Flat worm help!

[Gabe]

I am getting ready to treat my tank for red flat worms. I have been vaccuuming them out every couple weeks untill I get a game plan for the treatment. Also running carbon.

The system is a 120 w/ 30 sump mixed reef. 11 asorted fish, 2 clams, 2 anemones, lots of sps, lps, softies, plus cuc.

My plan is to refresh my carbon but not turn on flow through the reactor yet, suck out as many flat worms as I can, treat the tank, turn on the carbon, then do a 50 gal water change.

Anyone out there experienced with this? Any sugestions?

 

Thanks Gabe

[ThePremiumAquarium]

Your plan is pretty much exactly what I would recommend I have done it a few times and it works great. If you can remove some of your corals that don't have flatworms on them until the water change has been done, I would recommend doing so. Rarely but on occasion I have coral that gets real pissy after the flatworms are nuked. Fish are harder to catch so the risk is kind of up to you there.

[Gabe]

Thanks, any particular type of coral to remove?

[ThePremiumAquarium]

SPS tend to be a bit more sensative then most to treatment it seems.

[reefnjunkie]

Is it Salifert Flatworm Exit you are using?

 

Interested to see how it plays out, I found FW on 2 corals in my tank but have not seen a single one with the naked eye. I will be moving into a new tank in a month or 2 and plan to dip all corals in Interceptor and then CoralRx.

 

I am sure you saw this;

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

 

Good luck Gabe, post up afterwards with an update

[Breefcase]

Only thing I would add, when you dose the tank, a lot of the flatworms will start floating around. Take a net, and scoop as many up as you can

[barrierreefcf]

After your treatment you might consider adding a Target (Spotted) Mandarin, Saphire Damsel (they are peaceful), or Yellow Coris Wrasse. They will all eat Flatworms and will help keep them from coming back. There are other fish that work as well:)

[Gabe]

"Flatworm Solution" I can't find Flatworm exit down here.

I have read that, thanks for the link... I read it again.

 

The net is a good idea. Probably get more faster than the siphon hose.

 

I've been thinking about the manderin, but waiting on new fish till the plague is under control.

 

Will update with the results when I treat. Its hard to fit in a couple hours to do it between work and my boys.

 

Thanks for the comments

Gabe

[reefboy]

Ray carries it just got some for a client as far as your treatment goes all looks like a good plan the biggest thing I have seen affected are the fish and inverts like shrimp so those are the ones you will need to watch to see if you need to change more water.

[Beckie]

I have used flat worm exit, did that same plan as your considering. I did get a yellow corrs wrasse and I have never seen him eat them. I saw a few left and had to treat again. No problems with fish or sps.

 

Beckie

[ReeFit]

plus one for the yellow corris wrasse, but get them young and fresh out of the ocean. They eradicate them and are very hardy fish. We keep yellow corris wrasses in our coral tanks just for that reason.

[Gabe]

Got off work a little early and decided to treat the tank.

Not to impressed with "flatworm solution" I dosed per instructions, nothin... 15 min. nothin... Dose 125% wait 10 min. nothin... Eventuly close to 200% dosage and over an hour till I had dying worms. Started siphoning, total 40 gal changed.

Corals never realy stressed, a little slime on some stags. Could've just been all the junk in the water.

Havn't noticed any stress in the fish or inverts, but missing one of the firefish. Probably just freaked out.

Still some flatworms on the glass in the sump, cant tell if they are alive or not. May treat again after the weekend if needed.

Will update.