Flatworms Nuked My Tank

[TORX]

Flatworms nuked my tank. So last week I noticed some flat worms on my glass. I quickly ordered some Flatworm exit and sucked out as many as I could in the mean time. This is not the first time i used it. A few years ago in my 125 I had flatworms and it was extremely successful. This time was a whole other story.

I prepped for the huge post treatment water change. I prepped carbon to go in as well. I sucked out as many as I could see before treating the tank.

Then I dosed the tank...

It killed them, it killed them all. Only there was 1000x more then I saw. My tank looked like my goby kicked up sand only it was all flatworms. They started to mat together from all the toxin they were secreting. I tried to suck out as much as possible but this was just too much.

I lost my puffer, sohal tang, purple tang, and 2 clowns. This has been a horrible start to this reefing year. On top of all this, I found out while prepping my water change was one of my Neotherm heaters crapped out a month out of warranty. I almost am ready to drain the tank.

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[Salty Cracker]

ow...that sucks the big one.

I think at this point you should run the flatworm exit a few more times, I mean at this point what more could it do except hit any flatworms you might have missed.

It's a bummer but yet again a 'quick fix' zaps a tank. I don't want to say much because I've never had to fight flatworms, but I can't help but think there would have been a natural predator that would have gorged on the worms, at least enough to get their population down (?). At any rate, it's a good time to nuke the tank, get rid of anything you really don't want in there (palys aiptasia gsp etc), grab yourself a bottle of bayers for future dipping of corals, and just head on back in.

I never put any value on my livestock, they're just there to poop on the coral. I wouldn't want to lose any, but I don't think I've ever really spent much $$$ on them, and that could be an option for you too. Get one tang, one angel, and fill the rest with little buggers like chromis. Or hell, do a damsel only tank.

The equipment is your big big expenditure, and except for a heater, you are still perfectly set up to just plow ahead. Just stop buying flatworms

Now, if you're really ready to throw in the towel, I'll give you $200 for your tank computer setup...

 

[Cliff]

Oh crap sorry to hear . I have dosed few exit years ago. It can be surprising how many are hiding. Hope you don’t give up! All of us are hear rooting for u!

 

[Zombiex]

I am ina similar boat. Everytime i solve a problem i end up with another. Spending endless amounts of money trying to fix them. I have wanted to give up many times. But with support of wife and other reefers, i push through until the next problem. I have lost almost everything. Fortunately like salty cracker i do not have alot invested in livestock.

 

[Josh]

I had same issue, i spent a week using an toms aqua lifter thru a bag filter into my sump to lower the numbers to the point where i visually could not see any. I dosed FWE and within ~30mins there was a lot of floaters. I couldnt believe how many there were because i had legitimately spent over 10 hrs vacuuming them. I luckily didnt lose anything but the whole process scared the shit out of me.

I still have flatworms but i am not rolling that dice again.

FWE does not seem to work on the small flatworms very well. I could see multiple crawling after the fact. I even took out some of the frags and dipped them in a 20x recommended dose in a small container and I still had a few ones die in the bayer dip afterwards.

Every fish in my frag tank is documented as "eats flatworms" yet not one single 1 of them did a thing. Its a frustrating problem.

I hope you power through Mark.

I took my mandarin out of my display and dropped him in the frag tank to hopefully take a run at the flatworms but I havent noticed any changes yet.

so far 6lines / springeri damsels wont touch them.

From hours of research into the subject of natural predation the general consensus i came to was that a yellow coris or a female mandarin seem to have the best results.

 

[harleymike]

Flatworms nuked my tank. So last week I noticed some flat worms on my glass. I quickly ordered some Flatworm exit and sucked out as many as I could in the mean time. This is not the first time i used it. A few years ago in my 125 I had flatworms and it was extremely successful. This time was a whole other story.

I prepped for the huge post treatment water change. I prepped carbon to go in as well. I sucked out as many as I could see before treating the tank.

Then I dosed the tank...

It killed them, it killed them all. Only there was 1000x more then I saw. My tank looked like my goby kicked up sand only it was all flatworms. They started to mat together from all the toxin they were secreting. I tried to suck out as much as possible but this was just too much.

I lost my puffer, sohal tang, purple tang, and 2 clowns. This has been a horrible start to this reefing year. On top of all this, I found out while prepping my water change was one of my Neotherm heaters crapped out a month out of warranty. I almost am ready to drain the tank.

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I noticed about 10 little ones in my tank the other day. Just picked up some Flatworm Exit also.
I was going to use it this week, also trying to find a 6 line wrasse.

Could you see very many on the glass, you have me worried now. Like I said, I can only see 10 or 12 at the most. None on any rocks or corals.

 

[TORX]

I noticed about 10 little ones in my tank the other day. Just picked up some Flatworm Exit also.
I was going to use it this week, also trying to find a 6 line wrasse.

