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01/11/2015, 04:16 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Woodstock, IL
Posts: 753
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Do Spotted Mandarins eat flatworms?
I have been battling a flatworm problem for over a year now. Thought they were gone, now back with a vengeance. Last time I did the Exit treatment, I had a crash and algae bloom. Not wanting to go that route again unless no choice.
Tank is a 120 reef with sump/fuge and about 150 pounds LR and sand bed. Rather low bioload right now as with past crashes lost most of my stuff. Just now rebuilding corals. Got a pair of Melanurus Wrasses (They beautiful and doing great) and they seem to nip at them some, but nowhere near controlling them. Every water change sucking hundreds out. So, do not want a Nudibrach (too tough to keep alive) and doing more research and keep coming up with the Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) as another option. Opinions? Experience? Other ideas? Thanks ahead of time.
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When in doubt.....add more beer...then try duct tape Current Tank Info: 120G Reef with Ecotech Radion LEDs, 2xMP40 |
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01/11/2015, 04:44 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 7,408
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People I know have had good luck with Christmas tree wrasses.
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Brandon I'm not saying let's get rid of all the stupid people.* I'm just saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself out. Current Tank Info: 150g DT plumbed to an 80g frag tank and 220g sump in the basement. ~6-MP40s ~ 12 ATI powered t5s ~ Reefbrites and Radions supplementing ~ Custom GEO Skimmer ~ GEO CA Reactor 6x24~ Iwaki 70 Return ~ |
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01/11/2015, 05:54 PM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 10,806
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I have a green coris wrasse that is doing his best to keep them in check. A yellow CW may do better.
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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 |
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01/11/2015, 07:37 PM
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#4 | |
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Premium Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Overland Park, KS
Posts: 1,030
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Quote:
 Blackworms but not flatworms...
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"...for it is not necessary that these hypotheses should be true, or even probably; but it is enough if they provide a calculus which fits the observations..."--Introduction (attributed to Andrew Osiander) to On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Sphere by Nicolaus Copernicus. Current Tank Info: 600g DT, 140g sump, 200g Cryptic, 90g Refugium, 3-400w MH, 2 Reeflo Barracudas, and 3 MP60s |
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01/11/2015, 08:20 PM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 219
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The Hoeven's Wrasse is supposed to be good at it, but the one I have is a dud. ;-)
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125g Aqueon Drilled Mixed Reef, Eshopps R-200 Sump/Refugium, 1200gph pump, Reef Octopus NWB150, 72” AquaticLife Six-Lamp T5-HO (12x39 Watt) with Lunar LEDs, Fluval FX5 Canister; (3) Koralia Powerheads |
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01/11/2015, 09:12 PM
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#6 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Ocoee, FL
Posts: 1,876
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I have the trifecta of melanurus, Christmas and yellow coris wrasses. I had a bad flatworm issue (completely covering zoa colonies). I added the melanurus and didn't see much change. I then added a Christmas (large 5+ inches) and the tiniest yellow coris. Not sure which one worked harder but the yellow coris hunts from the second it wakes up till bed time. In two weeks time I never saw another fw. Haven't seen any in a year and a half.
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01/11/2015, 09:49 PM
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#8 | |
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Grizzled & Cynical
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
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Quote:
Too bad it's a dud, I suppose they're all individuals. My favorite pest eater is a Dusky Wrasse. They get a bit large though (my current charge is about 7").
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Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs |
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01/12/2015, 12:36 AM
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#9 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SAN DIEGO
Posts: 378
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my spotted inhaled my flatworm problem.
I had flatworms everywhere and about 2 months later not one can be seen. |
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01/12/2015, 08:41 AM
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#10 |
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biggliest cofveve champ
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert
Posts: 3,506
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posted this in your other thread
 ...my vrolik's wrasse has made a huge dent in the flat worms. between him and the yellow coris wrasse, i see very few now whereas before, my rocks were covered with them.
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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!! |
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01/12/2015, 11:14 PM
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#11 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 597
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I'm battling a FW problem right now. My scooter blenny can't get enough of them, but yellow wrasse could care less. I've also heard of the spotted, my LFS swears by them enough to not hold and sell first come first serve, as in this area, SEattle, we have been bombarded by them, not sure which store started it, but someone did.
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01/13/2015, 01:32 AM
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#12 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Tujunga, CA
Posts: 1,443
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Is it only the spotted mandarin, or blue mandarins too...?
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01/13/2015, 07:48 AM
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#13 | |
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Obligate Feeder Obsessed
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 4,061
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Quote:
i'm curious if they discriminate with different types of flatworms, or if they will eat whatever. it makes sense to me that they would be interested in eating them. they like worms, pods, and all kinds of other benthic organisms. however, i know that at least some flatworms are toxic. so it makes me wonder if they can tolerate those toxins.
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[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. |
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