Flatworms keep coming back Help

[rknott]

Not sure the forum needs yet another Flatworm thread, but here I go. I have been keeping my 14G biocube for over 3 years with basically 0 problems until now. Given that, we will call me a beginner.

 

About 4 months ago I saw a couple of brown spots in my tank. Especially strange because I hadn't added anything new for several months. I didn't pay much attention thinking it was some sort of algae until I started seeing more and more. I then learned I had flatworms. After researching and reaching I now know I have the "waminoa" variety (twin tail, yellow dot . . . .). Some people say doing nothing and good water parameters and they will go away. I bought the Flatworm exit, but was scared to use it given side effects of the Flatworm die off. I ended up with a billion of the things in my tank.

 

I then went to work siphoning them out time and time again with water changes. This was an exercise in futility.

 

I then resorted to flatworm exit. The entire tank immediately came alive with them and after 20 minutes and a million of them flying around I started with my big water change. That didn't even put a dent in the number dying. So then I went to siphoning them out, filtering them, putting the water back in . . . . did that for probably 2 hours. Also at the 20 minute mark I put the carbon in. At about 4 hours my clown fish was a goner. The flatworms that hadn't died yet covered him and he was very sick and dead my morning. A day later my Orange Spotted Goby died and 1/2 my coral was toast. I was ready to throw away the whole hobby.

 

Still having a big nice frog spawn, hammer, candy cane, and a bunch of polyps that I am attached so I continued ahead. My cleaning crew and Boxer Shrimp also survived.

 

I hit it with another batch of Flatworm exit a week later along with the big water change and carbon again. Many many less fltworms this time around, but still plenty.

 

A week later here I am and while my remaining coral is much happier now that they aren't covered in flatworms, I still see the flatworms returning in bunches in the glass.

 

What now? Keep treating with Flatworm Exit every week? I can hardly imagine I will get rid of every one. My wife is telling me I should clean the whole thing out and start from scratch. Hobby store is saying get a 6 line wrasse. I am having difficulty believing that would get every one of them. Others talk about velvet nudibranch, but they appear to be short lived, expensive, and I am guessing would be Boxer Shrimp food.

 

Thoughts on what I should do?

 

I bought an extra pump thinking additional flow might help since I just have the main circulation pump. I read about that somewhere. I have stopped all feeding to reduce nutrients in the water. Nitrates are 0.

[vegasgundog]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I added a six line wrasse and it wiped out all my flatworms and pods and my little white brittle stars. I never had a huge flatworm problem, but I had lots on the glass before I added Zippy.

[seabass]

You had too many flatworms die, which caused the fish deaths (due to the toxins that were released).

 

Flatworm eXit will kill the flatworms but not the eggs, so repeated treatments are necessary in order to eliminate them. A higher than recommended dose might be needed (especially now that some have survived a few treatments already).

[rknott]

Any help on this would be appreciated. I gave the "bums" another shot Wednesday night. That was Flatworm Exit treatment #3. This time I hit with 12 drops instead of 8 drops that I hit them with the first 2 times. Each time a few less show up dead. I also rearranged the rocks in an effort to insure water was able to get in every crook and cranny. I also added an internal pump to increase water flow. Here I am on Saturday and I can see some back again. I guess I will hit a 4th time. This time with only a 4 day gap between treatments. I am losing hope I will ever be rid of the things. Also planning to buy a 6 line Wrasse at the local hobby store that I hope will help stay on top of them. Appears I will have these forever and goal will be to contain them as opposed to eradicate them.

[otest82]

Fresh water kills them almost instantly. It might help if you could pull out some rock and dip it in fresh water quickly.

You will eventually beat them into submission. Keep at it.

I hate those little bastards!

[metrokat]

6 line wrasse or springers damsel will keep them in check.

[rknott]

I was considering doing some dipping, fresh water or otherwise. I haven't done a freshwater dip for fear my coral would die. I have a frog spawn, hammer, candy cane, and a bunch of polyps. Would all of that be safe?

[metrokat]

I think a Fresh water dip is for nudibranches, not flat worms. The cell membrane of nudis burst almost instantly.

