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FAQs about Flatworm Chemical Control Related Articles: Pest
Flatworm Control by Anthony Calfo, Flatworms (incl. Planaria), Worms, Featherduster
Worms,
Related FAQs: Flatworm
Control, Predator Control,
Chemical Control, Flatworms/Planaria
1,
Flatworms 2,
Flatworms
3, & FAQs on: Flatworm Identification,
Flatworm Behavior, Flatworm
Compatibility, Flatworm Selection,
Flatworm Systems, Flatworm
Feeding, Flatworm Disease,
Flatworm Reproduction, &
Fish Worms Diseases, Worm
Identification, Worms,
Fire/Bristleworms
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"There are a number of chemical controls
for these pests, but the "cures" do carry some risk of collateral
damage. I'd check on the many hobbyist message boards to hear what other
hobbyists are using."... Make arrangements, contingencies... should
troubles arise. RMF |
Re: pests/ Bob's email address, pest flatworm control
7/20/07
Hey Bob, hope all is well in Cali. I sure do miss the beach. You're so lucky
to live there!!
<Sara M. here now. I hope I can help...>
I keep trying to get my hubby to get a superintendent job at a golf course by
the beach, but no luck so far!! I have a technical question for you. Every month
we meet here in Phoenix and swap frags. This last frag meet, we had a few tanks
with red bugs, Monti nudis and now Acro eating flat worms. Do you know of any
treatments for the flat worms that will not
kill the acroporid?
<There's what seems to work for at least some people:
1) Remove all the acropora colonies and put them in quarantine (even the ones
that don't yet appear to be affected. The reason you have to remove ALL the
Acropora colonies is because you'll want to starve to death any AEF that might
remain (or hatch) in the tank after you remove the Acroporas (this usually takes
at least five days). After all, there's little point to treating an affected
coral only to return it to an infected tank.
2) In a second quarantine tank, medicate the corals with Levamisole (available
from a local vet or possibly a livestock and feed supply store) for about 6
hours or so.
3) Use a smaller MaxiJet (or other small powerhead) to blow the worms off the
coral.
4) After you've blasted off all the adults, look very carefully for any eggs. If
you find any, scrape them off with one of those plaque scrapers you can buy at a
drug store for your teeth.
5) After all this is done, return the corals to the first quarantine tank.
6) Repeat steps 2 through 5 until you stop seeing any worms or eggs.
Of course, this is going to stress out your corals to no end. But there really
isn't any other way. You might lose some of the colonies to stress. But you're
likely to lose them to AEF if you don't do anything.>
There is a fellow reefer in town that has these and has Acro colonies that he is
thinking about throwing away because he hasn't found a treatment yet.
<Please tell him not to throw them away just yet. Do try the above. I know it's
worked for some people and it's worth a shot.>
I figured I would ask the expert!! Any help you can give our group would be
helpful.
<You might also want to try and contact Marc Leverson. I know he's been
successful fighting AEF in his own tank using the method above. Also, some
people claim to have some success with heavy dosing of Flatworm Exit (in
quarantine) in addition to or instead of the Levamisole. If someone is thinking
of throwing out infected corals, you might as well do some experimenting to see
if something works before tossing them.
Good luck! And do let us know how things work out. :-)
Best,
Sara M.>
Acoel flatworms - so-called "Planaria" 2/24/04
I attached a picture of my Umbrella Leather. I think the
red/rust spot on it are flatworm (Planaria)! What do you think about it?
<you are correct... acoel flatworms>
If it's Planaria, do you recommend the Flatworm Exit product from
Salifert?
<I would never recommend it or anything like it. No such product has
been demonstrated to my satisfaction to kill one nuisance invertebrate
while not harming some others of like kind but desirable.>
I read a lot of thread on RC and almost people didn't have any problem
with this product.
<does the product list its ingredients? If not, I'm not inclined to use
or recommend any products if unknown composition on the live creatures in
my care>
Thank you very much. And thank you for your website, it's very useful.
<do address the real problem (rather than treating the symptom) here my
friend... inadequate water flow most likely. Seek 10-20x minimum and avoid
laminar flow from powerheads (make them converge to produce random
turbulent at least). We have a lot of info on acoel flatworms in the
archives and FAQS here at wetwebmedia.com. And no worries... without
treatment, these flatworms are still harmless and naturally wax and wane.
Anthony> |
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Ridding Acoel flatworms 4/8/04
I was wondering if you might be able to help me rid of my on going flatworm
problem; I've noticed Acoel flatworms in my tank for over 3 months now, and well
they're becoming more of a problem.
