Polyclad flatorm

[FishNDip]

Would someone please tell me how to eradicate polyclad flatworms? Found one in my tank and assume there's more. Planning on putting 20 snails in the tank soon. (HELP)

[Rtdrumz]

blue velvet nudibranch... I believe that they only eat flatworms.

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[Nick_Northern]

I don't think anything we can put in our tanks eats these, they are large and toxic, i have caught 2 using defrosted shrimp as bait, use a red torch and take a look an hour or so after dark. just be careful netting or sucking them out as you don't want to rip them as I believe any pieces can regenerate. I'm pretty sure I have at least one more as I lost 2 trochus in the last week, its not taken the bait yet unfortunately

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[FishNDip]

So defrosted shrimp in a bottle at night is the only cure? Will the babies go for it also?

[FishNDip]

Would frozen mussel work better than shrimp?

[Nick_Northern]

Mussel would be worth a try, I have tried the shrimp for 2 nights running with no luck this time but it may just be full after its last meal, it will probably take a bit of trial and error. I'm not sure about the babies but worth a try

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[malacoda]

I made a trap for one that was residing in my tank by getting a small inexpensive Glad plactic-ware container from the grocery store and some bay scallops (I've found scallops tend to work better when I try to catch flatworms, gorilla crabs, etc.).

• Carefully use a razor knife to cut a very narrow slit in the side of the container that is about 1" long and 1/16" (e.g. ~2mm) wide. It'll be just wide enough to will allow the flatworm while preventing any shrimp, crabs, or other CUC from stealing the bait.
  
• Just before lights out, put a little bit of scallop and piece of rock in the container (to weight it down so won't get blown around by the flow in your tank).
  
• Put the lid on it, put in the tank, let it fill with water, and then set it on your sand bed or live rock.
  
• Check it every half hour or so to see if the worm has entered to eat the bait.
  
• If you see it in the trap, lift the whole container out making sure to keep the slit pointing up.

[smallreef]

Good luck. These guys are tough. Took me
Almost a year to catch a large one, just by checking the tank at night and got lucky one night was in a place I could reach

[FishNDip]

Well that's discouraging...How am I going to eliminate the threat of polyclad flatworms? I've been reading about dipping your rocks in hpyosalinity, freshwater or cold freshwater. What's your opinions on this way guys? I've read people said hyposalinity doesn't work well for them, but cold freshwater seems the most surest way to me. How long could I submerge rocks with corals on them in cold RO water? Would the cold to to much? Maybe I should do just fresh normal temp dip. Just want to save coral and corraline algae.

[FishNDip]

Ok so went ahead and set a trap of fresh oysters last night. Nothing touched it all night. Do polyclad eat oysters? Perhaps I should try a different bait or maybe...I got the last flatworm in my tank??

[Nick_Northern]

I would probably try for a few more nights as long if its not messing with your wq too much but if you are lucky you may just have had the last one

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[Mrporter]

I hate to tell you this but I just went through a year long battle with these and I ended up with a fowlr.

In my 150, upon initial discovery and research I would through in clams at night. Leave the lights off and suck them out with a turkey baster once they would come out. Initial capture the first night was horric, over a dozen. Made sinc e being I kept spending 20-30 buck every 2 weeks for a while to replace cleaning crews. I had a graveyard of shells.

After a while I wouldn't catch any and then eventually bought a decent sized cc, only to find that more were there. Ultimately I moved all my fish and any remaining cc into a cc and freshwater bathed the sand and Liverock. Corals included as I couldn't live with myself if I gave one of these dudes to someone else. From there I let the sand and rock dry for a couple months and then restarted the 150 fresh. Reseeded the rock with pods, and refuse to buy any "live rock" or any large colonies. Frags only and those are quarantined and dipped. Additionally the fish front the 66 were split some went back to the 150 others got an upgrade to a 110 to be a fowlr.

I'm sure there is a natural predator that would keep them in check but i haven't found much info on them. They suck though bud so I wish you the best.


150 Reef
110 fowlr

[smallreef]

I would just randomly check at night after the lights go out as that is when they come out. One night it was in a place I knew I could get it so acted quick. I used a turkey baster to suck it up and grabbed it.

