flatworms exit

Gobey · #1 08/31/2004, 08:28 AM

I am about to use flatworm exit in my 125. I have a ton of flatworms. Aside from using carbon 12 hours after application and a 20% water change, is there anything else I should anticipate with this stuff. It sounds pretty harsh...and flatworms sound rather toxic as they die.

Thanks.

Rich

Shoestring Reefer · #2 08/31/2004, 08:37 AM

From what I understand, you should siphon out all the flatworms you can before you use the flatworm exit. Siphoning them as they die is probably a good idea, too.

trstange · #3 08/31/2004, 09:24 AM

wetwebmedia has a pretty good article on flatworms, you may want to read it

LeslieP · #4 08/31/2004, 11:07 AM

There was a recent thread in the general forum about how someone lost a good bit of his tank by using this product - and he followed the directions pretty well. I think that the take home notes are:
1. Make sure you have several hours to take care of the tank as the treatment is working
2. siphon out as many of the worms that you can before you dose - try to shake them out of your live rock nooks and crannies!
3. continue to siphon as the treatment is going on and get those dead and dying worms out as fast as you can
4. start the carbon treatment earlier than 12 hours post-dose
5. be prepared to do a larger than 20% water change if necessary
6. perhaps think about several lower dose treatments to decrease the worm population and to see how your tank reacts and lessen the potential for poisoning
This product has worked well for many people, but has also caused a few nightmares. Go slow, better safe than sorry. Let us know how it turns out - good luck!

trstange · #5 08/31/2004, 12:24 PM

I had this problem some years back when my tank was about a year old, it looks worse than it is and will even itself out with time. They don't harm the corals, just look bad. I think I may have shaken them off some corals when they looked too bad. I chose not to treat my tank with chemicals and get a six line wrasse. I don't know if my six line ate any of them but four years later you can't see a one and I don't believe I lost any corals because of them.

DogDoc · #6 08/31/2004, 04:59 PM

I used and really loved flatworm exit. Used it at 1/2 strength (at RC suggestion) and before I treated I did a water change and sucked out as many as I could find. Immediately ran a polyfilter - I like those much better than carbon.

Worked beautifully. No problems. I did it in the evening as the lights were out, so most of the corals were closed for the day and the overnight corals hadn't opened yet. Don't know if that mattered.

Had to treat again in 2 weeks - never a worm seen since

Aaron

dburr · #7 08/31/2004, 06:07 PM

I did 1.5 times dose. I used carbon after seeing some die(as directed by Salifert)and alot died but the baby ones I saw the next day. I used what was keft of the bottle, about 1.25 dose and it did nothing.

I didn't lose anything in the tank but the big FW.

I really don't see how it would get all the FW unless you take out all the rocks and dip and shake them. IOM.

Gobey · #8 09/01/2004, 07:53 AM

Thanks for the info...I'll see what I can do. I've also heard that mandarin's eat them? Am I wishing for too much here?

Shoestring Reefer · #9 09/01/2004, 10:14 AM

I've heard that a mandarin might or might not, same for a six line. Could your tank support the mandarin after the flatworms are gone?

Gobey · #10 09/01/2004, 10:23 AM

In theory yes, it's a 125 with about 200 lbs of quality live rock and no other competing pod preditors, in reality, I've never tried a mandarin. I suppose I'll start with a 6 line wrasse. They will eat anything (hopefully flatworms too). I'd had to kill a mandarin for not having enough pods.

danellis06460 · #11 09/01/2004, 10:50 AM

I caved into my wife and got a mandarin. My LFS has had a mandarin and a 6 line in one of their tanks since November so I though since my tank was the same age and size it should be okay.

It seems to be doing fine so far, its still fat, but to boost my pods population I bought some copepods from Coral Reef Aquarium in MA. They come in a bottle for $20, they shipped me 2 bottles ground here for $5. You can see the little fellers scampering around in the solution, its quite cool.

