How to Get Rid of Flatworms?

Sundog101 · 01/22/2015, 09:28 AM

I've had flatworms in my 29G biocube for about a month. I tried Salifert's Flatworm exit which seemed to work, but about a week later they were back. I read that some people were doubling the dose which I also tried. It killed probably 90% of the flatworms, but within a week they were back on the rocks and glass. The flatworms aren't covering corals yet, but they get on the sand and rocks and I don't want them in the tank. My question is, is there any way to completely eliminate flatworms from your tank? Or once they're in do you just have to deal with them? Thanks for the help!!

ajespo85 · 01/22/2015, 09:33 AM

Most Wrasses will eat flatworms. With a 29gallon, you're limited, and with reef safe wrasses, you're limited even more. I'd look up a Possum Wrasse (there's like 3 different ones) or a Canary Wrasse. It's not always 100% that Wrasses will eat them, but it's a safe bet.

ajespo85 · 01/22/2015, 09:35 AM

A Scarlet Wrasse would work too.

MondoBongo · 01/22/2015, 09:42 AM

i've had limited success with the flatworm killer products like flatworm exit. they seem to work well the first couple doses, but after 3 or 4 rounds, even at double dose, the efficacy seems greatly diminished.

do you have a ballpark ID on what type of flatworm they are? the ones i was fighting in my QT tank looked like the picture in this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2279393

i wasn't able to get rid of them with FWE, but since they didn't seem to be bothering anything, i stopped dosing. i ended up adding a skimmer and sump to my QT setup, and made sure i was paying better attention to the water quality, their numbers have seemed to drop on their own as a result of that.

billdogg · 01/22/2015, 09:44 AM

I have a green coris wrasse in my 120. He hasn't gotten rid of them but he certainly keeps himself busy have bring them down.

Dmorty217 · 01/22/2015, 10:33 AM

Flatworm exit and paraguard both kill flatworms but both seem to have limited success eliminating the problem entirely.

Nina51 · 01/22/2015, 10:47 AM

obviously not for a 29g but my yellow coris wrasse picks at them. however, my vrolik's wrasse eats tons of them, he is constantly picking at the rocks.

snorvich · 01/22/2015, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nina51

obviously not for a 29g but my yellow coris wrasse picks at them. however, my vrolik's wrasse eats tons of them, he is constantly picking at the rocks.

What she said.

Reverend Reefer · 01/22/2015, 11:18 AM

i've never had them in my display but they grow rampant in my sump/fuge. i tried flatworm exit and same experience as everyone else... they seem to go away at first but all it takes is 2 or so to survive and then they come back. funny thing is, my display had a damsel in there (from my early days) and now that i've moved the damsel into the sump temporarily during aquascaping, i no longer have flatworms in my sump. so i'm left to assume that damsels also eat flatworms

Dmorty217 · 01/22/2015, 11:38 AM

My melanarus has just started ignoring them all together

BeanMachine · 01/22/2015, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reverend Reefer

i've never had them in my display but they grow rampant in my sump/fuge. i tried flatworm exit and same experience as everyone else... they seem to go away at first but all it takes is 2 or so to survive and then they come back. funny thing is, my display had a damsel in there (from my early days) and now that i've moved the damsel into the sump temporarily during aquascaping, i no longer have flatworms in my sump. so i'm left to assume that damsels also eat flatworms

Which damsel is it? I have them (red planaria) in my fuge as well and was considering a Blue Velvet damsel for the fuge. I haven't seen them in my display but I have several wrasses.

cloak · 01/22/2015, 12:05 PM

Check this out.

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

HTH.

Sundog101 · 01/22/2015, 08:23 PM

Thanks for all the replies! I'm thinking I might try a wrasse. I like the six line wrasse but I've heard some bad stories about its tempermant. Do you have experience with it? By the way, they are red planaria flatworms.

Mark 75g · 01/22/2015, 08:50 PM

Sundog. To use flatworm effectively you need to does a little more than the requirement for your size tank and then you must dose once a week for at least four weeks. I had the same issue as you that I could not get rid off the flatworms. But then I treated my tank for four weeks and I have never seen another flatworm.

Mcgeezer · 01/22/2015, 09:07 PM

Flatworms are actually harmless as long as they don't grow to plague proportions and smother corals. They only become dangerous if you kill them...then they release toxins that can nuke your entire tank.

I have red planaria in mine. Every 2 weeks or so, I take tubing and put a filter sock in my sump and clamp it in. Start a siphon .... And start sucking those little buggers outta there. This method allows you to not remove any water from the system.

You can use flatworm exit to kill all the flatworms....but you have to strictly follow the instructions and have a lot of water on hand to do a big water change due to the toxins being released. It's important to remove as many as you can using the method I mentioned before you use flatworm exit so you can lower the amount of potential toxins in the tank.

I chose not to use flatworm exit because I'm not willing to risk any of my livestock or corals dying. And if it doesn't kill every single one of them...they'll just come back anyway.