[FishNDip]

Thanks guys. I'll keep at it for a couple days with oysters and mysis. If I don't catch anything at all, I'm going to assume there gone and add cc. It must not be horrible because I have one nassarius snail that must have hid in the sand from that flatworm.
Wow Mrporter that's tough. I was considering doing the same thing as you if I can't get rid of them. When you dipped the rocks with coral on them in FW how long did you do it for? Did any flatworms fall off? I might have to do the same thing...But fingers crossed D:

[Mrporter]

Originally Posted by FishNDip

Thanks guys. I'll keep at it for a couple days with oysters and mysis. If I don't catch anything at all, I'm going to assume there gone and add cc. It must not be horrible because I have one nassarius snail that must have hid in the sand from that flatworm.
Wow Mrporter that's tough. I was considering doing the same thing as you if I can't get rid of them. When you dipped the rocks with coral on them in FW how long did you do it for? Did any flatworms fall off? I might have to do the same thing...But fingers crossed D:

At the point of breaking down the entire tank I left the rocks and sand in a freshwater bath for over a month. Wasn't looking for carcasses at that point as even if some came off I wouldn't have trusted that they were entirely dead. Then took them
Out and threw them in black trash bags and let them bake in the sun for a couple days. Then back into a tote to dry out for at least a month. Then pressure washed all of them. Then in December I filled the totes up with saltwater and began cycling the rock for any dead matter.

The sand I used a spaghetti Strainer and rinsed the entire 150g of sand.

I did all this probably July/august last year. Tank was restarted in January of this year.


150 Reef
110 fowlr

[FishNDip]

Sounds like you didn't dip the coral? You just took them off the rock and inspected them? I have some coral on rocks, so how would I fresh dip that if at all?

[Mrporter]

Originally Posted by FishNDip

Sounds like you didn't dip the coral? You just took them off the rock and inspected them? I have some coral on rocks, so how would I fresh dip that if at all?

No, corals were killed by the freshwater monthlong bath. No trust. Left on the rock.


150 Reef
110 fowlr

[Nick_Northern]

anyone tried prazipro to get rid of these? their website specifically says it isn't safe for use in aquariums where polyclads are being cultered so I might give it a go. By most accounts is reef safe with the possible exception of urchins and of course any ornamental worms

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[FishNDip]

Well I baited three nights, three weeks apart. Witt fresh oysters, frozen mysis shrimp and fresh clam. Put the bait in a plastic bottle with a tiny slit for the flatworm to crawl in. Weighed it down with rocks. Nothing came except my shrimp and nassarius snail. (did you know they have a tube for a mouth about 2 inches long!) I'm pretty sure that there aren't any flatworms or big ones anyway left in the tank. Going to go purchase 20 trchus 10 nars and 1 conch. (Can conch fight back flatworms with there hidden blade btw? SO thanks for the help guys.

[mikenh77]

Originally Posted by FishNDip

Well I baited three nights, three weeks apart. Witt fresh oysters, frozen mysis shrimp and fresh clam. Put the bait in a plastic bottle with a tiny slit for the flatworm to crawl in. Weighed it down with rocks. Nothing came except my shrimp and nassarius snail. (did you know they have a tube for a mouth about 2 inches long!) I'm pretty sure that there aren't any flatworms or big ones anyway left in the tank. Going to go purchase 20 trchus 10 nars and 1 conch. (Can conch fight back flatworms with there hidden blade btw? SO thanks for the help guys.

How's it going now? I just found a big 5 inch polyclad eating a snail last night and successfully caught it by taking the whole rock out. I'm hoping it's the only one.

Did you ever find any more after catching that one polyclad?

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[smatter]

I sucked one out of my tank with a baster a couple of months ago when I saw it on the glass. None of my CUC was ever murdered, however I noticed that some mollusks on my rock were eaten. From what I've read they like clams. I have postponed the addition of a blue squamosa for that reason though I haven't seen another one since.

[mikenh77]

Originally Posted by smatter

I sucked one out of my tank with a baster a couple of months ago when I saw it on the glass. None of my CUC was ever murdered, however I noticed that some mollusks on my rock were eaten. From what I've read they like clams. I have postponed the addition of a blue squamosa for that reason though I haven't seen another one since.

Thanks for the reply. That's bad news for me. I had this deresa for 2 years and a maxima for a couple months. But they luckily haven't been touched. I have a snail shell graveyard for substrate now though, these deaths have been going on for the course of 3 or 4 years now...

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