paul,I have used flatworm exit several times and had no problems with it bothering corals. Just get as many as you can then dose,do a water change.I have actually overdosed it alittle and still my corals were ok.

 

[Nanodoc]

would it cause problems with inverts, I got this hot pink anemone I like to keep.
with all that exposed glass on the bottom , it make a wrasse look big..

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

It won't hurt inverts,with the bare bottom the anemone will most likely climb up on the live rock.

 

[Nanodoc]

I don't think David saw this, so I'll bump it back to the top and add this bit of information for you.

You would vacuum the majority of flatworms and then use the Flatworm Exit. The resource below states that the Flatworm Exit doesn't harm anything, but if enough flatworms die at one time the toxin levels may get high enough to kill reef inhabitants. Check the following website.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

thanks for the info, Markus and David!
I am going to do it ( I think) and give feedback:headwalls:

 

[Nanodoc]

Holy Moly!
that stuff really works within minutes!
I saw several flatworms, mostly small, crawling out , then hanging in the breeze attached to stringy mucus, some float away, snapped up by my yellow tail damsel. Betcha he will get indigestion.
But I see a few (white, larger) worms or snails crawling around. I don't know what they are, I call them motherflukes for lack of a better term. Anybody knows what it is?

 

[techdiver]

But I see a few (white, larger) worms or snails crawling around. I don't know what they are, I call them motherflukes for lack of a better term. Anybody knows what it is?

Can you post a photo?


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[Nanodoc]

I haven't seen one this morning. They might be too small for my photographic abilities anyway. they resemble a stretched out letter D, different color than the dead flatworms.
If there are no ill effects on my corals, I might repeat the process in another month, just to be sure.
sort of a cleansing enema..

 

[techdiver]

I might repeat the process in another month, just to be sure.
sort of a cleansing enema..

I need to copyright "Reef Enema." The catch phrase: "A cleansing is what you need in the end."

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[Nanodoc]

don't be so anal about my posts.

 

[techdiver]

don't be so anal about my posts.

Well played. I think I see a theme here.

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[ArrecifeJunkie]

Well played. I think I see a theme here.

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Sounds like a crap shoot to me.

 

[mr.badams]

Hahahahahaha!!!

 

[Nanodoc]

Reefaholic, I am glad you have seen the light by going bare bottom!

 

[techdiver]

What is going on around here. I'm not sure what think about all these bare bottoms. :eek2: :lmao:

I suppose it is much easier to keep your tank clean. I know some like bare tanks so they can have very heavy flow for SPS. Do you plan to stay with the bare tank, or maybe go back with a thin sand layer to cover the glass?