FYI...my six line wrasse doesn't touch them. A melanurus wrasse naturally eats flatworms.

pitmindi · 01/22/2015, 09:55 PM

I posted this a few years ago. It was a permanent fix. I also had flatworms in my reef tank at the time and didn't want to risk treating with a chemical. I bought a melanurus wrasse for the reef tank and the flatworms disappeared in that tank too.

old post:
Hi, I have a 34 gallon red sea tank. It had been operating over 3 years with seahorses, etc. Some of my seahorses died so I gave the remaining away and decided to treat my tank for flatworms, which I have had for at least 2 years. The visible critters in my tank were a fire shrimp, a pom pom crab, brittle stars, snails, hermits, and brittle worms. I fed lightly the weeks before I treated my tank, since there weren't any remaining seahorses. A few days before I treated my tank I syphoned the visible flatworms off the glass, using small airline tubing, which is how I controlled the flatworms for the last 2 years. I turned off my skimmer and my pumps, took out the hermit crabs and snails that I could see and started with a double dose. I put the critters in a bucket with some tank water. After an hour the brittle worms came out and looked dead so I put them in the bucket. I continued to remove all brittle worms and snails that I saw throughout the day. I added a third dose after about 2 hours, then turned on the skimmer and pump for circulation. I added another dose after about 4 hours then a 5th dose in the 5th hour. I let everything alone for about 10 hours then changed about half the water. I never did see many flatworms, less than 100 or so tiny ones dead on the sandbed. I thought there would be thousands since I have had them for so long and they become epidemic whenever I added phyto to my tank for the copepods. Anyways, I guess I didn't have too many. I stirred the rim of the sandbed around the glass,in case any were hiding there. I treated again 2 days later using a double dose and using carbon after treating. My last treatment was a week after the first treatment, and again it was a double dose, or a little more, as I finished the flatworm exit bottle. I did a 50% water change the day after the final tank treatment and I also started carbon. I did take the pom pom crab out after the 1st treatment but I never caught the shrimp and I dont know if its alive. I havent returned the removed critters to the tank yet, but I see a few snails, hermits, and brittle stars that survived all three treatments (makes me wonder if some flatworms survived too). I will post in the coming weeks about whether I see any flatworms. I plan to use phyto and add tigerpods to boast the pod population, so I there are any surviving flatworms then I should know soon, since phyto makes their population explode. I plan to get a pair of seahorses in about 3 weeks, and a goby/pistol shrimp. IT WAS A HUGE PITA! It better of worked!!!

Jone · 01/22/2015, 10:27 PM

Damsel Springeri,,,Divers Den has them,,they asre supposed to be mild mannered compared to the rest of damsel family..hth

01/22/2015, 09:28 AM	#1
Sundog101 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 94	How to Get Rid of Flatworms? I've had flatworms in my 29G biocube for about a month. I tried Salifert's Flatworm exit which seemed to work, but about a week later they were back. I read that some people were doubling the dose which I also tried. It killed probably 90% of the flatworms, but within a week they were back on the rocks and glass. The flatworms aren't covering corals yet, but they get on the sand and rocks and I don't want them in the tank. My question is, is there any way to completely eliminate flatworms from your tank? Or once they're in do you just have to deal with them? Thanks for the help!!

01/22/2015, 09:42 AM	#4
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	i've had limited success with the flatworm killer products like flatworm exit. they seem to work well the first couple doses, but after 3 or 4 rounds, even at double dose, the efficacy seems greatly diminished. do you have a ballpark ID on what type of flatworm they are? the ones i was fighting in my QT tank looked like the picture in this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2279393 i wasn't able to get rid of them with FWE, but since they didn't seem to be bothering anything, i stopped dosing. i ended up adding a skimmer and sump to my QT setup, and made sure i was paying better attention to the water quality, their numbers have seemed to drop on their own as a result of that. __________________ [Citation Needed] "You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right" - xkcd Current Tank Info: A rectangular shaped money pit.

01/22/2015, 09:44 AM	#5
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I have a green coris wrasse in my 120. He hasn't gotten rid of them but he certainly keeps himself busy have bring them down. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/22/2015, 10:33 AM	#6
Dmorty217 Saltwater Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Vandalia OHIO Posts: 11,624	Flatworm exit and paraguard both kill flatworms but both seem to have limited success eliminating the problem entirely. __________________ Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs

01/22/2015, 10:47 AM	#7
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	obviously not for a 29g but my yellow coris wrasse picks at them. however, my vrolik's wrasse eats tons of them, he is constantly picking at the rocks. __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

01/22/2015, 09:33 AM	#2
ajespo85 Espo Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Akron, ohio Posts: 447	Most Wrasses will eat flatworms. With a 29gallon, you're limited, and with reef safe wrasses, you're limited even more. I'd look up a Possum Wrasse (there's like 3 different ones) or a Canary Wrasse. It's not always 100% that Wrasses will eat them, but it's a safe bet.

01/22/2015, 09:35 AM	#3
ajespo85 Espo Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Akron, ohio Posts: 447	A Scarlet Wrasse would work too.

