MAJOR INFESTATION!!!!

[DrayB]

Well it has come to the point where my only course of action is to break down my tank.
I am in the midst of working out the logistics of getting my fish housed with someone else so that I can get all the corals out into a separate system (dipping them whilst transferring them) and then blasting the tank a few times over the period of a week or more (dipping the corals again) then getting all my scape right and re-introducing the corals back into the tank (dipping them again before re-entry) then getting all my guys and gals back.

why so much work you ask????

coz of these little fekkers!!!! Red Planaria aka flatworm aka well i won't be rude ;)

as you can see i have a few......thousand!!!!!!! and thats just what i can see, never mind whats in the rock work...the sand....and the ones waiting to hatch!!!!!!

unless someone can suggest another option without killing everything?


thanks :)

 

[hybridazn]

Siphon out as many as you can using air tubing and have it empty into a filter sock in the sump so you don't lose water while doing it. Then invest in a fish such as a melunarus, yellow corris or 6 line for a natural predator. After you knock the numbers back manually use some flatware exit and follow the directions accordingly

 

[redfishbluefish]

I have never used it, but believe Flat Worm Exit can be used directly in your DT. With the numbers you have, you'll want to net them out as they float and die, because they release a toxin when dying.

 

[DrayB]

when i do a water change i syphon out as many as i can see, i use a home made tool that ends at a narrow point which greatly restrict the flow but keeps the syphon pressure and that takes about 20mins to fill a 25l tub, i usually fill two of these. within an hour they are back to the point where i started. i have a yellow wrasse which was supposed to be one of the best (wrong) and have tried blue velvet nudi's (hard to get over here, and they died before i got them in the tank) i don't want to go down the 6 line route ( coz i hear they can be nasty) but i may be able to borrow a melunarus, so that is an option i suppose.

also flatworm exit is banned in UK....

sorry keep editing :) but i'll add...... i have been researching ways and means to get rid of these guys so it is with open eye's that i'm going into this. I have been stocking up on carbon and plan of filling both my filter socks...both my bubble magus reactors and borrowing an external filter which i will also fill with carbon. i plan on syphoning these guys out over a few days every day before i commence treatment, and will wrap my powerheads with floss and stuff floss into my sump so i can catch as many as i can before they secrete the toxins.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Those are amazing photos.

 

[Browner20]

A wrasse like a six line may clean them up. My six line cleared up my planaria problem but now he is an and I cant get any fish/invert that is smaller or less aggressive than he is or they are toast.

 

[DrayB]

If only they were of lovely coral growth and not a pest lol

 

[Reef Stu]

Another natural predator is a Blue velvet nudibranch. They're very cool to watch. Like little vacuums. The cons, It won't get them all, and it will starve before they are all gone. Also they can't handle high flow ( it's foot doesn't hold on well). But they can be a big help in nocking down the numbers. After the numbers are down, flatworm exit. Which also will not get them all. Oh, also the nudi can't get the ones on the coral.

 

[Reef Stu]

I'm sorry. I didn't see that those weren't options for you. I should've hit the refresh button before I posted. Sorry I'm no help. Good luck.

 

[Stigigemla]

To begin from the start (of the nudibranchs).
I am not certain of this species but i believe they live from bacteria film or they are filter feeders. I also believe they need silica in the water.

If You are using any kind of carbon source for nitrate reducing take it out. It is bacteria food.
Clean the skimmer and adjust it to make max wet skimmate.
Stop adding any kind of amino acids.
If you feed frozen foods rinse it well in a glass with aquarium water before feeding.
Change the silicate filter media or add a silicate filter after the osmosis.
Add some shrimps to clean from food particles.

Now you have decreased their reproduction and a predator will be useful.
Halichoeres wrasses are often useful but if they get a lot of high class frozen foods they will be satisfied with that.
Synchiropus genus is often a better alternative because they are not as quick in the competion of the frozen food.
I had a 100 gallon just as infected with the brown flatworms and a scooter blenny cleaned it in 2 weeks.

If you run carbon source (vodka , vinegar, NO3PO4X or biopellets) you can put it a week after the tank is cleaned.

 

[Leland Foley]

Those will reach plague proportions for 3-6 months, then die off on their own. They're photosynthetic, and don't do any harm other than shade corals when in dense mats. I've had them a couple of times many years ago, and they always go away on their own. Many people will recommend different fish to eat them, but the fish, in my experience, either don't eat them, or can't eat enough of them to do any noticeable difference. Flatworm killing medications can be dangerous, because if you kill all of them at once, depending on how many you have, they can release a massive amount of toxin, or foul the water quickly, so be prepared to do a very large water change and run large amounts of carbon. Siphoning them out and letting them run their course is best. They seem to show up in the summers when tank temperatures run higher.

Good luck,
Leland

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

Might try blasting different rocks with a kalk solution or such. Or taking them out and dipping/swishing.
Only time I ever dealt with them I had only a couple fish in that tank, so I moved the fish to a new tank and dipped everything, then shut down the tank. Heh..

 

[metrokat]

Springers Damselfish and 6 line worked on my flat works, I had a bad infestation in my fuge but the thing with these fish is that they will eat whatever is in the water column, So if you carefully just blast a very very small section of worms maybe the yellow wrasse will eat them.

 

[twilliard]

Time to break out the h2o2!
Those are some fantastic looking specimens you have. The color patterns is one I have not seen.

 

[DrayB]

more info please twilliard :)

 

[twilliard]

They do not like the introduction of H202
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/peroxide-and-the-use-against-flatworm.228032/
H2o2 is harmless in your tank when used correctly
For example..
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/back-at-it-peroxide-vrs-cyanobacteria.241002/

 

[Stigigemla]

The H2O2 is harmless in the tank by correct use. But the ded flatworms might poison the tank so you have to siphon out the most of them before.

 

[Triggreef]

I never had any luck with the usual wrasses named. I did however get a dusky wrasse and it destroyed a huge population i had in my quarantine tank. Within days. And it's a cool wrasse to boot.

 

[twilliard]

The H2O2 is harmless in the tank by correct use. But the ded flatworms might poison the tank so you have to siphon out the most of them before.

H2o2 will not kill them when using the proper dose :)
This is about catching them before they perish

 

[DrayB]

Ok ...so just checked on tinterweb and I can get 12%, 9% or 3% "food grade" H2o2. By the looks of things this is for human consumption (don't suppose that matters)

I'm going to have a slight change in tactic before I strip down the tank.

I will go through the first stages that I had planned to do....

syphon off as many as I can over a number of days until I noticed a significant drop in numbers.

Then run the H2o2 treatment for a few days and get as much as I can out with the implementation of various steps...those being....
syphon out what can be seen.....
use filter socks to catch as many as i can flowing down to sump....
using an external canister filter loaded with floss to catch some of what will be in the water column....
wrapping the intake side of my powerheads with floss to do the same as above.
blast the rocks with high flow to blow the critters off.

Have on stand by.......
enough fresh water mixed to do a 40% water change if needed, and enough RO to repeat if needed ( probably not :) )
Have two reactors filled with carbon and enough carbon to fill both my filter socks ( I have 6 socks in total and will rotate these every hour or so giving me time to wash out the used ones once the have collected the planaria)

I will be running these steps for a few days and I will just have to see where I stand when I get to that point.

if this fails...then back to the strip down plan.