Flatworm control

[Achilles Tang]

Hi Morgan,

I think this might work if you are reluctant to get a six-line wrasse to try to remove your flatworms.

Trouble is you have to find some of these!

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/1223794.html

[Tanzy]

RC thread on Greenex as a form of flatworm control

[hongqixian]

Don't get chelidonura, the poor thing would get vaccumed up into the nearest filter inlet. Ugh! A mandarin might help, IF there are enough pods to last at least a year- that are already in the tank.

[nivlac]

Hi Morgan,

I think this might work if you are reluctant to get a six-line wrasse to try to remove your flatworms.

Trouble is you have to find some of these!

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/1223794.html

I've also tried removing them manually with a large syringe to some success, but you risk damaging some coral polyps if they're on them.

What's the potential problem of a six line wrasse? I'm thinking of getting one.

[Achilles Tang]

Morgan passed me a packet of caulerpa... I think there must have been hundreds of brown flatworms inside!!!

Needless to say... I hyposalinity treated the packet and killed the flatworms...

Hyposalinity is one of the methods I have recommended to Morgan but he is wary of doing that to his reeftank as it is too big and his corals & liverock & pods may not take it too well.

He doesn't want a sixline wrasse coz he's afraid they may peck at his clams... which to my knowledge, doesn't.

[Morgan]

Hi AT

I am back!

Seen the acticle about using nudi for flatworm control. Unfortunately it is not found here in LFS and I have not seen something like that during diving.

Greenex sound interesting but which LFS is selling?

[Achilles Tang]

Another tip but it won't work for you as your tank is outdoors...

Drop the temp to 76 or so then raise the ph to 8.3 or so then keep the dkh about 10-12 to get rid a tank of flat worms...

[Achilles Tang]

Morgan,

I remember having a small patch of flatworms once... when I bought a new coral.

Within a few days... they were gone.

I believe my six-line wrasse took care of them. He's always busy looking around the tank!

[Achilles Tang]

The only Greenex I saw was at Aquamart... but its an algae cleaner.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/watergarden/gr...reenex44oz.html

But I finally found an online shop that has it.... US$2.77 for 1 oz. bottle.

http://www.mops.on.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe...7906+1036436885

If you are gonna order one... can you order one bottle for me together?

Aquatronics has a lot of saltwater fish medication... even for internal parasites...

check it out! http://shop.store.yahoo.com/worldwidepet/a...n-aquatron.html

[Achilles Tang]

Morgan,

You can also track this thread over at RC...

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showt...threadid=125359

[Achilles Tang]

Apparently leopard wrasses eat Red Planaria too!

[hongqixian]

I've also tried removing them manually with a large syringe to some success, but you risk damaging some coral polyps if they're on them.

What's the potential problem of a six line wrasse? I'm thinking of getting one.

Mine used to eat small shrimp about an inch or below, if that's a consideration for you.

[Achilles Tang]

What kind of monster sixline wrasse is that??

1 inch shrimp can fit into the mouth of a six-line? Their mouths are so small!

[BarraCudaTM]

hrmm .. does flatworms eat coralline algae?

I have something that looks like armoured flatworms and I can see coralline algae turning white

[Morgan]

hrmm .. does flatworms eat coralline algae?

I have something that looks like armoured flatworms and I can see coralline algae turning white

Flatworm does not eat coralline. They are small (3mm max) dark reddish brown in colour. They cover everything making look brownish. They also stains your hand when handled.

Something else is eating your coralline.

[Achilles Tang]

If it's 'armoured' and looks like a ancient fossil called trilobyte, then its a Chiton.

They are harmless and are commonly found as hitchhikers in liverock.

[Achilles Tang]

Does it look like this?

[BarraCudaTM]

Does it look like this?

yes but of a different colour

mine has a dull orange head and white body

I'm wondering why my coralline algae is chipping off, looks like its being pecked by tangs but the probelm is I dont have tangs

I only got 2 firegobies, 1 clown and 1 mandarin

[Tanzy]

Quinine on flatworms

It seems that its the quinine in Greenex that is the active ingredient to kill flat worms. Time to dump some gin and tonic into the reef!

[Morgan]

I think Quinine Sulfate is quite risky to be used for flatworm control. The dosage is not define and over dose could kill off everything. I think this guy sort of overdose his tank. All the flatworms are killed off. Just read from reefcentral:

"For the benefit of anyone who might search this thread in the future...

One unfortunate result is that the montipora frags in that tank are almost dead. The flesh has disappeared from 80% of the skeleton, all color is gone in the remaining polyps. Xenia is still quite bad and may succumb. "

I think I will try biological control, much safer. I currently have a mandarin, do not think it is eating the flatworm.

Thinking of getting a leopard wrasse.

Anyone out there know the price and which LFS has it.

[hongqixian]

Six lines have more character!

[Tanzy]

Yellow tail damsels have been known to eat flatworms too.

[hongqixian]

And bits of your skin when they get mad!

[Morgan]

Hi guys,

Bought a six line wrasse today to test whether it will eat the flatworm. So far, he is more interested in the copepods.

Currently I have a mandarin in there which I think is also not too interested in the flatworm. <_<

[yazid]

Reviving this thread...

Any newly found method of getting rid of flat worms...

Something is killing the bunch of flatworms (brown 1mm size) that I saw on my glass and on liverocks.

Will observe the next few days whether the flatworms is gone or munching my corals.