Flatworms??? UPDATE!!!!!!!!

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revhtree

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The one looks like a hairy pineapple. I have a number of them on the LR.

The other pic is some kind of buildup of some sort. They look like little flakes everywhere, notice them all around the pic. Also notice them in the pineapple pic.

What are these two things?
 
I have no idea what the pineapple thing is but, the flakes look like red flatworms. Do they move around? The bottom pic looks like cyano.
 
No Q I havent... :(

I know what the cyno looks like, but what I am actually talking about are those little red, yellow flakes in both pics. On the rocks, and in that pile.

Flatworms are ok right?

Also I think the pineapple thing is actually a pineapple coral maybe????
 
Dude, revhtree, Im sorry to say, but those yellow and red flakes are flatworms. Not so good at all. Heres what I got off reef frontiers:

Common names: Acoel Flatworm, red planaria

Nuisance organisms because they can quickly grow to plague proportions by reproducing asexually. In large populations they can block necessary light from corals. They contain zooxanthellae and will thrive under bright light and are small in size (3-6 mm in length). Dead flatworms emit a toxin that can be deterimental to a system, therefore siphoning is important.

Sorry :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
After researching, it looks like teen may be right. I however also found the a Wrasse may help. Also siphoning them and high water flow. Read here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatwrmfaq3.htm
And here is a write up from Anthony Calfo
Rust Brown Planarians are just one such example of a nuisance organism that needs to be monitored if not controlled. This flatworm is usually 1/8 to ¼” in size (~3-6mm) with a color ranging from orange through red to brown. It is cited in aquarium literature as Convolutriloba retrogemma and considered to be a pest because it can expand in population to plague proportions in a matter of a few short months. Populations get so dense that they occur in crowded mats that literally block necessary sunlight and circulatory functions from the corals that are forced to serve as perches for them. They are said to ingest zooxanthellae from decaying coral tissue and prosper under bright illumination. They dislike strong water flow and are often noticed in the areas of weakest water movement in an infected display. Increased water movement alone in otherwise properly maintained aquariums can sometimes reduce the population of flatworms.

Aggressive protein skimming also helps to control the population of this annoying pest. It has also been demonstrated that low salinity impedes the growth of flatworm populations but at the expense of other desirable invertebrates in the display if applied as a long bath. I once inadvertently dropped the salinity of a badly infected system from 1.023 to 1.017 with a water exchange using water that I thought was salted… but was not. The sharp drop in salinity promptly killed every discernible flatworm in the display, but shocked every Sinularia into expelling zooxanthellae at the same time! The leather corals took months to recover and I would never recommend imposing such shock deliberately. Indeed, short freshwater baths are effective against many planaria, but quite stressful to other desirable coral and invertebrates even on selectively treated rocks.
Natural predation may help but is somewhat unpredictable. Dragonets (Synchiropus species) and Leopard wrasses (Macropharyngodon species) have been used with varying degrees of success. Both fishes are truly in need of care by advanced aquarists. Leopard wrasses and dragonets will survive very well in systems with refugiums generating copious amounts of zooplankton as well. Chelidonura species of sea slugs have also been cited as excellent natural predators, but acquiring an effective species is difficult for many livestock resellers, as collectors often lump various nudibranchs into an assorted category. The result is that numerous species of sea slugs unsuitable for captivity get imported in an effort to acquire just one that eats this species of flatworm.
Manual siphoning is moderately effective but laborious. The truth of the matter is that such flatworms are common and present in many tanks. They will wax and wane and rarely linger in a large sustainable population. If a system is aggressively scrubbed with a protein skimmer, properly fed and not overstocked, the colony of pest flatworms will most likely crash within a couple of months. Support in the meantime through occasional siphoning, increased water flow and a natural predator (if it is suitable for the system and tank mates) is likely to make this frighteningly unpleasant symptom a truly small concern."
 
Do you endorse this product Steve?

Sounds kinda scary. Will they keep on spreading if nothing is done?

Also it says use a canister with Carbon. How is this done?

Thanks Bud. :wink:
 
The Flatworm Exit is safe for your tank, but the flatworms arent. When they kick off in your tank they will emit a toxin that is poisoness to your livestock. I know 2 people that lost fish do to the flatworms dying. It is very important that you siphon out as many of them before treating your tank, and as soon as you see the flatworm start dying, use the carbon.

I have successfully used FE twice on my tank (got them 2 separate times by swapping frags), but i had to use 5-7x the recomended dose. Use a couple of extra PH in the tank for extreme flow. I didnt use a canister for the carbon because i didnt have one. What i did was place a PH facing 1.5lbs of gac in a 100 micron mesh bag forcing the water through it. I would also suggest using a powerhead to blow between the crevices and cracks of the rocks to get the flatworms hiding in there.
 
Good thing the fish are in qt right now. I do have corals and inverts in there though. I guess I'll be ordering some. Man this stinks! :wink:
 
revhtree said:
Do you endorse this product Steve?
Pretty strong word but I'd have to say it comes highly recommended. I have helped others with it's use but have never needed it with my own systems. No deaths to report either. :wink:

Sounds kinda scary. Will they keep on spreading if nothing is done?
They will basically grow to large proportions and then die back. Waxing and waning so to speak but you'll never really be rid of them without intervention. Their numbers will only be limited by available food supplies.

Also it says use a canister with Carbon. How is this done?
Carefully follow the directions and the tips Stresco posted above. It is extremely important to get as many of them out before the treatment is added. The treatment itself is not a concern, the dieing worms are.

As well as the carbon (placed anywhere there is high water flow) be sure you have plenty of well aged SW handy. Enough to do at least two 50 % water changes if needs be.

It's sounds terrible I know but as long as you remove all visible flatworms first, you shouldn't have a problem as long as the "after use" preparations are ready as well.

Cheers
Steve
 
Ok, to syphon them out all I have is the vaccum like device that makes the syphon. It is a large one. Is this what I should use??

Also it sucks out massive water amounts in a short time.
 
Go to the LFS (FW is best) and get a rigid airline tube and a few feet of flexible tubing. It's the same stuff you use for airstones. Use the rigid as your syphon out of the tank and the flexible tubing attached to it as your drain. It will give you a decent amount of suction without removing large amounts of water. It's much easier to control allowing you to "target" the pests better.

Cheers
Steve
 
Great Steve! I already have that stuff and a big roll of the tubing. :wink:

Hopefully one last question: How do you know if you have dosed enough? How do you know that they are dying? They just sit there right now, and I see no movement.

Thanks! :wink:
 
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