how to get rid of flatworms

roblarss · #1 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 · #2 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 · #3 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 · #4 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 · #5 11-24-2010, 04:50 PM

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

George · #6 11-24-2010, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by don.ald

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 · #7 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.

Chin_Lee · #8 11-24-2010, 05:44 PM

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...light=flatworm
this stuff works. if its a small tank, do 100% water change right after

paddyob · #9 11-24-2010, 07:49 PM

I had flat worms once and used a spotted mandarin to eliminate them.

I kid you not... ELIMINATE. The mandarin took about 2 weeks but I never saw a single flat worm again.... 3 years later.

I know your tank is small.... but you could start with the small tank and then transplant your mandarin into the display.... unless of course he ended up food for the others.

Food for thought.

daniella3d · #10 11-24-2010, 07:51 PM

NONE of my mandarins ever eated any flatworms, nor my wrasses. I suspect your mandarin eated them because it was simply starving.

I have a black velvet nudibranch and they are very efficient in removing most of the flatworms but they don't get them all for sure. I have bearely any left and I still have some. My aquarium was infested with them but just one nudi and it cleared most of it in a month.

Problem is they get cought in pumps very very easily as they go free floating in the aquarium and always end up on a pump. So all the pumps and what ever that could suck them in has to be covered with nets. I had to cover both of my koralias with nets.

You still have to check because if they get cought on a pump they are not strong enough to detach from it and they can't really move their body as they only have traction at the very tip of their head which is done by some tiny hairs moving. So if they do get cought on a pump you have to shut it down and gently remove the nudibranch.

They are poison so carbon in the filter 24/7! In case one die it won't pollute the tank (especialy a small tank) and kill everything with toxine.

They only live about 3 months but mine is going out of food after only a month and half. It has already spawned rings of eggs 3 times and they usualy do that when they sense their ending is near.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roblarss

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