freshwater dip for these?

shrimpin · 01/12/2009, 09:08 PM

anyone have any success performing a freshwater dip on live rock to kill flatworms? I have a 12 gallon with about 20lbs of rock, and I was thinking of trying to freshwater dip the rock. So I can put it in my 75 gallon that I just set up. Anything else in the 12 gallon doesnt matter, I just want the rock only.

thanks

tmz · 01/13/2009, 07:23 PM

It will kill everything in the rock and on it. Treat it with Flatworm exit.

tangfish · 01/02/2010, 10:13 PM

Agree with TMZ

sedor · 01/02/2010, 10:22 PM

You definitely run the risk of re-cycling your tank by killing off everything on the live rock. Flatworm Exit is a proven cure for flatworms and can be used while the tank is operational.

teesquare · 01/02/2010, 10:30 PM

A freshwater "dip" will not kill off everything on/in the rock. It will however allow you to shake a lot of the flat worms off while the rock submerged in the F.W.

You just do not want to leave the rock in the FW for more than a minute or so.
Dip it, shake it thoroughly, and put it back in the tank.

At a maximum you MAY see a mild nitrite spike - but no more than that.

I like Flatworm Exit as well, but the combination of the FW dip, followed by the Flatworm Exit works gret.
T

DJREEF · 01/02/2010, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teesquare

A freshwater "dip" will not kill off everything on/in the rock. It will however allow you to shake a lot of the flat worms off while the rock submerged in the F.W.

You just do not want to leave the rock in the FW for more than a minute or so.
Dip it, shake it thoroughly, and put it back in the tank.

At a maximum you MAY see a mild nitrite spike - but no more than that.

I like Flatworm Exit as well, but the combination of the FW dip, followed by the Flatworm Exit works gret.
T

Agreed. Flatworms have a very low tolerance for hyposalinity. Usually 10 seconds is all that's necessary to knock them all off. Almost everything will survive that length of time in FW.

DJ

tmz · 01/03/2010, 12:30 AM

I didn't think of 10 seconds as a dip. Typically fw dips are 3 minutes and up. Just semantics. I doubt 10 seconds will kill much.Still fwe alone will do the job.

bertoni · 01/03/2010, 12:31 AM

I wouldn't do it. The FW Exit will kill the pests, and I think that it'll kill fewer other animals. A short dip might not do much damage, though. Hard to be say.

sedor · 01/03/2010, 12:43 AM

+1 a 10 second dip surely will not kill all of the flat worms. Sounds like a lot of work getting all that rock out and dipped for something you could easily treat.

Fish Ace · 01/03/2010, 06:46 AM

I did a FW dip a few months ago on my LR. I had live flat worms 24 hours later.

Lightsluvr · 01/03/2010, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Ace

I did a FW dip a few months ago on my LR. I had live flat worms 24 hours later.

I suspect that neither FW nor FWE will get the eggs, will they?

LL

tmz · 01/03/2010, 09:21 AM

I've used fwe . It works.
I use it as a dip for new corals that may be infested and have treated different tanks with it .
Siphoning out as many planaria as you can see ; then a 100% dose with a power head or two aimed into the rock structure; folllowed a week or so later later by 150% dose ;works for me.Keeping good water quality with lower nutrients makes them disappear over time as well.
If dosing a tank be careful to aerate it during dosing and to export dying/dead worms quickly.Dying planaria are toxic. An extra temporary hob filter with some filter material (no carbon during dosing) on the tank helps siphon them out as they die and float trough the water column. Running extra carbon after dosing is useful.

bertoni · 01/03/2010, 05:29 PM

I agree that Flatworm Exit might not get the eggs. I had to do two doses to clear my tanks, which might have been due to eggs hatching. Hard to be sure, but it's fairly clear that Convolutriloba retrogemma can lay eggs.

tmz · 01/03/2010, 09:06 PM

Planaria are hermaphroditic but they reproduce primarily sexually via depositing fertilized eggs. Wether it's the eggs hatching or not , more than one dose a week or so apart is not an uncommon practice.

bertoni · 01/03/2010, 10:10 PM

Just to be clear, C retrogemma is not a planaria. They're acoel flatworms.

tmz · 01/04/2010, 01:23 AM

Thanks, Jonathan. I should have said acoela not planaria . Anyway both are turbellaria , both are hermaphroditic and both deposit eggs when reproduction is sexual.

