Flatworm Exit - Wow!

[AndyL]

Well Flatworms are finally gone... All I can say is flatworm exit is some powerful stuff!

Directions talk about 1-2 hours if no effects are visible, add some more... Well I figured that meant it would take some time...

2 minutes after I added the 2 drops of FWE - the flatworms were dead/dying. 5 minutes later, the tank was yellow.

15 minutes later the tank was a nasty orange color.

Don't be fooled - this stuff works quick, be ready the instant this stuff goes in...

If anyone in calgary needs some - speak up, ended up bringing in a bottle from aquaria.ca; I've used 2 drops of 300 :)

Andy

[monza]

I might be interested. I have flat worms and read a lot about them and was thinking I'd let them run their course and they supposedly die off. I can suck a bunch out with water changes but they multiple like crazy. They don't seem to bother anything and I’ve never added chemicals to control any thing in my tank, so I'm hesitant.

I added some flat worm eating nudibranchs and that was interesting: one was eaten by my cleaner shrimp before it hit the bottom of my tank( I guess it was dead before it went in the tank), one was eaten by my open brain when in crawled on it(interesting to watch), one missing, the other is fat and eats flat worms all day and night.

So you added two drops?? What is your water volume?

Dave

[Chad]

Just make sure you follow the directions. Killing off flatworms is a toxic task for your tank.

BTW, you could also get a 6 line wrasse for the flatworms.. Siphon or control it as much as you can before you use flatworm exit.

[monza]

That what I'm scared of.... TOXIC FOR YOUR TANK and they don't really bother any thing but me.

Dave

[adidas]

anyone know if i should fresh water dip frags from the flat worm infested tank before puitting in mine? or is it a bad idea to get frags from him?

(had to get 500 posts b4 bed lol)

[Doug]

I agree Andy. Best I have used and believe me, I used them all in my flatworms wars over the years. :lol:

Good advice Chad. Be very wary of the toxins from the dead flatworms and remove as many as possible before using.

[Doug]

That what I'm scared of.... TOXIC FOR YOUR TANK and they don't really bother any thing but me.

Dave

They can become so populated as to bother the corals. Not to mention if they become over populated and die off, the same result from the toxin can happen.

However, if someones wishes not to treat, here iswhat works best to keep them under control or eliminate them if not to many.

-siphon out as many as possible on a regular basis.
-good flow, esp. over gravel or sandbed helps.
-very good skimming.
I noticed a change when I added Tunze stream pumps and a large beckett skimmer.

Also some fish can help but its a hit and miss. My mandarin ate them but not enough to help. Six line wrasse and leopard wrasse,s also help. Remember they also are harder to keep otherwise, {leopards & mandarins}. There have been accounts of yellow tailed damsels eating them but not sure anyone would want them in there tank. :lol: , as well as severla of the blennies and such.

[Doug]

anyone know if i should fresh water dip frags from the flat worm infested tank before puitting in mine? or is it a bad idea to get frags from him?

(had to get 500 posts b4 bed lol)

I treat any new additions by adding a few drops of "exit" to the bag or tub that I,m using to acclimate the corals.

[adidas]

anyone know if i should fresh water dip frags from the flat worm infested tank before puitting in mine? or is it a bad idea to get frags from him?

(had to get 500 posts b4 bed lol)

I treat any new additions by adding a few drops of "exit" to the bag or tub that I,m using to acclimate the corals.

ok, so i better get some then!! :eek:

[AndyL]

The red flatworms can be rather nasty - mine litterally covered the substrate, and all exposed rock - you can find pics in the "2.75 - the final countdown" thread in the pictures gallery... Those pictures were after 2 weeks of daily manual removal (using turkey baster + paper towel as a strainer) just couldn't seem to reduce the population any. I'd tried the 6 line wrasse (yep I'm cruel - it was borrowed, got returned a week later when it was obvious it was having no effect) Tried the blue lined nudibranches - they made a significant effect, but died off within a couple weeks for unknown reasons. Mandarins - have a very low probability of eating them, a few will, most wont.

My blue lined pipe made pretty good inroads at removing them, but the pair even with the 2 nudi's just couldn't make a significant dent in their populations. Once the nudi's passed on, and the second pipe passed (never figured out why she died), the tank was literally overrun again.

They're only toxic once deceased, I knew going into this, that due to the quantities, I wouldn't be able to keep the water clean during the treatment, so I planned to be upgrading tank sizes during the treatment, dosed the 2.75 - removed everything 1 pc at a time to a bucket with a 100gph pump - gave everything a thorough cleaning - then into their new 5g home (well indirectly, had 2 brand new, and 1 older 5g spring leaks during this "upgrade" - they went into the old 2.5 until I got that nightmare sorted out - Mitch is going to get a piece of my mind on monday).

Andy