Flatworm Exit/Carbon Filter

[hnf2k]

i have been noticing that im starting to get flatworms, while they are the white kind that i was told dont harm anything, i also do believe they eat pods and i want to have a mandarin so they have t ogo. i ordered flat worm exit and have been researching it while waiting for it to arrive....what im not sure of is what type of filter do most people use for the carbon filter? i right now only run with a fuge so what would be the cheapest yet effective carbon filter i could buy just for this sole purpose? also i dont have many flatworms just a few, but i wanna stop em before the y get outta hand.

[dmiannay]

Most folks who don't run carbon on a regular basis will pick up a container of carbon along with a nylon bag at an LFS and then place the bag (after adding some of the carbon to it :) ) in a high flow area of the sump about 30 minutes to an hour after treating the tank with Salifert Flat Worm Exit (FWE). It is suggested that you first siphon out all the flatworms you can see then treat with FWE. As you see them dying go ahead and siphon them out as well. Like I said above, add the bag of carbon about 30 minutes to an hour after the treatment to absorb any poisonous toxins in the water secreted by the dead flatworms.

Note: The FWE is not at all poisonous to other tank life (fish, inverts, or corals) but the dead flatworms are! When they die they secrete toxins into the water that can be lethal to the rest of your tank. That's why siphoning before the treatment and then immediately afterwards is important. The carbon is an additional safety factor to help rid the tank of any toxins released by those flatworms hidden in crevices you couldn't siphon out. We usually kept the carbon in there for 2 to 3 days after the treatment.

Also, it is a great idea to repeat the FWE treatment one week later even if you don't see additional flatworms. This second treatment will get any new worms that may be deep in the rocks. This is another added safety step to help ensure you eradicate the infestation. Run carbon after the second treatment as well.

[hnf2k]

they are very small the ones i see, about hte size of a pod and i can maybe count a max of 5 at a time staring at my tank glass hard, so siphoning out i dont think w/ill help much, but im gonna use the meds.

[dmiannay]

Let us know if the treatment(s) are successful!

[hnf2k]

will do thanks very much for the advice...i ordered the meds so hopefully shipping doesnt take too long.