[otest82]

Fresh water will definitely kill flat worms on contact. They burst/melt instantly.

[otest82]

Personaly, I would avoid dipping the corals. I've delt with flatworms in the past. They can be very hard to eradicate. I siphoned out as many as I could during biweekly water changes, dipped rocks in fresh water (the ones I could move and where not attached to corals), and dosed flatworm exit several times before I won the battle.

[rknott]

Thanks for the additional tips!

 

I have done no dipping so not sure what the possible ramifications could be. I am going to steer clear of that for now. I hit the tank with treatment #4 tonight. Since I didn't see many flatworms flying around I did a good sand cleaning for my water change. While I saw a handful on the corals, there were few enough remaining the numbers didn't add up enough to see many in my bucket. I vacuumed the 20 or so I could see. Bucket was mostly junk from the sand cleaning. Corals didn't shut down nearly as much as usual and purple gorgonian didn't even appear to be mad as usual after the treatment. I am done for now.

 

For my next round of fish I might focus on the flatworm eating type. Maybe have both a damsel and six line wrasse, maybe even a mandarin as well. Although, I have limited my small tank to just 2 fish in the past to maintain a healthy environment for my coral.

[Newtybar]

This sounds terrifying. How does one avoid getting flatworms in the first place?

[MikeTR]

[jestep]

This sounds terrifying. How does one avoid getting flatworms in the first place?

 

I doubt anything is 100%. You can dip, but if a single one survives or any egg, you lose.

 

+1 on springers though. All of mine have eaten flatworms but I have read a few stories of them not doing it. Just make sure you don't accidentally get a normal blue damsel which don't eat flatworms and are significantly more aggressive. I've seen them marked as springers in a few LFS's before.

[rknott]

The biggest tip I would have, keep in mind of course I am a beginner, is to keep an eye out for them. When I first saw them I thought it was a type of algae or something. I hadn't ever heard of them before. When I got aptasia the first time I was prepared because I heard so many nightmare stories. I was on it when I saw the first little bit and after a couple of tries (Joe's juice didn't work, but peppermint shrimp did, I was on top of it. By the time I realized how nasty flatworms were I was in a hole I couldn't get out of. Next step was not taking my fish out during the treatment. I should have stuck them in a hospital tank or whatever until after the first or second batch were gone. I didn't see anyone doing that so it didn't occur to me. I am guessing mine was worse than most due to my ignorance.

 

As for the fish. Thanks for the tip on the damsel. I thought they would all work. LHS is pushing the 6 line saying they are less aggressive than the damsel. They also say they are smaller and better for a small tank. I will probably start with a 6 line. However, they are saying even the 6 line can be aggressive and recommended adding other fish first. That leaves me a little stuck. I would like to get to the point I don't see any worms before adding another clown. However, I might not ever get there. I still see a few flatworms here and there.

[farkwar]

If you see them, why arent you sucking them out?

[rknott]

Not sure farkwar read my earlier posts. At first I didn't know what I had. When I realized what I had there were about a billion and I spent several hours sucking and sucking and sucking them out to no avail.

 

To close the loop on this for others that might read this. I ended up purchasing a six line wrasse and that seems to have helped. Prior to buying him I heard they can be aggressive so I bought a new clown fish and about a week later picked up my six line. I saw the number of flatworks increasing slowly during the week after my last flatwork exit treatment and the week after I bought my clown. During my water changes I continued sucking out a few flatworms here and there that I could see, but my feeling there after this experience is that minimal impact. I have also continue pounding the water changes every 5 days.

 

When I introduced the six line he was on a pretty strict diet so in an effort to encourage consumption of the flatworms. I target fed my new clown and threw in a small amount of Mysis every other day. This morning when I woke up I notice the few flatworms that were on my candy cane were mysteriously gone. I assume my six line took care of them.

 

The other coral in my tank are now making a strong come back given they aren't covered with flatworms and I have stopped killing off the mass quantities of flatworms that despite the charcoal I am sure didn't make for a healthy environment.