Flat Worm Ideas!

[JD'sReef]

So I have/had a nasty case of flat worms, but I am getting it down to minimal #'s. I actually used some Kent RXP in a syringe and squirted them; it was good because it did not really kill them but just shocked them long enough for me to suck them up. I did however dump a bunch in my overflow, this is where they started and spread like wile fire. I let the stuff soak in there and then sucked it all out.
My question is this, how do I really stop them? I don't want to harm anything including my BTA, but sucking them out one by one really gets to be a pain. I am going to design a vacume system with my old 404 canister and put loads of carbon in there to nutralize any chems they release after I kill them, but do any of you have any experience? Also, how do I keep this from happening again?
Sorry to ramble guys, havn't had the first cup of coffee yet :wink: .

 

[taikonaut]

Can't you suck them up without squirting them with Kent med? Or you just like to have some game with them?

If you use a canister filter to vac them up, why don't you dump the content out afterward, instead of worrying about toxin? :?

 

[baseman]

I just siphon them out and throw the water away. I would like to find a way to get rid of them permanantly without chemically killing them.

 

[Anonymous]

what's the downside to flatworms?

 

[taikonaut]

There is no down side until they cover 25% of your coral's surface and 50% of your front and back glass....

 

[Anonymous]

Flatworm Exit worked great for me, and I have a fully stocked mixed reef. I am convinced the FE will not harm anything but FW's in a reef tank - the problems people have seen are from the 'juice' of the multitudes of dying fw's. Siphon their numbers down over a month, treat with FE, run carbon and do a water change and they go bye bye.

 

[JD'sReef]

Thanks guys,
Yeah the problem is that when they die they release a toxin and even if I dump out the canister, the chems are still going to go back into the tank as they get sucked in. I think that if I pack the first few chambers with filter materilas and the last bunch with carbon, that should do the trick.

Righty, Do you thinkg this Flat Worm Exit will harm my BTA?
I am on the same page as you thoug, I figured that if I get rid of most of them and then treat the tank, the toxins should not cause to much harm, I just worry about the BTA.

Thanks again guys, I though I was the only one with these things.

 

[Anonymous]

Righty, Do you thinkg this Flat Worm Exit will harm my BTA?
I am on the same page as you thoug, I figured that if I get rid of most of them and then treat the tank, the toxins should not cause to much harm, I just worry about the BTA.

Didn't hurt mine!