I'd Really Love To Know What This Is

Thanks, Geek! So would you say they have the same sensitivities, likes/dislikes as red planaria?

Would you agree with an immediate plan of upping the water flow and removing as many individuals as possible?

 

You can try to remove them, but there is no way to get all of them without adding something to kill them. Waterflow doesnt really effect them. I had some actual red acoel's, probally still do, added some yellowtail damsels and I never see them anymore. The yellowtails either wiped them out, or keeping the numbers super low.

 

the only way to rid of these and other pests is to start over and nuke everything, sorry. other than what was said by geek there is also this:
Short Take - Gregory Schiemer

 

I have used flatworm exit many times and I don't siphon every last one out, thats impossible. You should suck (I use turkey baster) out as many as you can before using it, than as you see them die suck those out too. Be ready with a large water change and (activly) run fresh carbon. I have used it in a tank with 2 bubble tip anemones and it did not adversly effect them or any of my corals. I tried to not use this chemical in my tank, I didn't want to risk it but it just kept getting worse. I have got it under control now. It has not been proven that a wrasse will eat them and I have kept 2- 6 lines in my tank, they didn't touch them. You'll see what I am talking about, when you get a nasty infestation. I sucked them out every night for a couple weeks and they seemed to reproduce faster. And FYI, I dip all my new corals in a mixture of tank water and FW exit just before adding them to my tank to insure I don't import any into my system. Good luck : )

 

The problem most encounter using flatworm exit is they see the things for months and then try to control them with some predators and just wait and wait and wait until the system is full of the pest. If they at the very first sight of the worn hit them with the F/worm exit then there would be no need to siphon off or worry about the toxins that carbon and a good power filter will remove also. I have used the F/W exit many times on many systems with no problems and worry and never did I siphon . Just put some new carbon in the system then changed it 24 hrs later. So you can either wait to see if something will eat them or just hit them now and be done with the F/W exit while numbers are still low as they ain't going anywhere and only increasing in numbers by the day or hr even . Better Living Through Chemistry is my motto Huuuum maybe Dupont said that first ?

 

Some of you might have read about the issue I had where all my corals closed up for a couple of days. I solved that issue by changing about 50% of my water over a few days. Not only do the corals look better than ever now, but the flatworms have abated a great deal.

Maybe the time for Flatworm Exit is now?

I'll probably wait a few weeks and see what the FW population does.

 

my thought is not in how to get rid of them, but what are you doing to allow them to grow in the first place>> I was tired of finding those huge 3-4 inch bristle worms in my tank, and was always trying to get rid of them, then I realized it was ME that was causing them to thrive, through overfeeding. maybe thats what allowed such an outbreak in your tank!
the first rule in an infestation is to admit that YOU are the one in control, and YOU are allowing all the creatures in your tank to live, regardless of the fish, coral, or unwanted worms. its that simple.
if they are tiny enough, I'd get a mandarin, or a scooter dragonet, they have tons of personallity, and are a peaceful addition to a reef. they'll suck down thousands of them, and then do fine on the copepods in your tank.. I've got both, mandarin and Scooter ( sometimes called a blenny) dragonets in my 42 gallon, and both seem to get along, though many people say that they will fight and kill each other... mine hang out, and even sit next to each other having competitions on which one can eat more copes!

 

I never experienced an outbreak. I sought help on the site before things got out of control. I now have only a few individuals present on the glass. Before, there were hundreds, but when you're talking about organisms which would take a hundred or so to cover a dime, in retrospect it could have been much worse.

 

Well, I waited awhile, but I finally broke down and bought Flatworm eXit by Salifert. It works wonders. I actually tried PraziPro, as it's all my LFS had, and it was like candy to them. I swear I could actually see them nodding their heads and laughing.

The same night, I found an LFS with one box of Flatworm eXit left. As many have posted in other threads (especially amcarrig, thanks!!) the directions should be followed to a tee. After emptying the cup on my skimmer and leaving it on, I pulled the plug on my phos reactor which contains about 75% carbon. I used the recommended amount of Flatworm eXit, and they started coming out of LR in numbers I'd never have imagined! The toxin that the directions talk about (that the worms exude when dying) must be mucous-like, because the worms started to accumulate around strings of this snot-like substance. After all was over, I turned on my reactor back on and observed the tank for a couple of hours. My mushrooms closed up to a great extent, but my zoas, green star polyps and yellow polyps remained open for the most part, although they've certainly looked better. The next morning I added a half the dosage more, the directions say you can do this; but the few individuals I saw on the glass were already dead, they just didn't look like it.

I waited about 8 hours and did a 25% water change. I also had to empty my skimmer, which was about half-full of an orange liquid I've never seen before.

All seems about back to normal now, although my mushrooms aren't yet 100% open, but I'll keep you all posted.

In all, I'd give Flatworm eXit rave reviews. It's a product that seems to do exactly what the label says it will. I got a 10ml bottle for $19.99. The bottle has more than half of the product left.

In the future, all my newly purchased corals will get a dip in freshly mixed SW infused with Flatworm eXit before introduction into the display tank. I'm positive my infestation started with hitchiking flatworms.

 

FWE works wonders. I had an outbreak when I first started the tank and nary a flatworm since.

I did dose twice though, just to make sure.

Glad to hear it worked out for you Sparky.