Flatworm plague.

breckco.ky

breckco.ky

Member
Ok....I'm gettin to the point of breaking down my entire 150 reef...due to a PLAGUE of flatworms. I would like to know if anyone had success with this problem via chemical or natural predation on flatworms. They dont harm anything but they have covered every piece of rock and alot of the sandbed is brown from thousands of them....Help will be appreciated
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
the pod population must be off the charts in your tank. flatworms are ambush predators that feed off of pods. deplete the pod population, and the flatworms will disappear.
i also had a case like you have explained in my 195. i don't have a single visible specimen anymore since i added a mandarin and a fairly wrasse( both of these fish do not eat flatworms, but do eat pods).
here is some research to explain flatworms. be sure to click the pdf files-
http://macropyga.googlepages.com/
 
gman08016

gman08016

Member
If anything last resort flatworm exit.Just make sure you go by the directions.I got them a couple of months ago with a new coral lucky me.Had to use it worked great but be ready for mass destruction on them when you use it.
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
Usually they will cycle themselves out if you can lessen the nutrient load. Syphoning them off with a small tube as suggested (place tube end into fine mesh bag and filter it into sump) and reduce nutrients and if possible (have a DSB) get a Tiger pistol shrimp. It will take time, but you won't have to resort to chemical means. Also 6 lined wrasse will eat them if you do not feed it. May not be practicle if you have other fish you need to feed though. Usually it can take 4-6 months for flat worms to cyle down a heavy population.
 
keri

keri

Active Member
Originally Posted by Flricordia
http:///forum/post/2754042
Usually they will cycle themselves out if you can lessen the nutrient load. Syphoning them off with a small tube as suggested (place tube end into fine mesh bag and filter it into sump) and reduce nutrients and if possible (have a DSB) get a Tiger pistol shrimp. It will take time, but you won't have to resort to chemical means. Also 6 lined wrasse will eat them if you do not feed it. May not be practicle if you have other fish you need to feed though. Usually it can take 4-6 months for flat worms to cyle down a heavy population.
+1
Adding a scooter blennie and yellow wrasse helped me as well, by eating the FW's or the pods I don't know but I don't ever see the FW's anymore and it was plague proportions.
Siphoning them out manually made me feel a little better in the time it took for them to be gone as well :)
 
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