how long till flat worms die off in the dark

[homegrowncichlid]

As some of you know, my tank leaked last month, so I had to recycle all my live (now dead) rock in my new tank, with all my fish.


Anyway, I didn't touch the sump, which is now experiencing a massive flatworm bloom. In an attempt to control them, I then left the sump light off for 2 days, and began seeing my fish were definitely being affected. Unable to swim straight, bumping into walls close to death.


Anyway, some carbon, and turned back the lights in the sump and they are fine.


How long can flatworms live without light? I'm planning on turning off the lights again till they die out and preparing to fight off their toxicity with water changes and bags of carbon.

 

[STORM]

Imo Not providing light would not kill them, i just went thru a flatworm outbreak myself and my advise is on what worked for me, first and most important manually siphon out as much as you can as when a large amount die they release a toxic that can kill your livestock, the way i did it was tying a mesh sock to one end of a small hose and inserting in the sump that way you can siphon as much as you can without having to replace water, once thats done you can get yourself some flatworm exit or a melanurus wrasse again im only speaking on what worked for me, hope this helps

 

[Weicowireman]

Never heard of keeping the lights off to kill flatworms. Best method is do what the gentleman above me mentioned. Get a 1/2" diameter hose/tube and attach a mesh sock to the other end, create a siphon and vacuum out as many as you can. Just make sure you put the sock end back into your sump lol. Do this about 3 times depending on your tank size and then I would flatworm exit 2-3 times. That should kill the remaining ones you have..

 

[homegrowncichlid]

I've deliberately placed flat worms in my observation tank filled with shrimps, crabs, miscellaneous fish, to see what could eat it. I've never really figured out what picked them off in there, but one thing that tank did have was only 6 hours/day of dim light using burnt out bulbs. Its possible my feeder shrimps where eating them off, but I also have to suspect the light was not strong enough to support them. They are photosynthetic after all.


Also, the fish did experience that poisoning effect on day 3 of no light, which I suspect is due to some die off. Anyway, lots of theories, no proof.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

FYI took about 3 days for 75% of them to die off, and about 2 weeks to get rid of all of them. Had to double up on the carbon to soak up the toxins. And all this time people have been paying for Exit. Even if you don't want to keep lights off for 2 weeks, just 3 days is enough to control them and keep them in check.