(Expletive) Flatworms!!!

Ok so I've managed to get flatworms in my 20L. I dip everything I put in my tanks, but they still managed to get in somehow. I've tried to get as many out as I can but they are pretty dang small. I'm on my fourth dose of flatworm exit and they just won't die! I've done a double dose twice....and now a triple dose twice. My poor snails hate me right about now, as this stuff puts a hurting on them. I'm at a loss for what to do next. I'm almost to the point of setting up a spare 10g for my pair of B&W Oc's and just nuking my rock. I really DO NOT want to do that, but I hate these flatworms and the ones I have seem to be related to cockroaches-->[See one there's about a hundred more/would survive a nuclear attack]

 

You would be better off with a wrasse that eats flatworms, IMO. Not all of them are bad, and a population explosion is usually related to overfeeding. Have they done anything destructive in your tank?

 

No, they haven't seemed to do any harm really. I only have a tiny single head of frogspawn, GSP, a small frag of zoas, and a couple trumpet frags. I haven't seen them on my corals but like I said they are pretty small and would be hard to notice. They blend in with the rock, but I know they must be there. I mostly see them on the glass and sometimes on the sand. As far as over feeding I only feed a small pinch of flake food and the clowns go to town on it, plus I have 5 hermits and 8 nassarius(sp?) snails to eat the rest.

As far as a wrasse, I'm not sure what I could put in a 20L that would attack them....

 

I would try an arrow crab. There are also some wrasses, ie: yellow coris, 8 lines(if im not mistaken) that will also go after them. I'm really surprised that at double does they have not all died off. How long are you waiting before you do the water change and drop carbon back in? Are you running ANY type of chemical filtration while you do the dose?

 

I waited about an hour before running carbon the first time, and did a 20% water change the next day. The second dose (4 days after the 1st) I waited about two hours before running carbon and did a 10% water change two days later. Third dose (3 days after the 2nd water change)I forgot to remove the carbon and never did a water change. Fourth dose today. Not running carbon and won't run it till morning (~18 hours no carbon). Carbon is the only type of filtration I run, other than that I rely on live rock and water changes.

As for the crab, I've not heard good things about those guys and probably wouldn't want to put one in the tank.

 

whats the flow and nutrient content like in the tank?

usually one treatment kicks them unless they can hide in the sandbed... in this case, it can take up to three or four treatments spaced 2-3 days apart.

I am hesitant to suggest levamisole HCL as it is very harsh and can hurt certain acros but it is almost always a one time treatment for the flatworms. You can try tractor supply for this under cattle dewormers or go to a veterinarian. If you go this route RESEARCH A LOT first...

 

Yeh, the arrows can go after your dusters and smaller crabs/shrimps. But the smaller specimens tend to be a whole lot less aggressive

 

I haven’t added anything to my tank in years – a couple months back I noticed red flat worms … these things are like Crypto – its always in your tank, believe what you will but I am telling you its always there lurking and waiting. I successfully used flat worm exit.

First, I use a hose and s siphon – through cheese cloth (cooking cloth) and return water to system, this way I can suck out all I can see. Then I kill my skimmer, Ozone, carbon reactor and pump to refugium. I add double the dosage required and wait 5 minutes – then I kill the pump to my sump. Then I wait 10-15 and double dosage again (I run my in tank pumps to circulate) once I see plenty of death and carnage I turn on the sump filter and run my carbon (fresh of course) and do an immediate water change to reduce the toxins released by the little critters. After several hours I turn on everything else.

There are no negative impacts from flat worms except being unsightly and releasing toxins when you eradicate them from your tank. Sorry to hear of your troubles – sounds to me as if your flat worm exit was perhaps old and not as active as it should have been. I suggest buying a new batch and going at it once again. Good luck