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-   -   how to get rid of flatworms (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=70166)

roblarss 11-24-2010 01:56 AM

how to get rid of flatworms
 
I have 14 gal biocube that has a flatworm issue. I have been treating with Exit and it brings the numbers down but after a month or so i am seeing at least a thousand of these things. There will be so many that the rocks will be carpeted red by them.
I treated again 2 days ago in morning and evening but today I can see them coming out to the glass. Do i need to just repeat treating every few days or is there any other options.
I also just noticed them starting to appear in my 120gal...

BlueWorldAquatic 11-24-2010 02:16 AM

Natural methods are best.

Sipone them when scrubbed off the glass.

or livestock;

Yellow coris wrasse
six line wrasse
Melanarus Wrasse
Blue Velvet Nudibrach

Ken - BWA

Snappy 11-24-2010 02:29 AM

Since it's a small tank I would take everything out including your rock and dip it in coral RX.

roblarss 11-24-2010 05:42 AM

I had tried the 6 line wrasse but even in that small tank it cant keep up.
Only inhabitants in this tank is a decorator crab/really large hermit and until a few days ago a 6-line wrasse (jumped out while the cover was left off for an hour.

Im probably going to end up removing everything from the tank soon and try to dip the rock/coral.

My larger tank seems to have them around one rock off by itself and all throughout the sump/refuge.

Is there anything specific that causes an outbreak of these worms? I havent had a problem in my 120gal until now havent put anything new in there for many months. Cant think of anything in there that would eat them.

powder brown tang, tomato clown, bi-color angel, oscillaris clown, foxface, mandarin dragonette that I havent seen recently.

ScubaSteve 11-24-2010 06:17 AM

They will feed off of detritus so keep blasting the rocks to keep them off and remove their food source. I'm gonna give a +1000 to the blue velvet nudi. Those thing were made for one purpose and one purpose only: eating flatworms. They're also really cool to watch. I had one the destroyed my serious flatworm issue in about a week (meanwhile it tripled in size).

roblarss 11-24-2010 07:06 AM

Very interesting I may have to try the blue velvet nudi.
Anyone know where to find any around? Going through edmonton possibly next week.

BlueWorldAquatic 11-24-2010 04:08 PM

I have them in stock all the time. PM before you come up, I'll make sure we keep a few off them.

Ken

don.ald 11-24-2010 04:50 PM

are the nudi's reef safe? what else will they eat?

George 11-24-2010 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by don.ald (Post 567722)
are the nudi's reef safe? what else will they eat?

You see that is the thing. They seem to eat flatworm only and nothing else (in our tanks anyway). So if you see your flatworm is gone from your tank, you should pass on the nudi to other reefers or to your LFS.

ScubaSteve 11-24-2010 05:10 PM

Most nudibranchs are obligate eaters, being that they eat one thing and one thing only. Blue velvets eat only one thing: flatworms. When you watch them you will realize how specialized they are for his task with a head designed to detect them and a mouth like a straw that they one to literally vacuum up the flatworm. There is nothing more fun than watching one mow a path through a patch of FW. Ok, maybe there is but it's still fun.


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