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cleveyank

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1st.
THE LEVASOLE FLATWORM RECIPE.

THIS IS A TOTAL SYSTEM DOSAGE NOT A REMOVE AND DIP METHOD.

Take LEVASOLE pig dewormer and pour the powder into sterile and airtight container or ziplock bag. --->Add 240 ml of water to the LEVASOLE mixing bottle it comes in and add ½ Teaspoon (level) of LEVASOLE powder and shake until clear (20 to 30 seconds).
--->Dose 1ml. or 1.5 ml of the LEVASOLE you mixed per gallon of total system POSSIBLE volume. A maintenance dose of .3 ml may be dosed the 2nd day if desired.
Since there is a great possibility that these have a week to 2 week cycle I would recommend dosing over the course of 2 to 4 weeks in the exact same manner.


Have 50% NSW available incase of any problems with the side toxin release if dead flatworms. Have Carbon on hand and ready to run. Again just in case there is a massive toxin blast from the flatworms. My flatworm concentrations were probably low enough that it was not a factor. YOUR RESULTS AND MILEAGE MAY VERY AND I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE EXPLICETLY OR IMPLIED FOR ANY OF YOUR LOSSES.

---->I do not know if this ground has been covered but this is what I did.
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THE LONG STORY.

Upon the inability to provide a reasonable habitat for 40 newly acquired SPS frags from the C-Sea swap March of 07 in quarantine, I was forced to rely on inspection and dipping for parasite elimination. This kept the SPS alive and out of those I lost 2. The kicker or freebee was I ended up with redbugs and flatworms. The interceptor took care of the redbugs boom just like that according to those methods and posts and this thread is not part of the discussion at all.

The flatworms took roughly several experiments mostly failed with 9 boxes of flatworm exit. Only to have them reappear. Finally I rid the tank of them. But the expense and hassle was great. I still have a 90 gallon tank with a fantastic sandbed in it that I was saving for last. The reasons of which are not as important as the fact that I was looking at another expensive and possibly fruitless attempt to clear the remaining tank via flatworm exit.

A CORA member reefdiver72 did a whole tank kill off with LEVASOLE pig/sheep dewormer. After reading his post I inquired as to his concentration and found it was close, but could use a little refinement for my taste. I also have a large number of feather dusters on the rocks and SPS and clams and many inhabitants that if I lost I would of course not be too pleased.
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The Experiment.
Based upon the preliminary concentration from reefdiver72 I used ¼ T to 240ml of RO/DI water. I dosed this at 20ml of this to a 20 long that had 40.05 pounds of liverock, getting me well over a 2lbs per gallon of liverock ratio. I had some SPS in it with some leathers and rocks that had feather dusters and crabs and snails. I ended dosing this mix to the tank at 20ml every 10 minutes. I did this until I reached 100ml of addition. The result at 100ml at the above concentration was that the flatworms were slowed but not dead. The feather dusters closed for a while but reopened. And the other ihabitants did not skip a beat. This led to the next concentration which was the approximate value provided by reefdiver72.

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The next 2 Experiments.
Concentration. I next mixed ½ T LEVASOLE powder to 240ml of RO/DI water.

Test tank one after intentionally reinfecting it has liverock to a 3 lb/per gallon ratio, SPS, two purple tangs, snails, serpent stars, fauna/pods, chaeto, leathers, soft polyps zoa mushrooms and back again. ****This system has carbon filter stage in it which I DID NOT TAKE OFFLINE. A lot to loose if something went wrong. I dosed 1ml per gallon of total possible system volume if empty. Not actual.

Test tank two is the same as test tank one, less the chaeto refugium, and a carbon filtering stage and has 6 crocea clams, 1 duresa clam and a 6 inch well seasoned sandbed. I dosed this tank 1.5 ml per gallon of total possible system volume if empty.