01/12/2009, 09:08 PM	#1
shrimpin Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: tempe, az Posts: 234	freshwater dip for these? anyone have any success performing a freshwater dip on live rock to kill flatworms? I have a 12 gallon with about 20lbs of rock, and I was thinking of trying to freshwater dip the rock. So I can put it in my 75 gallon that I just set up. Anything else in the 12 gallon doesnt matter, I just want the rock only. thanks

01/13/2009, 07:23 PM	#2
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	It will kill everything in the rock and on it. Treat it with Flatworm exit. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

01/02/2010, 10:22 PM	#4
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	You definitely run the risk of re-cycling your tank by killing off everything on the live rock. Flatworm Exit is a proven cure for flatworms and can be used while the tank is operational. __________________ Ryan

01/02/2010, 10:30 PM	#5
teesquare Coral Curmudgeon Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: western NC Posts: 1,663	A freshwater "dip" will not kill off everything on/in the rock. It will however allow you to shake a lot of the flat worms off while the rock submerged in the F.W. You just do not want to leave the rock in the FW for more than a minute or so. Dip it, shake it thoroughly, and put it back in the tank. At a maximum you MAY see a mild nitrite spike - but no more than that. I like Flatworm Exit as well, but the combination of the FW dip, followed by the Flatworm Exit works gret. T __________________ No....really honey, it was a gift! Current Tank Info: 700 gallon combined reef/frag systems - 650gal Cichlid system

01/03/2010, 12:30 AM	#7
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	I didn't think of 10 seconds as a dip. Typically fw dips are 3 minutes and up. Just semantics. I doubt 10 seconds will kill much.Still fwe alone will do the job. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

01/02/2010, 10:13 PM	#3
tangfish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 44	Agree with TMZ

01/03/2010, 12:31 AM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I wouldn't do it. The FW Exit will kill the pests, and I think that it'll kill fewer other animals. A short dip might not do much damage, though. Hard to be say. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/03/2010, 12:43 AM	#9
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	+1 a 10 second dip surely will not kill all of the flat worms. Sounds like a lot of work getting all that rock out and dipped for something you could easily treat. __________________ Ryan

01/03/2010, 06:46 AM	#10
Fish Ace Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 301	I did a FW dip a few months ago on my LR. I had live flat worms 24 hours later.

01/03/2010, 09:21 AM	#12
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	I've used fwe . It works. I use it as a dip for new corals that may be infested and have treated different tanks with it . Siphoning out as many planaria as you can see ; then a 100% dose with a power head or two aimed into the rock structure; folllowed a week or so later later by 150% dose ;works for me.Keeping good water quality with lower nutrients makes them disappear over time as well. If dosing a tank be careful to aerate it during dosing and to export dying/dead worms quickly.Dying planaria are toxic. An extra temporary hob filter with some filter material (no carbon during dosing) on the tank helps siphon them out as they die and float trough the water column. Running extra carbon after dosing is useful. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

01/03/2010, 05:29 PM	#13
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I agree that Flatworm Exit might not get the eggs. I had to do two doses to clear my tanks, which might have been due to eggs hatching. Hard to be sure, but it's fairly clear that Convolutriloba retrogemma can lay eggs. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/03/2010, 09:06 PM	#14
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Planaria are hermaphroditic but they reproduce primarily sexually via depositing fertilized eggs. Wether it's the eggs hatching or not , more than one dose a week or so apart is not an uncommon practice. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

01/03/2010, 10:10 PM	#15
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Just to be clear, C retrogemma is not a planaria. They're acoel flatworms. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/04/2010, 01:23 AM	#16
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Thanks, Jonathan. I should have said acoela not planaria . Anyway both are turbellaria , both are hermaphroditic and both deposit eggs when reproduction is sexual. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.