Flat worms

KingDiamond · #1 06/27/2006, 07:04 PM

I was just wondering, if any of you had a out break of flat worms (non parasitic kind) how would you go about getting rid of them?

Brad

AnnArborBuck · #2 06/27/2006, 09:48 PM

I siphon as many out as possible. My next step will be to eventually get flatworm exit as I have heard good things about that product.

From now on I am going to freshwater dip anything that goes into my tank. FW are such a pain.

Fish E · #3 06/28/2006, 07:58 AM

Hey Brad!

I read this post by Anthony Calfo on an RC thread (01/30/2006 09:11 PM):

"a fav trick of mine for removing macro organisms such as worms, crabs, mantis, etc is to make a solution of magnesium chloride (not sodium chloride) mixed up to the same specific gravity as NSW (say... 1.024ish)

Dip the rocks in this saltwater bath and watch the motile organisms exit rather promtly.

For fish-only use display live rock, it accomplishes the goal of removing most if not all potential problem creatures such as parasitic isopods and mantis (stomatopods), as well as pests like the polychaetes you are hunting in this case.

I heard the trick from a chap at SeaWorld FL who does this to prepare LR for use in their fish only displays."

KingDiamond · #4 06/28/2006, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AnnArborBuck
I siphon as many out as possible. My next step will be to eventually get flatworm exit as I have heard good things about that product.

From now on I am going to freshwater dip anything that goes into my tank. FW are such a pain.

What is the active ingredient in flat worm exit? Is it one of those products that doesn't reveal its ingredients?

Brad

AnnArborBuck · #5 06/28/2006, 09:17 AM

Not really sure off the top of my head. If the search feature ever worked on this site I am sure it would be easy to come up with. I believe sailfert makes it.

jenghes · #6 06/28/2006, 11:35 AM

The search feature does work

Yes, it is made by Salifert.

I could not find any threads regarding the ingredients. I'll check my FWE at home. I know that I have the bottle and the instructions. I think that I tossed the box though.

KingDiamond · #7 06/28/2006, 09:32 PM

I guess what I am getting at is, it works but at what cost? Sure from what I read on other posts it works but what else are you killing? I think there is a certain mentality about things that give "instant" results are good. You see it all the time in the aquarium hobby. Many people want the nicest tank with the least amount of work and the least amount of water changes. Most people know that taking your time yields the greatest rewards. The species of flat worms that most everyone gets in their tanks are just a nusience nothing more. Even if you did nothing their population would crash to a level that you probably wouldn't notice them. To make a long story short, siphon them, siphon them with all your might and over time they will go away and you probably never have to deal with them again ( unless you set up a new tank!)

Brad

ohioreef · #8 06/29/2006, 01:15 AM

marinelife had an outbreak and used, dang slipped my mind, but it is one of the meds for dogs. Drop him a PM and I'm sure he'd help you out.

jenghes · #9 06/29/2006, 07:15 AM

The dog medicine is interceptor, a heart worm preventative. It is to treat red bugs, not flatworms. Interceptor will kill shrimp and crabs.

FWE itsself will not kill anything in your tank, however, the side effects will. When stressed (killed), flatworms will give off a toxin that may nuke your tank. This is why the directions tell you to siphon of as many flatworms as possible to limit the toxins released and to do mega waterchanges after treatment.

AnnArborBuck · #10 06/29/2006, 09:18 AM

Are you still having issues with those flat worms on those plate corals Brad? Do you typically do any quarentening of the corals you get before they go in the prop tanks, or do you treat the prop tanks like your quarentine for hte main display tank.

Those were some cool plate corals, still not as cool as the octopus though, that thing was AWESOME

KingDiamond · #11 06/30/2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AnnArborBuck
Are you still having issues with those flat worms on those plate corals Brad? Do you typically do any quarentening of the corals you get before they go in the prop tanks, or do you treat the prop tanks like your quarentine for hte main display tank.

Those were some cool plate corals, still not as cool as the octopus though, that thing was AWESOME

I believe they are gone. I just freshwater dip the corals upon any sign of them. We treat out prop tank as our quarentine. By starting this thread I just wanted to see what some hobbist do for "problems".

Brad

ohioreef · #12 06/30/2006, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jenghes
The dog medicine is interceptor, a heart worm preventative. It is to treat red bugs, not flatworms. Interceptor will kill shrimp and crabs.

I'm sorry, I was thinking red bugs were flatworms.

jenghes · #13 06/30/2006, 11:09 AM

Gary - no need to be sorry. I used to think that they were the same.

Brad - I have never used fwe in my main display. I make a dip for all new corals as they come in and use the dip. Depending on the sensitivity of the coral, it may be a fresh or sw dip. I have recently started to QT my corals as well.

KingDiamond · #14 06/30/2006, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jenghes
Gary - no need to be sorry. I used to think that they were the same.

Brad - I have never used fwe in my main display. I make a dip for all new corals as they come in and use the dip. Depending on the sensitivity of the coral, it may be a fresh or sw dip. I have recently started to QT my corals as well.

Jenghes, some public aquariums use levisole (sp) in aquariums to get rid of flat worms but I am not sure that this is the active ingredient in the flat worm exit product. For the longest time I thought that people who were worried about flat worms in their aquariums smoked crack because the only flat worms I had encountered were nonparasitic and went away if you kept siphoning them out. Since then I have encountered three species of parasitic flat worms. Two of the species were highly motile compaired to "nomal" flat worms. One species fed on LPS and soft coral, mostly leather coral. The second was specific to Hydnophora species (horn coral). Most recently, the flat worms that were attacking the Fungia coral in my prop system. The "Fungia feeding" flat worms weren't very motile compaired to the other parasitic worms I had seen previously.

Brad

jenghes · #15 07/05/2006, 01:22 PM

Brad -

I went to the zoo today to renew my membership during my lunch break. I did not have the kids so I could not resist enjoying myself in the aquarium

I saw your flatworms in the blue spot jawfish tank

The blue spot jawfish is a cool fish by the way. I was showing him to the kids around the tank - they were yelling "cool". Did you think of adding a six-line wrass to that tank? Supposedly they help control flatworms.

OneThunder · #16 07/08/2006, 02:35 PM

man I want to go to the zoo aquarium.

Reefrus2003 · #17 07/08/2006, 02:40 PM

Blue Velvet Nudibranchs will feed on flat worms.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=2198

http://www.seahorse-nw.com/Predators.html

KingDiamond · #18 07/09/2006, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jenghes
Brad -

I went to the zoo today to renew my membership during my lunch break. I did not have the kids so I could not resist enjoying myself in the aquarium

I saw your flatworms in the blue spot jawfish tank The blue spot jawfish is a cool fish by the way. I was showing him to the kids around the tank - they were yelling "cool". Did you think of adding a six-line wrass to that tank? Supposedly they help control flatworms.

Six-line wrasse are found in the Indo-Pacific and Fiji. That tank is supposed to represent the Eastern Pacific/Sea of Cortez area.

Brad

jenghes · #19 07/10/2006, 07:45 AM

Good point. I forgot about the theme of the tank.