[vtec si]

I noticed tonight that I have a small isolated breakout of flat worms in my reef tank. What is the best way to get rid of these pest in a 300gallon reef?

Thanks,
Martin

[vtec si]

am I correct that a six line wrasse would eat them?

[kevinpo]

I have not seen either a Mandarin or Sixline eat them, but I often hear reports that they do. I have used the Salifert "Flatworm Exit" with good success.

HTH,
Kevin

[vtec si]

Originally Posted by kevinpo

I have not seen either a Mandarin or Sixline eat them, but I often hear reports that they do. I have used the Salifert "Flatworm Exit" with good success.

HTH,
Kevin

Kevin, I have heard many same reports of this as well, but I have heard that there are many wrasses that will eat these guys! I would love to have a mandarin but I know that my carpet would end up with a pricey lunch! I have been trying to avoid the use of a chemical trearment but it seem that many have had good luck with this product. I am having a hard time making the choice to use FLATWORM EXIT due to the fact I would hate to loose any of my hard to find or rare sps.

Martin

[kevinpo]

Martin,
I used it in this system with a large variety of corals without any noticeable effects. I dosed the whole bottle (300 gal. worth) in a 400 gal system.

Regards,
Kevin

[Papa Doug]

Martin, My leopard wrasse ate some, as did my grren mandarin but I had to use multiple treatments of "exit" to eradicate them. Also running mucho current and running a large beckett type skimmer helped me.

[BubbaWPB]

I used Flat Worm Exit with hard and soft corals with no problem. Just be sure to follow the directions, and have lots of activated charcoal on hand and ready BEFORE you use the product. Read the directions and follow them exactly. It works very well and I've had no losses of fish or invertebrates.

I added a canary wrasse to my 75 gallon tank.. kept the flat worms to a minimum for about 6 months, but they suddenly had a "bloom".... certain wrasses help up to a certain point.

It has been pointed out by some that the flatworms are harmless. A few of them kept around as wrasse treats is ok IMHO, but in large numbers, they're just plain butt-ugly in the tank.

[vtec si]

I am out to get some Flat worm exit tomorrow! I noticed flatworms on my Montipora digitatas! I can not tell if the are hurting them but they are not looking good. A few of them have even lost some tissue on the bottom side. This is only happening to my red and orange colonies. I see no harm done to my green or purple ones.

Martin

[leebca]

I'm not knowledgeable about these critters. But the subject is brought up quite often at conventions and conferences I've attended. This is what they have said:

They are easy enough to starve into submission. First off, increase the frequency and/or amount of your water changes. When doing so, try to suck out as many of the little buggers as possible. Secondly, be sure all your pumps are clean and working optimally. Usually these guys congregate in low flow areas. You may have to add additional circulation. Next, be careful with your feeding and dosing. Excess nutrients contribute to the problem. And lastly, along those same lines, make sure your skimmer is working well and producing a full cup of dark skimmate at least every other day. If you do these things, you will eventually get ahead of them and won't have to resort to using poisons to kill them.