Nudibranches...please help!

[BTB117]

I discovered nudibranches eating my zoa colonies.

First instinct was to purchase a large Melanurus wrasse, but a week in and he still has shown no interest in the nudibranches or in any food yet. I am hoping this will change soon.

I removed all the large colonies and did a freshwater dip for 10 minutes. A lot of junk fell of the large colonies and they are now back in the tank and wide open.

I then decided to use flatworm exit immediately after on the tank, as I was worried some nudibranches were on the rocks. I dosed an entire bottle in a 55 gallon and the nudibranches did not dissolve like others have said. The ones I found seemingly stopped moving. I was expecting something more dramatic.

Corals had basically no reaction to the flatworm exit for anyone wondering. My product was 2 years from expiry date too, so I do not think it was old.

Anyway, how long would you advise I wait before repeating the flatworm exit treatment? I’ve read I need to repeat to catch the eggs. My hope is I can repeat once in 4 days and be done with it, but I do not have much info on the hatch time or the maturity time of these nudis. Any advice is appreciated!!

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Flatworm and nudibranch are not the same thing

 

[footgal]

Freshwater dip kills nudis

 

[BTB117]

Flatworm and nudibranch are not the same thing

yes, it is widely spread throughout this forum and others that Flatworm Exit can be used to kill nudibranches. The tutorials I have read recommend a dramatic overdose to get the acquired effects. I tested it in a cup with a nudibranch and it seemed to work. Again, the nudibranch didn’t dissolve but totally stopped moving.

 

[BTB117]

Freshwater dip kills nudis

I have read it does not kill the eggs, unfortunately.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I tried to find this information can you please help me with a link

yes, it is widely spread throughout this forum and others that Flatworm Exit can be used to kill nudibranches. The tutorials I have read recommend a dramatic overdose to get the acquired effects. I tested it in a cup with a nudibranch and it seemed to work. Again, the nudibranch didn’t dissolve but totally stopped moving.

 

[mdb_talon]

I tried to find this information can you please help me with a link

Its been commonly used in the hobby for many years. Just google "flatworm exit zoa nudibranch" and you can find plenty of info on it.

To the OP: I have used successfully multiple times in a QT tank using FE every 3 days for 7 treatments (21 days). However I dont know if this is overkill or not (ie whether it is needed every 3 I cant say). In a small QT though the cost is negligible and concern for other impacts are lessened so I just go overboard.

 

[footgal]

I have read it does not kill the eggs, unfortunately.

I’ve found that nothing kills the eggs, you just have to dip repetitively until all the eggs hatch and you’re able to kill the babies before they reach breeding age or spread around your tank

 

[BTB117]

Its been commonly used in the hobby for many years. Just google "flatworm exit zoa nudibranch" and you can find plenty of info on it.

To the OP: I have used successfully multiple times in a QT tank using FE every 3 days for 7 treatments (21 days). However I dont know if this is overkill or not (ie whether it is needed every 3 I cant say). In a small QT though the cost is negligible and concern for other impacts are lessened so I just go overboard.

Thank you for sharing. I was hoping someone has tested the hatch time. I’ve read that it’s four days on one site but only one source. To continue treating my display for 21 days with chemicals sounds too risky. Moving to a QT at this point I don’t think is helpful either as I have spotted them occasionally on rocks. At any rate, I did serious serious damage to their population today

 

[BTB117]

If anyone has confirmation of wiping nudibranches out in one hit of flatworm exit or two, much appreciated!

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Its been commonly used in the hobby for many years. Just google "flatworm exit zoa nudibranch" and you can find plenty of info on it.

To the OP: I have used successfully multiple times in a QT tank using FE every 3 days for 7 treatments (21 days). However I dont know if this is overkill or not (ie whether it is needed every 3 I cant say). In a small QT though the cost is negligible and concern for other impacts are lessened so I just go overboard.

That’s the first thing I did. But only searching r2r since op stated he found the info here

 

[Reefing_addiction]

If anyone has confirmation of wiping nudibranches out in one hit of flatworm exit or two, much appreciated!

As footgal said nothing kills the eggs. You have to treat multiple times

 

[BTB117]

As footgal said nothing kills the eggs. You have to treat multiple times

Yes, I understand that. The question is on the hatch time and the number of necessary treatments.

I’m hoping someone can verify that this is doable with minimal repetitions.

 

[footgal]

Old thread, but good info. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820573

 

[BTB117]

For those that are going through this, I will continuing documenting my plan and results.

My plan is to dose Flatworm Exit again 5 days apart from each treatment for a total of 3 times.

Fully stocked reef showed no signs of stress whatsoever from first treatment and I have not seen any nudibranches since. I emptied an entire bottle in my 55g as well.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I've read that springari damsels will put a hurtin on nudis. I've not had the opportunity to confirm it but worth checking out if your melanarus isn't hunting.

 

[Mason Michalski]

For those that are going through this, I will continuing documenting my plan and results.

My plan is to dose Flatworm Exit again 5 days apart from each treatment for a total of 3 times.

Fully stocked reef showed no signs of stress whatsoever from first treatment and I have not seen any nudibranches since. I emptied an entire bottle in my 55g as well.

There is so little information online, so I want to revive this thread to build on how to treat these for others.

So I am just curious what the process went like for you, how long did you leave it in the water column for? Did you run heavy carbon afterword's just incase? If so, how soon after dosing? Any affect on your pod population? What was the dosage you dosed over the course of those 15 days. I know this was back in April so no worries if you don't remember, but I assume this thread going quiet means you won.

I have seen horror stories of Flatworm Exit nuking tanks and causing crashes, feel like that needs to be verified or disproved if the right steps are taken, as it would be a valuable tool in fighting nudibranchs especially if no flatworms are present to release all those nasty toxins to begin with.

 

[ZoaKiller]

Tried a bit over 3x the recommended dose of non-expired FWE in my tank and it absolutely did not kill the Zoa eating Nudi.

I think most of the nuke stories come from people using the product in a sloppy manner or waiting way too late into a flatworm infestation and releasing too much toxin into the water. I had previously had red plan flatworms ( which is why I had FWE on hand) and caught the infestation pretty early on. Using 1.5 x the starting dose got me great results and doing a water change as directed and running double the ROX carbon I had no side effects and no flat worms since.

I am heartbroken about my new Zoa Eating Nudi issue as I don't think there's a reliable cure beyond dipping and for some that's not an option. @Mason Michalski

 

[ZoaKiller]

If anyone has confirmation of wiping nudibranches out in one hit of flatworm exit or two, much appreciated!

If you find anymore definite eggs on frag plugs or easily removable rock can you please try a peroxide dip 50/50 tank water peroxide and see if that kills the eggs.

In my experience it appeared to but I wasn't able to visualize the eggs for sure before and after treatment. But... I think it destabilizes the slime coat that contains the eggs.