Just like flatworm exit the serpents emerged and flipped over. Some snails were retracting and falling off of rocks. New flavor, bristle worms were appearing and looked like they were in death throws. Feather dusters in the rocks were closing.
FLATWORMS were dying. SPS and clams did not skip a beat in any of the tanks. However, during the initial 20 minutes the clams were opening and closing more rapid than they usually do. This of course stopped.

Day TWO. None of the inhabitants of the tank were dead, dying or showing any stress.
I added a maintenance dosage of .3 ml of the LEVASOLE mix to both tanks. No changes in livestock whatsoever and not a sign of any flatworms.

I paid $19 for LEVASOLE from Tractor Supply and dosed 300 gallons of total system. And still had enough LEVASOLE powder to do at least one more and possible two more dosages. To duplicate these results would have cost me another $140 in flatworm exit and it required numerous doses to get a system clear of them. At least that is what my experience was.

My schedule is to redose the LEVASOLE for 3 to 4 weeks every 7 days in the EXACT MANNER. I will post any changes as they come available.
 

trido

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Thanks for all of the information.
BUT,
I see no mention of short term (or long) affects of SPS coloration. Levamisole has been known to cause severe bleaching and a 20% mortality rate for SPS corals. Also, no mention of what kind of flat worms. AEFW's or common red planaria?

Im not trying to belittle your findings or the risks you've taken to post this information. Just trying to pry a little bit more out of you.
 
A

Anonymous

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I'm assuming you mean red planaria flatworms as opposed to the acropora eating variety, because the AEFW won't be affected by flatworm exit. As to the red kind, they're more of a nuisance than something you NEED to rid yourself of.

And honestly (btw not putting you down at all) if I didn't have enough room to properly QT/house 40 frags, I wouldn't have come back with 40 frags from your swap. But how big were these frags? a 10g tank would easily handle that many frags on a piece of egg crate or two.
 

cleveyank

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RE: retreaded steps.
I assumed since it was a comparison usage or substitution of flatworm exit and that it's used for PLANARIA that the usage would have been assumed for red, or reddish brown or reddish green planaria type.
Sorry for not connecting those dots and I should have added that to the title somehow.

RE:side bar
Since the swaps do not happen everyday I really had no choice but to house them in main systems and take the chance. Otherwise I would have had to play with tracking them down and shipping then to and fro which flatworm irritation and expense aside still put the 40 frags at a total cost of $320 a bargain in anybody's book.

OF course not on the train of thought whatsoever, but I guess the reroute was felt to add to the topic somehow and everyone knows that the Q-tank is the way, but life is not always so perfect right? A make shift q-tank was not an option. Time and upcoming schedule made playing with another system, lights, monitoring an impossibility. I made up 3 times the strength dip solutions and shook things and inspected and I even painted kalk on frag plugs to nuke aptasia and algaes. Still got parasites and so the long journey began. An added facet here is that my 40 frags were my 1st big venture into SPS since I had setup my very 1st reef tank February 9th, 1989. So I know about Q-tanks and the possible issues. And I had flatworms from an online vendor in 1999 and they just died and disappeared for whatever reason.

RE: ON TOPIC
As far as the SPS coloration/mortality issue. I have not noted any problems. And NOTHING has died that I didn't want or expect. I am still having growth. Based upon this result, I do not believe that the levasole is the reason for SPS mortality and or coloration problems. I believe it is the byproduct of the toxin impact of the death of the planaria flatworms. And in the day two portion I state; "None of the inhabitants of the tank were dead, dying or showing any stress." That is the status as of today as well. With the issue of SPS and dosing the thing that bothers me the most about any of this is that there is not a test kit for monitoring the addition with measurable ppm of LEVASOLE. So I guess like one of the guys that ate the berries first we're left to see if it's bad for us. ;)


If it didn't work and I screwed up the whole shabang I would have posted that as well to prevent someone else from going down the wrong road too.