01/22/2015, 11:18 AM	#9
Reverend Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 883	i've never had them in my display but they grow rampant in my sump/fuge. i tried flatworm exit and same experience as everyone else... they seem to go away at first but all it takes is 2 or so to survive and then they come back. funny thing is, my display had a damsel in there (from my early days) and now that i've moved the damsel into the sump temporarily during aquascaping, i no longer have flatworms in my sump. so i'm left to assume that damsels also eat flatworms __________________ - Rev. Tank: 65G glass 48" long tank; Sump/Fuge: 30G. Lighting: LEDs+single T5 strip. Maintenance: ATO Kalkwasser + 10% weekly WC, daily feedings LPS+Softies dominated.

01/22/2015, 11:38 AM	#10
Dmorty217 Saltwater Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Vandalia OHIO Posts: 11,624	My melanarus has just started ignoring them all together __________________ Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs

01/22/2015, 12:05 PM	#12
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Check this out. http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html HTH.

01/22/2015, 08:23 PM	#13
Sundog101 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 94	Thanks for all the replies! I'm thinking I might try a wrasse. I like the six line wrasse but I've heard some bad stories about its tempermant. Do you have experience with it? By the way, they are red planaria flatworms.

01/22/2015, 08:50 PM	#14
Mark 75g Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 510	Sundog. To use flatworm effectively you need to does a little more than the requirement for your size tank and then you must dose once a week for at least four weeks. I had the same issue as you that I could not get rid off the flatworms. But then I treated my tank for four weeks and I have never seen another flatworm. __________________ Current Tank Info: 175g Bow Front SPS,LPS,Soft with 30g frag tank

01/22/2015, 09:07 PM	#15
Mcgeezer Reef gardener Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: DeLand, Florida Posts: 1,205	Flatworms are actually harmless as long as they don't grow to plague proportions and smother corals. They only become dangerous if you kill them...then they release toxins that can nuke your entire tank. I have red planaria in mine. Every 2 weeks or so, I take tubing and put a filter sock in my sump and clamp it in. Start a siphon .... And start sucking those little buggers outta there. This method allows you to not remove any water from the system. You can use flatworm exit to kill all the flatworms....but you have to strictly follow the instructions and have a lot of water on hand to do a big water change due to the toxins being released. It's important to remove as many as you can using the method I mentioned before you use flatworm exit so you can lower the amount of potential toxins in the tank. I chose not to use flatworm exit because I'm not willing to risk any of my livestock or corals dying. And if it doesn't kill every single one of them...they'll just come back anyway. FYI...my six line wrasse doesn't touch them. A melanurus wrasse naturally eats flatworms.

01/22/2015, 09:55 PM	#16
pitmindi Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 262	I posted this a few years ago. It was a permanent fix. I also had flatworms in my reef tank at the time and didn't want to risk treating with a chemical. I bought a melanurus wrasse for the reef tank and the flatworms disappeared in that tank too. old post: Hi, I have a 34 gallon red sea tank. It had been operating over 3 years with seahorses, etc. Some of my seahorses died so I gave the remaining away and decided to treat my tank for flatworms, which I have had for at least 2 years. The visible critters in my tank were a fire shrimp, a pom pom crab, brittle stars, snails, hermits, and brittle worms. I fed lightly the weeks before I treated my tank, since there weren't any remaining seahorses. A few days before I treated my tank I syphoned the visible flatworms off the glass, using small airline tubing, which is how I controlled the flatworms for the last 2 years. I turned off my skimmer and my pumps, took out the hermit crabs and snails that I could see and started with a double dose. I put the critters in a bucket with some tank water. After an hour the brittle worms came out and looked dead so I put them in the bucket. I continued to remove all brittle worms and snails that I saw throughout the day. I added a third dose after about 2 hours, then turned on the skimmer and pump for circulation. I added another dose after about 4 hours then a 5th dose in the 5th hour. I let everything alone for about 10 hours then changed about half the water. I never did see many flatworms, less than 100 or so tiny ones dead on the sandbed. I thought there would be thousands since I have had them for so long and they become epidemic whenever I added phyto to my tank for the copepods. Anyways, I guess I didn't have too many. I stirred the rim of the sandbed around the glass,in case any were hiding there. I treated again 2 days later using a double dose and using carbon after treating. My last treatment was a week after the first treatment, and again it was a double dose, or a little more, as I finished the flatworm exit bottle. I did a 50% water change the day after the final tank treatment and I also started carbon. I did take the pom pom crab out after the 1st treatment but I never caught the shrimp and I dont know if its alive. I havent returned the removed critters to the tank yet, but I see a few snails, hermits, and brittle stars that survived all three treatments (makes me wonder if some flatworms survived too). I will post in the coming weeks about whether I see any flatworms. I plan to use phyto and add tigerpods to boast the pod population, so I there are any surviving flatworms then I should know soon, since phyto makes their population explode. I plan to get a pair of seahorses in about 3 weeks, and a goby/pistol shrimp. IT WAS A HUGE PITA! It better of worked!!!

01/22/2015, 10:27 PM	#17
Jone Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 517	Damsel Springeri,,,Divers Den has them,,they asre supposed to be mild mannered compared to the rest of damsel family..hth