flatworms

[ironman]

Just a heads up for some of you who attended the chattanooga frag swap. If you got any caulerpa from people at the swap you need to keep an eye out for flatworms. I was given a bag of green grape caulerpa and threw it in a tank downstairs just for it to grow out in, I just noticed the caulerpa has grown like crazy, but there are flatworms all over the glass. So if you did get some caulerpa watch close for flatworms.

 

[gflat65]

Planaria flatworms, I assume?

 

[ironman]

ya, just the common flatworm, It doesnt bother me cause it is just a small tank I was growing out the caulerpa in, but if I had put the stuff in my display I wouldnt be happy, even though you can usually kill them with flatworm exit.

 

[scouncil]

Hm. You'll have to tell me if I have them or not....

 

[ironman]

we can check at the meeting, but I would guess you do

 

[gflat65]

I add them to my tanks. With a mandarin in one and a leopard wrasse in the other large display, they can't grow a population.

 

[ironman]

I hope you arnt recomending for people to add them! LOL!

 

[gflat65]

Yeah, if you don't have something that actively hunts them, I wouldn't let them even get a start. If you have a feeding force, it isn't too bad. Like I said, I have never seen any after adding them (and look for some to add;)). I'll usually shake them off a frag in some tank water and drop them in:). Certainly wouldn't do it without something to voraciously munch them down, though. Once they are noticable, you have a problem developing...

 

[scouncil]

I have a clown wrasse that eats everything, so I'm probably ok. I guess that they would get a population going in the refugium, though wouldn't they? Guess they would just keep my wrasse happy? I don't know what they look like (other than probably flat), so we'll see at the meeting.....
Susan

 

[gflat65]

If you've got a wrasse, just keep an eye out for populations. If/when you lose your wrasse, you'd want to keep a good eye out, too. That can be the catch 22-you loose a fish that has kept them under control and they become a problem. You would get one going in the sump before anywhere else since there are likely no predators down there. Once it gets started, it can take off pretty fast. Probably not a good recommendation to anyone, but I gamble from time to time... I pay the price a lot too, though.

 

[ironman]

Basically most people notice flatworms as a little spec on the glass that has the shape of the gost things on pacman! HEHE! you will usually see several of them scattered on the glass, and before you know it they will be everywhere. and if not controlled will take over the tank, then when you try and kill them you will wipe out your tank cause they release a poison when they die.

here is a picture
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/tbs/flatworms.jpg

 

[sleeper]

I have had them for a few months and see a few on the glass every morning when the lights come on, maybe 10 or so. I have a sixline that I think is keeping the population in check, I have tried everything to get rid of them, other than tearing down the tank. I didn't know mandarin's ate them. I thought those only ate pods and not flatworms.

 

[ironman]

my experience with flatworms years ago was that wrasses and mandarins are hit or miss whether or not they will eat them, but even if they do they usually wont kill a population, but they are usually good at preventing a outbreak. The best solution ive found is using flatworm exit, it will kill them. but do it now, there are alot more flatworms than what you see on the glass, and they grow very fast. so kill them before the population gets so big that it will kill the tank when you kill them.

 

[gflat65]

I've seen tanks where I thought they had incredible coralline coverage, only to watch it start moving en masse...

I've had luck with my mandarins and wrasses eating so much from the tank. I drop a few flakes every few days and some arctipods every three or five days. That's it, so they have to find some in house food. They are all fat, so it seems to be working. I feed for a few weeks when I add something new, then wean them off slowly. My clowns are some serious pod hunters:).

 

[normanbates]

oh noooo flat worms! ahhhhhhhh run everone run for your lives, hitchcocks at it again...jk

 

[scouncil]

Thanks for the link to the pic. I don't have flatworms, but I have a lot of tiny white spots. They look like they are turning into either snails of slugs. I had a few of the slug looking things with the flatish shell. Looked like a snail that wouldn't be able to get into it's shell. You'll see them at my house. They are in the overflows.
Susan

 

[sleeper]

Well I lost my wrasse about a week ago and needless to say the flatworms multiplied. Starting flatworm exit treatment tonight, will let you know how it goes.

 

[ironman]

keep us posted, you will have to dose it more than once, it seems that the dose kills the parents the first time, then you have to dose again several days later to kill the babies. something like that

 

[sleeper]

I have heard every other day x 3 treatments. Is this similar to what you guys have done? It killed most of the visable ones but there are a few left today and I think I read that it doesn't kill the eggs so you have to kill all the babies every few days before they mature enough to re-populate.

 

[ironman]

Thats basically what I was thinking, its just been awhile since ive read up on it. I have avoided ever getting flatworms in my main display, but have had them once before turn up in a frag tank I had, but I knowingly added rock and coral that had flatworms in the tank they came from. that is when I did the dose, so this time with the caluerpa tank was the same deal, I knew the risk but took it anyway and lost! LOL! Oh well it wasnt my display so who cares. Ill boil everything in that tank when I tear it down