Flatworms

[BlindZide]

I got my some Flatworms in my tank. They aren't super way out of control but I can see them. They move around my Duncan the most but I have seen some on my Hot Pink Goniopora and Frogspawn.

I think they are ****ing my Duncan off because dude wont extend tentacles fully. I would like to know how I can get rid of these pests without removing the corals because the Duncan is glued down.

Thanks.

[Misled]

Siphon out as many as you can for a couple weeks. Use Flat Worm Exit. Do two treatments.

It's not the FWE that harms the tank, but the toxins released when the flatworms die.

[BlindZide]

How do I siphon them off corals without hurting the coral or sucking it up?

[schninn]

As well, have extra water made in case you need to do a quick water change if things go south. There can be many more flatworms hiding then you can see.

[vlapinta]

I had flatworm on my hammer. Someone told me to get Lugol's but I wasn't able to find it so I did a freshwater dip and swirled the hammer around. This got rid of the flatworms and the hammer was fine. Maybe you can find the Lugol's. I think it made by Kent Marine

Here is what I was told to do
"Without having any Lugol's solution, you can do the fw dip (RO water is fine, just try to get at least the temperature close to that of the water you're pulling the hammer out of; adjusting the pH of it close to your tank's is also less stressful on the coral). The hammer will undoubtedly close up, which will protect some of the flatworms. When you swirl the hammer, don't be shy. As long as you're not banging it up against the sides / bottom of the bucket, swirl / shake it as best you can. The flatworms will start to fall off and end up as a reddish goo at the bottom of the container as they start to break down from the fw exposure. You may have to dip it more than once to get them all off. I pull some water out of our tank to keep some sw available to put the coral in between dips. I now dip all corals before they enter our tank. I've found unwanted pests on corals from every lfs in our area, so now I've taken the point of view that I'd rather be safe than sorry."

[BlindZide]

Thanks vlap, if Flatworm Exit doesn't work then I will give that a shot.

[GrizFyrFyter]

I did the Flatworm exit, it killed almost all of them with no I'll effects but there are still a few here and there once in a while. I have a sand bed and I believe that some where in there.

I tried the velvet nudibranch and it ate a bunch before it danced with a powerhead.

I know green coris wrasse and six line wrasse are known Flatworm eaters. The nudi will die before it gets every single Flatworm and the fwe won't kill them all (unless your tank is bb) so a wrasse may be your best choice.

One of my hammers had a couple hundred of the fw on it and I did a freshwater dip that killed them all.

A six line is my next and last step and cross my fingers he eats fw and maybe even the little bristle worms.

[BlindZide]

I see your point. Most people I have read that used it needed to do it every 5-7 days until they were not seen anymore. They seem to be concentrated on my Duncan, Frogspawn, Goniopora, and Xenia. The rest of the corals are untouched. And there aren't a ton of them either. I might pick up a six line this weekend then and see how that goes before I venture into chemical warfare.

[GrizFyrFyter]

The fwe didn't have any negative effects on my tank but that many treatments (I did 2) on my 75gallon tank would be pricey.

[Misled]

To siphon, use a piece of aitline tubong with a micron bag tied to one end. Put the bag in the sump or a 5 gal bucket and siphon away. Remove the bag when you're done and give it a good cleaning before re-using. It's always best to remove as many as you can.