Could you see very many on the glass, you have me worried now. Like I said, I can only see 10 or 12 at the most. None on any rocks or corals.

The glass is where I noticed them first. Definitely use it as a last resort

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[TORX]

ow...that sucks the big one.

I think at this point you should run the flatworm exit a few more times, I mean at this point what more could it do except hit any flatworms you might have missed.

It's a bummer but yet again a 'quick fix' zaps a tank. I don't want to say much because I've never had to fight flatworms, but I can't help but think there would have been a natural predator that would have gorged on the worms, at least enough to get their population down (?). At any rate, it's a good time to nuke the tank, get rid of anything you really don't want in there (palys aiptasia gsp etc), grab yourself a bottle of bayers for future dipping of corals, and just head on back in.

I never put any value on my livestock, they're just there to poop on the coral. I wouldn't want to lose any, but I don't think I've ever really spent much $$$ on them, and that could be an option for you too. Get one tang, one angel, and fill the rest with little buggers like chromis. Or hell, do a damsel only tank.

The equipment is your big big expenditure, and except for a heater, you are still perfectly set up to just plow ahead. Just stop buying flatworms

Now, if you're really ready to throw in the towel, I'll give you $200 for your tank computer setup...

The joys of being in ther middle of no where in this hobby. Locating predator fish that is in stick plus travel is astronomical. I am not home through the day to accept deliveries.

Might post my orange shoulder tang, scopa tang and chromis for sale and start over

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[harleymike]

The joys of being in ther middle of no where in this hobby. Locating predator fish that is in stick plus travel is astronomical. I am not home through the day to accept deliveries.

Might post my orange shoulder tang, scopa tang and chromis for sale and start over

Trying to find a wrasse first. As I think my population of flatworms is very small.

I know i tried the exit years ago and it worked fine.

There is a nudibranch that eats them too.

 

[Troy]

Not sure if its a option for you. But the school tank can host your fish until you get everything cleaned up.

I have been battling them in my Nano, fortunately they were not transferred to the school tank, or the wrasses have kept them in check. I got a springeri damsel, but he has not touched them, i have even tried to suck them up and release them in front of the fish to see if he will eat them to no avail.

Other than the nudi that will starve when the flatworms are gone, what options do you have in a nano tank? Will a sixline last long enough in the Nano until they are gone. i can always take it to the school tank after there gone, assuming I can catch it?

 

[Josh]

My 6 line wouldnt touch them, and they are a rather aggresive fish sometimes.

The nudi is called a blue velvet nudibranch and I have only seen them for sale at canada corals and that was ~2-3 years ago

 

[Troy]

The nudi's are available, i seen them at Big Al's Hamilton a few months back. If you reach out to Ian at SMC, he can likely get his hands on a few. They are striking black with velvet blue lines, but will die once there is no food source.

I have a contact that can get them for me, last time I was there for the school project they had a dozen of them. Maybe i will get one and see how it works, in the Nano. i can always offer it up to the forum once it gets the job done.

 

[Josh]

lets Co-op that and share the nudi. Make him a TFT workhorse

 

[BIGSHOW]

Sorry to hear that...seems to be going around these days. Make sure people check your frags and look at the tanks your buying corals from...if there is flatworm don't by the corals. If you are treating your tank, make sure you have plenty of water, carbon, chemi pure to combat the toxins.

We sort of stock our tanks the way Salty does, in that each fish has a "job" in the tank. Tangs for algae, wrasse (melanarus/yellow) for worms and so on. We should have some blue velvet't Thursday next week if your interested. Just send us an email or PM, we don't buy lots as they do need flatworms to survive so if its something your after just let me know.

Shipping is very cheap....most of the times we can ship a small box for $15.

Good luck Torx and hope things turn around for you.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[harleymike]

Its too bad there isn't a supplement for the nudi once the flat worms are gone. I will look into getting a nudi for sure. I would rather do that then risk the exit now.
I will still get a wrasse also. Just as back up.

 

[chrisstevens]

Sorry for your loss, that is a tough blow for sure . I have also battled them and noticed not all would die from the flat worm exit even at doses 3x that of the recomended amount and they would re populate. May want to to do a few more doses just to make sure you get any staglers though it still might not fully be the awnser. Wrasses will help for sure but won't fully solve the problem.

 

[Monnishan]

I have 3 yellow coris wrasses in my tank Mark. I'm coming to London tomorrow to see Ian at Sustainable marine and could leave one of my wrasses with him for you. Let me know.

 

[Kevin Cantelon]

Thats shitty to hear Mark. I hope your aquarium rebounds and recovers fast.

 

[Kyle1970]

Shïttÿ
What else can you say.

 

[marks69]

that sucks. good luck