[marxsman]

does anybody have a picture of flatworms? I think I got infested with them some how. Mine look very small, about the size of pencil lead but orange/red and flat.

how do i get rid of them.

[kevinpo]

There are hundreds of species of flatworms some most are harmless, others are predatory, and some are just unsightly because they can multiply so quickly. It sounds to me like to have the algae eating type that can multiply to plague proportions. Salifert has a product called "Flatworm Exit" that is very effective.

I haven't had the species you describe but I have seen several tanks with them. IMO it is best to deal with them quickly before the population becomes too great.

Here are 3 pictures of flatworms I have found in my tanks over the years.

HTH,
Kevin

[Samper]

Do a google search in their images section for them. I used flatworm exit 3 times to get rid of the infestation that I had but they finally went away. It is best to catch the infestation early. I treated after seeing only a few but I had many many more than I could see.

[fish2reef]

I recently found out that I have a flatworm problem and I have a pretty good picture of them on my hammer coral. Problem is I have no idea how to get the pic big enough for people to see it. If there is somebody on here that can do this I can email the pic.

[Reefland]

Here is the picture from fish2reef.

[fish2reef]

Originally Posted by Reefland

Here is the picture from fish2reef.

When looking at the bigger picture you can see light brown spots on the coral which are the flatworms. After all the reading up I have done on the site I really dont want to try the FLATWORM EXIT what else can I do that might be effective in ridding the tank of this problem?

[Reefland]

Manual removal or natural predation ar ethe best methods. The problem with manually extracting them is you will never get them all, they will simply wear you down trying. With natural predation, there's a good side a bad side. Wrasses are good choice to rid a flatworm plague but they also eat the other beneficial fauna in your tank like amphipods/copepods. Wrasses are also jumpers too. If you were interested in this route I would suggest the Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus), again just being aware of the negatives.

[saltjunkie]

i got the flat brown ones.. and twice... one time each.. about 2 months apart.. in my reef tank i used..
GREENEX
Invert Safe Anti-protozoan agent for all marine fish.
Prevents and controls external parasites on fish

that is what the bottle say..
the directions are 1 drop per gallon. i used 1 per 2 gallons.. basically half.. left my pumps running.. skimmer etc..
it had no noticable ill effects on any of my inhabitants.. the first time i used it within days the worms appeared gone....
a month or so later they seemed to be coming back so i used it one more time..

It did not effect my corals or inverts in any way (noticable) nothing like that has died from my using it.. nothing looked stressed in the tank after use.. just the absence of flatworms..

[fish2reef]

Originally Posted by saltjunkie

i got the flat brown ones.. and twice... one time each.. about 2 months apart.. in my reef tank i used..
GREENEX
Invert Safe Anti-protozoan agent for all marine fish.
Prevents and controls external parasites on fish

that is what the bottle say..
the directions are 1 drop per gallon. i used 1 per 2 gallons.. basically half.. left my pumps running.. skimmer etc..
it had no noticable ill effects on any of my inhabitants.. the first time i used it within days the worms appeared gone....
a month or so later they seemed to be coming back so i used it one more time..

It did not effect my corals or inverts in any way (noticable) nothing like that has died from my using it.. nothing looked stressed in the tank after use.. just the absence of flatworms..

Did you do any type of water change?

[saltjunkie]

Originally Posted by fish2reef

Did you do any type of water change?

im sure i did.. but i most likely didnt do it any time right near after the dose.. i am not a big maintenance guy on that type of thing.. if i did.. on my 50, i would have only done 5 gallons.. (of premixed water from my lfs)

[inwall75]

Be CAREFUL when you use chemicals to control flatworms. If you have a large population, when killing them, their toxins can nuke a tank. Most chemical remedies suggest siphoning as many as possible prior to treatment. Then they typically suggest doing a fairly good water change afterwards. Read the instructions carefully.

[kevinpo]

Hello,
The type you have do not multiply to huge numbers and stay on the coral without harming it. If you really can't stand them you could do a quick fresh water dip and they will release their hold and quickly die. I've had them on my hammer coral for over 7 years without them being a problem. Make sure the fresh water is the same temperature and PH as your tank water before doing the dip.

Regards,
Kevin

[Reefland]

Hi Kevin,

When you say dip do you mean in and out or should the coral be held for any amount of time (5 seconds) in the freshwater?

[kevinpo]

I gently swish the coral in the water for about 10-15 seconds. You can see the flatworms swim/float off and die.

HTH,
Kevin

[saltjunkie]

looking more at my stuff..
the main ingredient is that


malachite green
just an fyi thing..