Flat worms are gone, YIPEE

[Link]

My reef tank is now 7 months old. For the last 4-5 months I have had a gazillion flat worms. Tons of them everywhere. For the last 6-8 weeks, I started siphoning them off every week. Two weeks ago, I noticed there wasnt very many flat worms to siphon. Last week, even less. In the last couple days, I cant find any. They are gone!!!!

Why did they go away? Well in addition to siphoning the worms, I took some advice from my LFS (FISHJUNC). He claims that the flat worms are consuming a micro film like algea, even though I could'nt see any, he said its there. He asked me if I was using a two part like B-ionic. I said yes. He claims that dosing products like B-ionic to quickly causes phosphate to precipitate, which fertilizes the rock and substrated. He ask me if I use a turky baster and blow on the rocks if there was a white cloud. I said yes. He claims some of that it is participated phosphate.

He claims algea can utilize precipitated phosphate easier than if its in the water column. Eliminate the solid phosphate, algea dies, flatworms die.

To cure this, he said either drip the 2 part much much slower(through out a 24 hour period) or get a calcium reactor. He also recommended that I try to syphon the precipitate off of the rocks, to speed up the process. Use a turkey baster, blow on the rock, a white cloud of stuff will rise, syphon the cloud.

He claims this will eliminate the solid precipitate, the micro algea will then go away, then the flatworms will starve and go away. He said it would take a couple months to see an effect.

Well I got a calcium reator(wanted one anyhow), followed his instructions, and sure enough, flat worms gone, pretty close to his time period. I also didnt do anything else that may have contributed, didnt even do any water changes for the last two months, no light changes, no addition/less fish, feed the same, etc.

I'm just a newbie and I'm not claiming anything, but my flat worms are gone!

Just some food for thought.

But I'm so happy!!!

Link

[JSM]

Flatworms are photosynthetic, they also utilize light as a food source. I guess I don't quite understand what you were told. I have a lot of flatworms right now and am trying to get rid of them, I guess if it worked for you then that's a good thing. Remember it only takes one flatworm left to reproduce. Were your flatworms a brownish rust color? Let me know, thanks.

Janna

[Link]

He says flat worms are photosynthetic, but ALSO consume some kind of algea. Just like most photo corals which also consume.

Yes, mine were a brown/reddish with a little V shape in the tail. Looked like a little armored shield.

[Technobuyer]

Very interesting, Link. I'm wondering what percentage of the board uses Ca Reactors, and also has flatworms. Of those, how many dose with other additives? Surely with all the people here we could deduce if in fact Ca reactors and no additives was a reasonably effective method to erradicating or at least keeping populations under control. Personally, I have the little buggers, though not in as large a populations as some. I was dosing Bionic, and another two part additive. I have recently switched over to a Ca reactor, and am no longer dosing in that tank. I have always given my tanks a little snow storm about once a week or so. I have only once attempted to siphon the worms out, and decided for me, it was more trouble than it was worth. About as effective as a screen door on a submarine...

Anybody else have any observations that might support or refute this as a method to controlling the worms?

(BTW, Link, I don't doubt this worked for you. Just trying to determine if this would be a constant or if perhaps there was some other unknown anomaly in your system that aided in your success.)

[JSM]

Rob Toonen told me they were actually very beneficial if you can stand the ugly color, which I don't think I can. I beleive he said they do eat some kinds of algae and are detritus eaters. I still want to get rid of them even if they are beneficial. I've been told they sometimes are cyclic, now you see them, now you don't. Anyone else been told this?

Janna

[dendronepthya]

I contend that the flatworms are definitely NOT beneficial. When their population reaches its critical mass, they crash releasing toxins that take a huge toll on corals. I had one such crash take out a purple montipora, and all my red sea xenia. For a while there, even my LPS, and shrooms were looking like they were on their way out.

BTW, I have a ca reactor, and still have flatworms. Then again, I do have that white powder on my liverock, so the jury is still out on that one.

[Link]

This is for you JSM.

I dont really know if what I did got rid of my flat worms or they just went away on their own.

As for syphoning, I just ran a hose from the tank to the sump and tied a piece of pany hose to the sump end of the hose to act as a filter. Works great, syphon worms first, then attached a turkey baster to hose using rubber band so I could blow and suck on the rocks at the same time (that doesnt sound right!) to get rid of precipitated phosphate. The bag of worms and dust really smells awful.

FWIW

Link

[JSM]

Well it can't hurt to try. I came home last night to find that they are multiplying much faster than they had been. I'm starting to get really depressed about this. I have a 120 and then a 20 g that are both plumbed to the same sump. Well now I have them in the 20g as well. I hate these things! I'll try siphoning. In the TRA vol 1 they talk about waiting till the lights go out and shining a light in one spot and they will congregate there since they are attracted to light. I imagine it will take several weeks to get them all but I'll try. Wish me luck!

Janna

[Larry M]

Now there's a theory I hadn't heard before. I have to admit it sounds intriguing. The only problem with it that I see, is when you blow live rock with a baster you will always get a white cloud because detritus settles in the pores and on the surface of the rock. But hey, it's hard to argue with something that worked.

------------------
Larry M

Visit Reef Stores.com (http://63.75.34.139/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi?) The liaison between hobbyists and on-line retailers.

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[LiquidShaneo]

A good friend of mine in Toledo, OH reported the same thing. If I remember right, this is what he saw:

His tank was running good @ 11-12 dKH with a calcium reactor. His reactor ran out of aragonite and the dKH dropped to 3 over a weekend. He then had an explosion of cyano and planaria (flatworms). Without doing anything else, he refilled his Ca reactor with aragonite and got the dKH back up to 11-12 and the cyano and flatworm population crashed and went away. No cyphoning or blowing off of rock. Nothing. The only thing he did was get his dKH back up using a Ca reactor.

Pretty interesting, huh? Sounds similar to what you saw...

liquid

[Link]

LiquidShaneo,

My DKH was also low, even though I was using b-ionic, just couldnt seem to get up and stay. Ever since the calcium reator, DKH has stayed steady 10. Is it just the DKH or something else the calcium reactor is adding or eliminating?????? Really interesting coincedence.

Does anyone run a calcium reactor and have flat worm problems????

Link

[LiquidShaneo]

Link,

If you're interested in discussing this in detail with someone (specifically the guy I mentioned in my previous post who found the same link with dKH and flatworms), I can give you his e-mail address. Actually, he e-mailed your hotmail acct earlier today asking you for some information about the LFS you frequent in Mt Vernon, OH. His name is Todd (or farmertodd) and he at one time owned a LFS in Sylvania, OH named Sylvania Tropical. He's a really good guy and knows his stuff when it comes to saltwater. You may want to start a discussion with him via e-mail as he doesn't frequent this UBB.

I have no idea why dKH plays a role in flatworm blooms. I personally have never had a flatworm problem although I have had a cyanobacteria problem which Todd has also linked to a low dKH in his tank. He found that low dKH gave rise to cyanobacteria and then flatworms. Raising the dKH back up caused both the cyano and flatworms to crash. I'm thinking about putting a Ca reactor on my tank, but I probably won't until I upgrade in a couple of years. My only guess is it somehow makes the environment less stable for cyano and flatworms to live. Somehow it must either remove their food source or it just creates an environment that they can't live under. I wish I knew the answer to this one... :D

liquid