I need to get rid of these pests....

MrMexReefer

MrMexReefer

In Memoriam
okay... I have those red/brown flat worms crawling all over ALL of my rock, and they are starting to crawl over my zoanthids, causing them to close. Thats where i draw the line. Whats the best way to get rid of these guys?? Any fish that eats them or anything natural like that? I would prefer not to use chemicals or anything... maybe if someone knows a dip I can use...

thanks
-juan
 
You say they are all over your rocks then I am not sure a dip is your answer. I think you first need to identify what exactly you have going on in your tank before you can treat it. Can you post a pic?
If you are sure they are flat worms then you are going to have to declare chemical warfare, like it or not..
 
sure... heres some pics of some of my rocks closer to the top of the water...

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/eclipsedoctor/1year029.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

and
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/eclipsedoctor/1year031.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>


as you can see... covered. :(
 
Flatworms FOR SURE... I feel for you man.. Flatworm exit is your best bet right now.. Good luck..!
 
I have in the past used a 6-line wrasse. There are pros and cons though so do alittle research first.
 
Try to get as many as you can out of your tank first, then use flatworm exit. When they die off, they leave a toxin in the tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8672811#post8672811 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BOTR
I have in the past used a 6-line wrasse. There are pros and cons though so do alittle research first.
Click to expand...


This may work if you only have a few or to keep them under control but, I think you are beyond that point. They multiply too fast for a wrasse to handle this much.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8672824#post8672824 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
Try to get as many as you can out of your tank first, then use flatworm exit. When they die off, they leave a toxin in the tank.
Click to expand...

True, but there is a process where you use a certain amount of carbon to remove the FW toxin..
 
Don't forget to turn off your skimmer while medicating. The flat worm exit will not get that many in one treatment. That will probably take several treatments each a week apart.
 
Any clue what helps them multiply? Am i feeding the tank too much? Would it be better if i just fed my coral phyto instead of meaty foods? I think I will try syphoning them out... i read some thread about starting a siphone, and letting it lead to some fine mesh to collect them, so u can just pour the water back in.

BOTR, hows it going? thanks for the advice. I will look into the 6-line. Its a beautiful fish anyway. I'll try a combination or siphoning them out as much as I can and then introducing a 6line.

Anyone know if they can get into corals and kill them? I swear i had a frag of zoanthids that had this blister looking bump on the polyp. These kinds of problems suck.

oh finally, anything i should look out for if i wanna use flatworm exit?
 
You will need to monitor the tank to make sure all the livestock is doing ok, run your protein skimmer and use carbon. Have plenty of water available for water changes. Don't plan on dumping this in and leaving.
 
They are self limiting. Decrease feeding and they MAY die off on their own. I'd increase flow in the tank too. Wrasses may eat them. Or you could go the flat worm exit route, be sure to follow the directions VERY carefully and be prepared to to do several large water changes and run carbon AFTER the treatment.
 
thanks for the advice everyone. I knew this was going to be a huge pain in the ***. Would it be easier to dip the pieces in some solution of Flatworm exit, or would that just not leave enough exposure time?
 
It's actualy a small enough tank that I can see the wrasse clearing the problem almost completely. As long as the wrasse takes to the flat worms it will at least keep them to such a low level so as not to be even noticed.

Remember that these fish can/will destroy any shrimp in the tank as well.

This has been my xp.

Thanks,
Chris
 
I just wanted to add that in 10 years of reefing I only once took the chemical route to solve problems. And that was for Red-Bugs. Flat worms can be controlled naturally and I think that is the best overall long term solution
 
I agree with BOTR--I had two different infestations--covering everything. I siphoned (daily), increased my ph and alk, increased flow and they died off in a few weeks. Never had to use FWE.
 
Melev has some good info on his site. One idea involves placing a media bag on the end of your syphon hose and just syphoning right into your sump. I would think this would clear up the visible ones quite easily.
 
i just browsed that thread puffer... thanks for the link. But, the bump on the colony i had, didnt look like those. It wasnt white at all. It was purple... like, the same color as the polyp, but like something was crawling under it... ?
 
A babyzoa? Or nudi? Zoa-eating nudibranchs become the same color as the zoa they are eating but they look kinda feathery.
 
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