Flatworms

[Fishdude]

Hey,

Anyone know how to control flatworms? I have a bunch of red ones that are swarming all over my liverock and glass. They aren't doing anything bad that I can see. The guy whose liverock they came on told me that a certain kind of butterfly fish eats them. Forgot which one.

Thanks

 

[davelin315]

I've heard butterflies, some hermits, and some shrimp as well. Sorry, though, can't tell you which species.

 

[danmhippo]

I was reading The reef Aquarium, sprung & delbeek last week, and read that some common nudibranch has been used consistently to rid flatworm. I will try to find the info for you tomorrow (the book is at my office).

 

[reefhope]

There is a nudibranch that will eat them, www.flyingfishexpress.com has them for sale but they are expensive and will perish once their food supply is gone.

Six line wrasse supposedly eats them and is reef safe, you may want to research that route. FWIW the flatworms shouldn't harm anything in your tank.

 

[b.crabby]

I never was much for intoducing new critters to my tank in order rid it of other critters. I just took a piece of rigid tubing (approx 3/16") and a mating piece of flexible tubing and siphoned the little guys out of there. They don't have much grip power so they come off and up real easy. I did this about five times over a three week period and next thing you know they were gone. I never did see them do anything wrong, but i got rid of them before the population exploded.


GOOD LUCK

 

[Fishdude]

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually did a little reading up on them. Seems some of them can be beneficial too. Just don't look too nice when there's a lot of them (and I have a lot). I may have the kind that eats diatoms since I've seen them on top of that nasty brown stuff when I get it. I'll have to think more about whether I might just want to leave them alone. Don't really want to get something that might just die after the worms are gone or that will eat my corals and polyps (butterfly).

 

[suckair]

I had a flatworm problem like no other in my refugium for some time.. Now they are all but gone.. I did nothing to rid them but have a few obesrvations.

They were worst when my cyano war was fully enraged! "I made a few dosing bo bo's" and now that the cyano and diatoms are gone.. so are the flat worms.. I heard that they are photosynthetic but I don't know for sure.. My water quality is almost perfect now and the worms are gone.. I think the two are related.


Randall

 

[chris_h]

My hawkfish eats them occasionally. The population of flatworms has went down a lot since I got my hawkfish.

 

[tazdevil]

Flatworms can be harmful to a reef, esp. the mushroom anemones-actually get smothered by the shear weight (apparently, the flatworms aren't eating them, they're smothering them!). My sixline wrasse will eat them instead of food if givin the choice, This doesn't mean they all will, but sixlines do have the rep. of eating them. Butterflies-not sure about, but may not be safe for the reef.

 

[danmhippo]

I found it, Its in "The Reef Aquarium" Page 430.

Chelidonura varians. Its black head to tail with narrow stripes of blue/purple.

The book also suggested a variety of other nudibranches all in the genus of Chelidonura: C. electra, C. inornata, C. amoena, C. castanea, C. flavolobata, C. fulvipunctata, C. livida, C. hirundinina, C. punctata, C. sandrana, C. tsurugensis, C. pallida.

Have I seen these in trade? No I have not, but it doesn't hurt to ask your choice of fish retailers.

 

[Anonymous]

Julian has told me that virtually all Chelidonura species work well however they are not in great abundance normally in the wild and they are relatively short lived (most nudi's are). They are RARELY available for sale in the trade hence you never see them at the LFS and even if they were it is likely the wholesaler has no idea what they are and neither will your LFS they will be offered totally by chance.

There is no other reliable natural control.

 

[Fishdude]

Thanks again for the info. guys. I think I will just siphon them out. Less trouble and expense that way.

 

[angel-a7]

I got flatworms so bad in my 75 gallon tank, i tried the nudis and the wrasses, nothing work,i was even sucking them out and a day a two later it was just as bad, plus they really smell if you smear one on you or kill them off, i fought it for months till were i had to finally add a copper solution, it killed them instantly but fortunately i lost only a couple of inexspenive plants cause the tank was still fairly new and all my fish made it...its been 3 months since and im just now thinking of adding some plants cause u have to work the copper out of your system, i hope and pray i dont get them again, my lfs was actually selling live rock to people and the rock was covered in flatworms, i asked the owner if he was aware and he said its a part of nature, well ill never shop there again....and if you go the copper way, be prepared to battle the mess of them, they stink really bad when they die,

 

[aquaguy]

I think copper is the last solution is very hard to get rid of copper traces, I got some flatworms a year ago but they suddenly disappeared when I place some phosphate sponge in my sump then my brown algae was gone. I think they starve to death (they feed on the brown algae) I've heard that they are photosintetic too but mine weren't

, You could try those seaslugs too (chelidonura) but remember to catch them when they finish their job and sell them ( you will recover your money...they are pretty expensive) otherwise they will starve to death

Good luck.

 

[tazdevil]

Ahh angel, one problem. Copper gets into everything, and can't be reliably removed. The substrate, any rock/dead coral (you won't have any live in a copper treated system) will constantly leach it out, no matter how much water you change out. What kind of plants where you going to put in your tank?

 

[Anonymous]

Usually flatworms reproduce soo quickly that they run out of food and their numbers crash. I would lessen feedings for the next month and starve them out.

 

[nick danger]

Uh-huh.

I once went 3 months without feeding. No appreciable difference.

I have also tried siphoning, a 6-line wrasse, and a spotted madarin (Im surprised nobody has mentioned that last one). All for naught.

The things are like herpes.

 

[nick danger]

Heres another one for ya, Smokin:

"Confucius say: He who fart in church sit in his own pew."

 

[smokin reefer]

The things are like herpes.[/QB][/QUOTE]

HHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAA. Nick, you crack me up dude. So did some of your previous reply's on algea.

 

[joejdsn]

confuscious say:
he who goes to bed with a itchy butt wakes up with smelly finger!