flat worm battle begins

[daddybiggs]

After helping a fellow reefer with a tank crash . I noticed a few flat worms the red ones (planaria?) in my frag tank. I've done some half baked siphoning. I was hoping one of my five wrasses would step up to the plate. There has been an big increase lately (the surge). The good people at REEF PARADISE have a melanarus wrasse on the way to help me in this. I have the flat worm exit and two charcoal reactors standing by if the melanarus does'nt work out.

[jolson10450]

my 6 line dominated them in my 12g when i had it. i had so many they literally covered the liverock completely and most of the glass and he took the entire population out in 2-3 weeks. just dont feed them and they will be forced to eat them. feed every 3 days or so

[bobilo]

Any wrasse I have owned has usually delt with it. I have actually noticed some in my 50g since my flasher wrasse jumped ship in the nighttime. What type of wrasse do you have? I also recommend you not feed them for a day or two so they wil go after the flat worms.

[daddybiggs]

Yea I was pretty sure that between two Hawaiian flames a pair of exquisites and a yellow coris that these would have been gone. I even had a pair of MC koskers for awhile while this infestation festered. Maybe thats what took so long to become a problem . When I would siphon them off with the turkey baster I would let a couple go in front of the wrasses and was surprised that even with the FWs wiggling the wrasses were not interested. I balked on the six line because I have seen them to be a little iffy on flatworms and they can get pretty aggressive as they age

[bobilo]

Yeah thats crazy. Good luck. Maybe they don't like the red ones?

[jolson10450]

Yea I was pretty sure that between two Hawaiian flames a pair of exquisites and a yellow coris that these would have been gone. I even had a pair of MC koskers for awhile while this infestation festered. Maybe thats what took so long to become a problem . When I would siphon them off with the turkey baster I would let a couple go in front of the wrasses and was surprised that even with the FWs wiggling the wrasses were not interested. I balked on the six line because I have seen them to be a little iffy on flatworms and they can get pretty aggressive as they age

the 6 lines can, and they will. but if you can buy one at a decent price then turn around and sell it after they are gone then hopefully that would work out. its the natural method.

[daddybiggs]

don't get me wrong I am not discounting the six line. Actually, I have heard more about them then any other fish . But if there is one out there that won't like flat worms than thats the one I will end up with. I just did some more siphoning and it did a pretty good job. Used a fiberglass arrow shaft and put some tubing over the end.

[iyachtuxivm]

Wow sorry to hear this. My leopard wrasse is an awsome hunter. I dont have flat worms (never have) I dont have the minibrittle stars (anymore) stomatella snails ( in very short supply) And she eats flake & frozen go figure.

[daddybiggs]

The bad news, The Melanarus I had coming was D.O.A. the only fish in the order that didn't make it. The good news, A fellow reefer called me Thursday morning and had a fish in his display that need to be moved. I now have a sweet male Lineatus Fairy Wrasse in my display.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1378+1765&pcatid=1765

A fish I never could have been able to afford and it is beautiful will add a picture later. Hmm I wonder if it eats flat worms

[MizTanks]

Have you tried Pepper mint shrimp?

[daddybiggs]

Yea I have 4 in my 180 right now thanks though. I may try the lemond damsel that I've heard about

[daddybiggs]

after much deliberation .I decided that trying EXIT would be better than adding a fish I didn't particularly care for . Better for the fish and better for me trying to remove it and better as it would have been a gamble anyway. I put in the exit , kept plenty of carbon on hand. My infestation is not the usual type. I have quite a few but not the explosion I have seen in other tanks. I siphoned off as many as possible and put in a fresh filter sock that I changed out every half hour. Die off was very good but could still see them clinging to the glass so upped the dosage another 25%. The next morning there were no visible ill effects on anything else in the tank, I saw no flat worms on any corals but did see a couple clinging to the glass. I waited a week and hit the tank again with a regular dose plus 30%. I have not seen a flat worm after the second treatment. The treatment cost me a little over $35. A sixline would have been a little cheaper and possibly a "natural" solution. But with six wrasses in the tank already it just wasn't worth the gamble.

[XSiVE]

sounds like you're on the road to recovery! :)

[ROGERWILCO357]

wow your luck is like mine , the only fish not to make the journey had to be the one fish you needed..just like me and my problems ..hey which fish is the best at eatting those flat worms as i have them now and need to terminate them i have been basting them off and now they are alost all gone but i still find one daily so there are more somewhere..just need a fish that will eat them as they hatch..is there a critter that eats the eggs?

[daddybiggs]

If were up to me and you have the room to add a fish I would try a six line. If you want to go a little more unique on a fish then I would try a Melanarus or better yet a leopard wrasse. The Leopard will need a decent depth sand bed as they will dive into the substrate when spooked. It is a sweet fish and the Melanarus can and probably will suck a snail out of its shell when it gets big. That the biggest reason I used the exit I have reached my limit on Fish. GOOD LUCK

[ROGERWILCO357]

i hear the six line wrasse is aggressive towards others? but that the 4 line isn't and is a champion in the field of aefw lol but the other fish you mentioned i was thinking about also maybe if they will all get along i will buy them all and keep 2 here and one there in the qt tank..how goes your battle ? i have to get moving on my qt tank as i have had a set back with a brown out taking out some of my equipment so need to replace alot of stuff again..man two steps forward 10 steps backwards the story of my life..