<no worries... they wax and wane (in great numbers albeit at times) on their
own naturally. Still... improved water flow and more aggressive skimming help
this along. Their control is documented in our archives if you care to
browse/read more>
I believe they are laying eggs of some sort in mass numbers all over my glass,
and I'm ready to take action against these annoying creatures.
<no egg laying by Acoels my friend... simple fission>
I'm sending along a picture of what the eggs look like that I drew on MS paint,
hopefully you'll get the point.. lol.
<excellent drawing... and the eggs sound like clearly something else...
perhaps Cnidarian larvae of some kind. Do you also have an Aiptasia anemone
bloom in the tank? That would explain the buds/"eggs" on the glass and
be consistent with a suspected nutrient or water flow problem in the tank that
has allowed/supported the flatworms>
I plan on using Salifert Flatworm Exit soon.
<yikes! Please do resist using any such chemical in the reef aquarium. You
must know that such products are not discriminating between desirable and
undesirable micro-organisms. And beyond perhaps crippling your bio-diversity,
you are in fact treating a symptom and not the problem: not enough or not the
right kind of water flow... 20X turnover would be nice>
For a little description of the egg; They have a bunch of little arms that move
with the water kind of like an anemone.
<may well be... kind regards, Anthony>
Flatworm solution
I was interested to see if you or any of your readers have used a new
product for flatworms called PraziPro. It is distributed by Hikari. I have
not
applied it yet, as I would like to hear from anyone that may have used it in a
reef system. << I have not used it, but I'm not a fan of medications anyway. >>
I have a 180 gal. reef with soft corals, leathers, etc. that I
have had for a while (2 yrs.) and would hate to see any harm done to them. <<
If you have a flatworm problem, I would suggest other remedies such as wrasse
and water motion. I wouldn't chance any product that is aimed to kill
flatworms. >>
Thank you,
<< Adam B. >>
Re: Flatworm solution
Adam,
Thank you for your quick reply. I will try the wrasse first, I too am not a
fan of putting chemicals in the tank. Mother nature just doesn't seem to
appreciate them, there always seems to be a reaction somewhere in the tank that
isn't a positive one. << Well said, good luck. >>
Regards,
Brob
<< Adam B. >>
Flatworms Exit stage left
Hi all!
Just finished a round with flatworms and
Exit which seemed to work pretty
good. My tank was severely infested with them, to the point that the sand on
the bottom was turning red ( had the red flatworms, worst of all). I tried
everything else but wasn't making a dent in the population so I had to go the
chemical route. Just have a couple questions.
I followed the directions on the exit to a T. I even purchased a Marineland
Magnum 350 and used it as a vacuum to clean the critters out after they started
dying and did a 25% water change. All reef inhabitants seem to be doing fine
except the anemone (seems hung over). I still see some worms crawling around so
I was wondering if I should do a second treatment before the live ones start
reproducing again? << This is iffy, and I would say don't treat the tank until
you have reason to. So, I say wait. >> And, if I do, how long should I wait
before doing another treatment?
Second, I noticed another critter crawling on the glass during the first
treatment. The best I can describe it is that it was white/clear, about the
same length as the flatworms and had many feet and antennae on both ends, almost
resembling a centipede. Is this some sort of plankton? I couldn't readily find
anything in the forums. << Hard to say, but I'll bet it is beneficial. >>
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
James
<< Blundell >>
- Dealing with Flatworms -
I have an aquarium store in Arizona. I specialize mainly in reef aquariums. I have a 300 gallon coral display tank with many
LPS and softy corals for sale. I also have a 110 gallon clam display aquarium. I am noticing everyday more and more nuisance flatworm. I heard that Melafix will get rid of them, is this true.
<I've never heard of this and would suggest, that if you're considering a chemical solution, to
pursue the Salifert Flatworm Exit product. Have had many folks say this product does work very well and causes no problems for reef inhabitants. Make sure your skimmer is clean an you have a water change ready to go... when the flatworms exit, they really exit.>
I want to get rid of them before they multiply to much and cover and kill my corals. Please respond back as soon as you can, Thank You,
Matt
All Aquatics
allaquatics.net
<Cheers, J -- >
Flat worm eradication - 4/9/03
Thank you very much for the quick response. <Thank you> I have had a
look at the links in your note, great information though it does seem to be a
little contradictory at times. <likely to cover all aspects>
One question, I posted the same plea for help at reefs.org and received a
response from Delbeek indicating that as a last resort I might try a drug called
Levamisole. Have you ever heard of anyone using this drug successfully? <I
personally have never heard of this drug. I want to make a statement right here
and now, that I do not believe that these animals are at all harmful. Overall, I
too, have gone through various incursions of these little worms. I still have a
few here and there, but for the most part, there are very few. I used no drugs
and did nothing but what I am expected to do as a Conscientious Marine Aquarist.