Bottom line if more folks that traded frags each did their part to get rid of the parasites there'd be alot less problems with them too. So I guess I am trying to help with a means to that end. And cheap alternative at that. And find a CONCISE RECIPE. Something that for some reason very few folks seem to post. It's always about this or sorta like that... I came up with a trial. I came up with 2 repeatable dosages and posted rather explicet results. No matter what it's a good starting point. Which is where reefdiver72 of CORA's intitial leap led to my bash at the issue in the first place. Take what you can use and ditch the rest I guess.
 
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Anonymous

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Just to be clear, you did not have AEFW, but planaria? If that is true, I'll fix the title for you.
A link to the original thread would help too!
Also, generally, planaria are not parasites, but pests. :D

Thanks!
 

cleveyank

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Just to be clear I was not treating for AEFW!!! LOL

PLANARIA. Just prolific trying to grow on everything to the point of starving out light on corals planaria.

Sure I'll bite..adding PLANARIA to the title would be great. TY.

A slight correction is in order. I was off by the amount of LEVASOLE powder left over. I had enough to dose 2400 gallons from one $19 bottle. And I know the stuff is stronger than flatworm exit...which is also for planaria.

Also linked (sorta)--->currently running a LEVASOLE Montipora Eating Nudibranch kill trial as well. Using a bit of the bottle on that led me to the the amount I could dose at 240 1/2t concetration and at 1 ml per gallon puts it at a planaria treatment capable of 2400 gallons+.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks! Levasole is usually used, with varying success and failure (up to 40+% coral loss) for AEFW, which is why I think the clarification is important.

There are several dips that will kill/remove planaria from frags very safely - FWE, TMPCC, Povidone, FW dips etc. More importantly, planaria don't really do anything bad to a tank except look a little ugly, and they often 'clear up' on their own. Flatworm Exit also seems to kill them very effectively if one decides they need to kill them, and I am a little confused as to why it didn't work for you.
 

cleveyank

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Thales.

The dipping does NOT work.
And Flatworm exit does not always work.
And rarely if ever do they really just die off and go away. For as soon as you trade with someone poof they will most likely end up with them in their tank. Don't know why, but It may be as simple as environment change brings them back.
And even with 6 line wrasse they get controlled, But they are still there.
I've reasearched what others have found. I came up with a perfected recipe that would do the trick and safely at that.

I just checked back to post that since the original levasole dosing my tanks remain planaria flatworm free. After I complete my next major system change I have planned, I will take some rock and frags and place them in a separate system to see if they re-emerge as has been the case when they have disappeared prior. I am hopeful that this final extra step will prove that they are finally gone.

And BTW, I would argue to the cows come home that a few thousand flatworms in a reeftank will add excess nutrient, remove trace and be putting some kind of push on the bioload.
 
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Anonymous

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Having tried several natural methods (because I don't like chemical "solutions") 6-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) are hit-or-miss.. -

Halichoeres melanurus though, are spot-on and they will (eventually) find each and every stinkin bug and chomp it down. It may take a while, but they do work.

They are not feather duster friendly though and they *might* even take a liking to clams (or just about any other invert) so they're certainly not for everyone. I don't know what the % is of those that go after inverts, but my (good) LFS (in Kalamazoo, MI) has kept an h. melanurus in one of their main mixed tanks and it doesn't go after clams at all.. - Also, bristle worms tend to become scarce around h. mel's too so if you like that tingly feeling you sometimes get in your fingers after moving rockwork around (and getting "stung" by bristles) you might not want this sexy momma.

But... - If you can setup a tank for one (or know someone in your area who has one) they do a most excellent job of removing flatworms.

Anyway... - Sorry for the segue, thanks for sharing your observations cleveyank. :D
 
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Anonymous

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Control your nutrient load and you won't have any problems with planaria.
 

cleveyank

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GratefulDiver":dh3q1ecw said:
Anyway... - Sorry for the segue, thanks for sharing your observations cleveyank. :D


No problem. That's why we post hopefully is to share our experiences and benefit the masses.
 

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