Planaria Flat Worms

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Keith A.

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 7, 2009
Messages
156
Location
Omaha, NE.
Has anyone had any luck with using a melanarus wrasse to get rid of flat worms? Does anyone know of anything else (non-chemical) that works? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Keith
 
Flat Worm Exit. But if I were you try getting a 6 line Wrasse some will eat them up and some will not but it will be worth a try. Also if you have White Flatworm they are good to have also the will eat up all your Brown Flatworms and Planaria. HTH
 
Siphon hose with a fine mesh bag (or pantyhose) attached to the end. Siphon the little buggers out, catch them in the bag, return water to tank. Obviously that method won't work if they're covering a soft tissued coral that could be damaged from the suction, but if they're on the rocks/glass... siphon tube is the way to go.

It'll take a while and several sessions, but you'll eventually get the population down enough that they won't be able to support themselves.
 
How safe are the nudibranch's? I thought that they didn't last long and they release a toxin that can do a lot of damage to the tank when they die. Is that correct?
 
I had a small infestation about a month ago. I siphoned out as much as i could. The worms really liked my Mushrooms and Toadstools and so when ever the Toadstool retracted his tentacles I would siphon him good.

I was also lucky because I found my Peppermint Shrimp had taken a liking to them as well. I still see a few around and siphon whenever I see several at a time.

Predation on Flatworms is hit and miss.
 
I have them now and I have found that regular siphoning is about the best mitigation there is. I did add a spotted mandarin and was planning to add a 6 line, but between the mandarin and siphoning, I can deal with them. There is a flavor of flat worm that will eat SPS but luckily not what I have. Though, they can quickly cover zoos and other softies which typically cause them to close and, in extreme cases, starve due to lack of light. Again, I find if I just siphon them off the coral, the coral recovers just fine. I have read alot about the Flat Worm Exit, the common complaint being that people use it and they lose a bunch of other stuff in the tank. The reason, I have gathered, is that when you have a true infestation of FW's the sheer number that die and release toxins into the tank while treating cause death. So, if you really want to eliminate them, I would consider siphoning as best you can then treating, being prepared to do a large water change and using some carbon for the following week. As for me, given that the new mandarin seems content with picking at them, I will keep them around and just siphon. It encourages other, generally good husbandry anyway. GL!
 
I got a blue devil damsel to take care of the problem, it is the only fish in the tank and will remain that way. In my larger tank I put a 6line wrasse in there he is getting the job done but not as well as the blue devil aka little butt head.

I decided to do the natural route rather than chemical since I have done enough research to know the flatworm exit will effect more than just the flatworms like snails and stars.
 
Well, so far I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the melanarus wrasse. I really haven't much (if any) of the flat worms. Either the worms are reproducing too fast for one fish to keep up or he just doesn't have the taste for them. I know it's a gamble with any fish though. I've been having the best luck with siphoning them out every week.
 
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