About a month ago I started to see this tiny, max is about 1/8 of an inch long, brown planarians. The are all over my sand and rock work. I dont know if they are the culpret but some of my corals seem to be going downhill. I seem to be creating alot of phosphates and nitrates too because I have red slime all over the sand too. I think this is from when I got rid of the plenum but left the plastic below the sand, I know my mistake. Anyway I'm breaking down the tank tomorrow, washing the sand really good and putting it all back together. Back to the problem, how can I get rid of this flatworms. The guys at the LFS said to go with a mandarin but I've never heard of a mandarin eating them. what do you suggest. Thanks.
Need help with flatworms
- Thread starter mar-y-sol
- Start date
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Spotted Mandarins are hit or miss. Flatworm Exit WILL work. Just follow the directions carefully.
coralfragger101
Gone Postal
Flatworm exit works but it also kills other things like mini brittle stars. In my experience it also doesn't get all the flatworms. (even at a higher dosage rate).
Treat once according to directions and then do it again in about 3 weeks even if you don't see any.
Treat once according to directions and then do it again in about 3 weeks even if you don't see any.
tperk9784
New member
If you are breaking down the tank it's the best opportunity to get rid of the flatworms with flatworm exit. you can set up some dunkin and swishing buckets of saltwater. one treated with flatworm exit and the others to get rid of the toxins and dead worms.
after I re-setup my tank after doing this I treated the tank a few days later and ran carbon for a couple days to make sure I got all of them.
after I re-setup my tank after doing this I treated the tank a few days later and ran carbon for a couple days to make sure I got all of them.
Ding2daDong
New member
I had the same flatworms a few months ago. Just buy, flatworm exit by salifert, alot of carbon with the mesh bags, 25% water change ready, and micron filter padding.
I dosed the recommened amount. Right when you see the flatworms release from the rock/glass/sand and turn clear, thats when you are supposed to put in activated carbon. I think it's 1 pound per 25gallons. I put the micron filter in my pre filter to catch the small, dead flatworms.
Follow saliferts directions. I think you wait it out for an hour or two and then do a water change, (I did). I then changed out the micron filter bag. I kept the carbon in the tank for a week, just in case.
Oh and 5 minutes before I did a water change I shot in some more of the flatworm exit.
I hope that helps.
-Matthew
I dosed the recommened amount. Right when you see the flatworms release from the rock/glass/sand and turn clear, thats when you are supposed to put in activated carbon. I think it's 1 pound per 25gallons. I put the micron filter in my pre filter to catch the small, dead flatworms.
Follow saliferts directions. I think you wait it out for an hour or two and then do a water change, (I did). I then changed out the micron filter bag. I kept the carbon in the tank for a week, just in case.
Oh and 5 minutes before I did a water change I shot in some more of the flatworm exit.
I hope that helps.
-Matthew
unfortunatly seems that all of my fish and shrimp died during the water change. This was the last straw for me so everything that survives is going to be sold. I'll start another tank when I'm finished with med school and actually have time to dedicate to it. I'll start a FS thread at least with all my supplements for now.
