Flatworms!!!

[ReeferMadness99]

Whats the best way to get rid of them? Velvet Nudibranch? They're so expensive. I've got a pretty bad case of planaria in my 30gal tank. Should I throw 3-4 Velvets in? Will that do the trick or is there something else?

 

[LongIslandAndy]

Pick up a Dragon Goby (Amblygobius phalaena), I have used them for a couple of tanks and they really work. I am speaking from my own experiences.

Good Luck

 

[ecvernon]

salifert flatworm exit.... works really well just follow the directions

 

[rbtwo4]

I'd go with the FWE cus getting a fish or invert that eats them is like putting a band aid on a cut that won't stop bleeding. I used FWE and it worked perfect. I got the FW's from an idiot who gave me a frag I didn't dip it I told him I never had FW's b4 cus my tank is relatviely new & I never seen them in my tank b4 so he kept saying he didn't have them but whatever. I have a 30gal too. Just follow the directions that's all. No harm in using it with corals in the tank.

 

[Dace]

First siphon out as many as you can before you use the flat worm exit. If you have a major infestation the toxins that will be released by the flatworms can be a second issue after the treatment. Turn off your skimmer and carbon, phos reactor. Have a at least 25 gallon water change ready and a new supply of carbon in your reactor so you can do both after the treatment.

 

[Pinkheine]

I got the FW's from an idiot who gave me a frag I didn't dip it I told him I never had FW's b4 cus my tank is relatviely new & I never seen them in my tank b4 so he kept saying he didn't have them but whatever.

Parasites and pests are inevitable in this hobby. Treat everything before you put it into your system, regardless of what anyone else says. Doesn't mean the person is an idiot at all. One should always assume that a new addition will have some type of parasite/pest and go from there.


FWE is an inexpensive treatment that works. Without adding livestock to take care of the issue. We used it and have since not seen any FWs at all, this is going back a while now, what seems like forever. As Dace said, prepare before hand and have extra water ready so that if needed you can do more water changes. It isn't the FWE that is toxic but the dying flatworms themselves. They can be and probably are in every little rock crevice you can't see... so siphon out all you can see and once you treat get a powerhead and shoot it into all those hard to reach/see places. Siphon them out during treatment as well. Good luck. I was scared as anything using the treatment on my tank at the time... but all went well.

 

[rookie07]

flat worm exit worked very well on my 34 gl tank.
I now have a 120..if I had flatworms, I think I would use a fish/nudibranch to remove b/c of the required size of water change need when killing off that many flatworms. Flat worms are only bad b/c they can grow to outrageous numbers and smother corals...other than that they are ok. So if you have a fish/nudi to keep the FW population in check, it should be ok(of course if you give them to someone else, they will be mad, ie rbtwo4)

If you do use SFWE, Dace is right, siphon out as many as possible as they release a toxin when they die, if the FW pop. is large enough it will over power your system and kill livestock. HOWEVER, depending on you tank size, 25 gallons might not be enough.

Good luck

PS Ive had alot of fun in Huntington at the bars on that strip(when I was younger), fun area