Flatworms

[cweber]

I have flatworms like crazy! What can i do to get rid of them other than flatworm exit? I cant really add another fish to eat them either.

[basssnake]

you don't really have much options naturally unless you add a fish that will eat them. I have heard arrow crabs will, but in actuality they say that all the types that supposedly eat flatworms, may or may not eat them once you put one in the tank. I have a flatworm problem too, and it sucks.

[cweber]

Well poo! I guess i will order some then. I just didnt want to make an order online, but they are getting bad.

[Sally]

Just try the flatworm exit. I would not order an arrow crab..they will not eat them.

[cweber]

Thanks. A large water change will needed after using it right?

[useskaforevil]

you can always get a velvet nudibranch, i got a pair for my 80 gallon and that along with manual removal did the trick

[rdmpe]

I had good luck with yellow coris wrasse, and I think someother wrasse eat them too.

You can siphon into a filter bag sitting in your sump to siphon the worms out without loosing water. Do that every day and add a coris wrasse and you may be fine without adding the FWE to your tank...

[DetectiveTofu]

Try a wrasse if you can - I've had luck with the six line wrasse. If this does not work, manually siphoning out all you see can put a good dent in their numbers. Of course one siphoning session isn't going to do anything significant, however if kept up on a regular basis (say for two months, siphoning 2-3 times a week), you will see results. Beyond this, the only other thing I would say is nutrient control. Cut back on the feedings a little; add a refugium, anything. HTH

[cweber]

Thanks for the replies! I have a fuge already. I will also cut back on food. Is the yellow wrasse reef safe?

[NanoGurl]

Both my sixline and yellow coris wrasse helped me when I had flatworms in my old 75. Flatworm Exit will work but is very risky. I would read up on it on Melevs website.

[cweber]

Thats were i first heard about it.

[scapes]

I had FW like crazy. my lfs told me to get a melanarus wrasse, I did, and now I'm FW free!! marinedepotlive carries them. they're pretty also

Melanarus Wrasse - Halechores Melanarus

[langel]

I have a major flatworm problem too!!!! =( So yesterday I siphoned out quite a bit, but of course I hardly made a dent. I could hardly believe how many came out od my frogspawn. I think I am going to keep doing this for a bit. Then try the flatworm exit. I am scared to do this but can't really think of any other alternative. I thought about a sixline however, I really think there is just way too many for that to do anything.

[useskaforevil]

haha, i'll say it one more time. velvet nudibranch. all they eat is flat worms.

[birdman1979]

Here is an entry from my reef log. I used Blue Vet Flatworm Control. I tried this product before reducing my PO4 without much luck. Had more success once P04 was gradually reduced below 0.008 ppm. It says in the directions that PO4 must be below 0.03 ppm for accurate results. As you can see, I did about a triple dose with zero ill affects.

8 drops flatworm control @ 0807
4 drops flatworm control @ 0929
4 drops flatworm control @ 1001
8 gallon water change

My tank is about 25 gallons system volume. I suffered no stress to my tank inhabitants LPS/SPS/Zoas/Coco worm/copepods/etc. I have a few lingering FW's and will repeat the treatment soon. In addition to the water change I ran about 12oz of carbon for 24 hours in my reactor following the water change. I was not completely overrun with FW's prior to treatment and removed as many as I could manually before dosing. Treatment resulted in no visible flatworms for about a week. They are slowly making a comeback. If my sixline doesn't get rid of the survivors I will dose again.

[ReidiLoverLinds]

You want to syphen out as many as you can over a period of a couple weeks- daily. This is because when you use the flatworm exit you will have a massive dieoff and it can cause a huge ammonia spike in the tank. The flatworm exit is basically there to knock them out after you have gotten as many as you can already. I had a small flat worm problem and i did this daily and never had to use the exit- i noticed them right away. It is alot of work but it will payoff in the end. I have found mine to mostly be living in cheato. HTH

[cweber]

Mine collect on the glass when the lights are out. I used my mag float to get a lot of them out. It made a bid dent in the population.

Does the velvet nudi really ONLY eat FW? Will it survive when they are gone?

[useskaforevil]

no, it only eats flatworms, they don't have that long a life span anyway so don't feel too terrible if it goes. its best to try and hand them off to someone else if possible.