Gobey · #12 09/01/2004, 10:52 AM

thanks for the info Dan. I'd like to try a mandarin one day...

Gobey · #13 09/01/2004, 10:55 AM

I may have the opportunity to treat my live rock before I put it into the new tank. May be a good idea to treat a bucket of rock rather than an established reef.

DogDoc · #14 09/01/2004, 04:43 PM

That's interesting that they sell live copepods. That's good for folks with copperband butterflies and mandarins - both of which are notorious difficult eaters.

Another thing to consider is the frozen phytoplankton paste that brineshrimpdirect.com sells. That plus the golden pearls (small ones) really help maintain your pod population. I noticed an explosion when I started feeding the paste.

Aaron

BigWaz · #15 09/01/2004, 06:20 PM

DON'T USE FLAT WORM EXIT. It really does mess with the tanks chemicals. Buy a velet nubribranch!!!!! they are the best thing money can buy. It ate all my flat worms in two weeks. It will die once they are all gone but they won't come back as long as you buy a pys. mandarin. Believe me I did a ton of research with it.

BrettH · #16 09/01/2004, 11:38 PM

FWIW, I gotta agree, don't use the FE...they'll work their way out over time and there are many natural ways to get rid of them.

They only problem I've ever had with flat worms affecting my corals was with euphylia. It caused it to close up so I had to give it a fresh water bath...aftter that it was fine and my flat worms eventually disappeared...I do have a mandarin...

Gobey · #17 09/02/2004, 09:04 AM

How about a green spotted or a psychadelic - will these eat flat worms similarly to mandarins?

trstange · #18 09/02/2004, 09:48 AM

maybe that what we need... a club six line wrasse and a mandarin to take care of these problems... lol

Seriously, I hate to add chemicals to my tank and thankfully haven't had to...

Shoestring Reefer · #19 09/02/2004, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by trstange
maybe that what we need... a club six line wrasse and a mandarin to take care of these problems... lol

I was thinking the same thing. Plus maby some emerald crabs for hair algae, some cleaner shrimp and gobies for parasites, and an octopus or a big mantis to kill gorrilla crabs in new live rock.

Gobey · #20 09/02/2004, 11:38 AM

I was looking into hiring a full time scuba diver with a stainless spear gun - way too pricey still, gonna wait until the off season.

trstange · #21 09/02/2004, 11:46 AM

I'd offer to help but couldn't be trusted next to corals telling me to frag them

danellis06460 · #22 09/02/2004, 11:49 AM

I have the spotted or psychadelic mandarin, its a way cool fish, it sucks food in and then blows the sand out of its gills like a blowhole. I can't comment on the flatworms situation because I have never seen them.

Its a drive for you but I think Bob @ Exotic still has a couple left, mine was $15, you can't beat that.

Gobey · #23 09/02/2004, 11:51 AM

That is a deal, thanks for the info. I have store credit at Puppy Center in West Hartford and they had two there yesterday (along with a killer blue spotted jawfish)...

BigWaz · #24 09/03/2004, 09:08 PM

psychadelic mandarins are the only fish that really eat the brown flatworms

DogDoc · #25 09/05/2004, 08:27 AM

I, too, have had a mandarin. They come with their own set of needs, like LOTS of pods. Make sure you have a good nesting place for the pods and the mandarin may do just fine.

I had someone describe the red flatworms in the same sense as diatoms, cyano, and hair algae (and maybe you could include aiptasia). It's a stage of development of the tank and they will bloom, then die off. Sometimes, if the tank gets off again, they may bloom again. As long as their numbers don't reach epidemic proportions, don't bother with them. They're not worth the headache. Focus on the tank as a whole.

I treated mine because they did reach epidemic, and I was very, very happy with the treatment. Like with aiptasia - I treat on occasion with Joe's Juice, and I'm happy, but I don't fret about a few little ones.

I didn't have to treat at all while I had the CBB, but then he disappeared one day and I found him three weeks later behind the tank

Aaron