I did water changes, had proper circulation, (based on what is located on this
site) and blew them off and siphoned them up. Over time they minimized with no
impact to any of my animals (corals et al) Again, I have seen little evidence of
these animals decimating tanks and killing off inhabitants. I believe there is
no need to panic. No need for medication, no need to add a new animals that may
or may not eat them only to suffer other issues in the tank, just give it time
with proper water chemistry and I think you will be happy with the results.>
At this point I am going to siphon off as many as I can, do more frequent water
changes (weekly 10 to 15%) and see what happens over the next couple of months
...... and keep my fingers crossed. <Beautiful solution and cheers to you for
having this attitude. So many people affect their tank adversely by adding
chemicals or other animals to their tank that could be potentially more trouble
than the Planaria. The old adage the "cure is deadlier than the
disease" comes to mind. I like your solution. Good on ya'. Paulo>
Cheers
Ken
Levamisole for Acoel flatworms
I recently found an article on the web, that Levamisole will help eliminate
Acoel flatworms. The article actually used the name Concurat L. Do
you know of anyone that has used Levamisole to eradicate these
pests? Thanks, Eric
<I do not recall anyone specifically... but it is not too surprising.
Levamisole is a popular de-worming remedy for animals at large. Use only with
caution... test on specimens in a bare QT first. Anthony>
- Malachite Green for Flatworms -
What is the correct way to prepare Malachite Green powder for dosing into a
reef system to eliminate flatworms? <Zero, nada, nothing... I would not
recommend this treatment AT ALL! Malachite green will kill the invertebrate life
and miscellaneous fauna in your reef tank even at low doses, and certainly at a
dose high enough to kill a flatworm. The proscribed path of action would require
the removal of the inverts, live rock, etc and so you would also remove the
flatworms and get them back again as soon as you put this stuff back in the main
display.>
What concentration should be used, how often, etc. <Again... don't do it, you
will regret it. Please spend some time reading though this FAQ, it will provide
some background:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestflatwrmanthony.htm
Cheers, J -- >
Help with Acro Eating Flatworms 8/19/06
I just discovered the eggs and subsequently the actual flatworms on what we
call here a New England Aquarium Acro (It's very similar to the famous
purple tip Larry Jackson coral that many know about, yet with thinner and more
numerous branches). I decided to check the coral because it
was bleaching near the base and had fairly poor and splotchy coloration in
general.
My question is: How do I treat these buggers and has anyone found a way to kill
the eggs?
<What little I know re is summarized, posted here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestflatwrmanthony.htm
and the linked files above>
I have heard that the Levamisole treatment that is being used usually kills the
coral before breaking the AEFW life cycle.
I have also heard on RC that Betadine dosed into a dip treatment tank at
3ml/liter of SW is having success in Europe.
<I have heard this as well>
I can afford to replace these colonies, but there is a desire to preserve the
life I have nurtured all this time and to learn as much as possible so that I
can
share this info with others. I currently plan to remove all Acro colonies to a
QT tank and attempt the Betadine dip weekly until I do not see any worms on
corals or eggs on their bases.
I am hoping that one of you may have had experience with these and may be able
to help me find a safe and effective QT and treatment method to prevent the
reinfestation of my tanks.
Thank in advance,
Mauro DiBenedetto
<Do please follow up with your observations. Bob Fenner>
Re: Help with Acro Eating Flatworms 8/20/06
> I have heard that the Levamisole treatment that is
> being used usually kills the coral before breaking the AEFW life cycle.
> I have also heard on RC that Betadine dosed into a dip treatment tank at
3ml/liter of SW is having success in Europe.
> <I have heard this as well>
> I can afford to replace these colonies, but there is a desire to preserve
the life I have nurtured all this time and to learn as much as possible so that
I can
> share this info with others. I currently plan to remove all Acro colonies to
a QT tank and attempt the Betadine dip weekly until I do not
> see any worms on corals or eggs on their bases. I am hoping that one of you
may have had experience with these and may be able to help me find a safe and
effective QT and treatment method to prevent the reinfestation of my tanks.
> Thank in advance,
> Mauro DiBenedetto
> <Do please follow up with your observations. Bob Fenner>
Bob,
Minor update: I tried the Betadine dip at 3ml/Liter on that NE Aq Acro. Almost
immediately the worms dropped off the coral. At 23 minutes they appeared very
dead.
At 25, a puff of a turkey baster rendered the worms into fleshy dust.
<Good... time to move them...>
The game plan is to pull all Acros and put them in a 20long with a bare bottom
and no rock.
<Ahh, very good>
I plan to dip all of these corals in the Betadine solution and quarantine them
for the next month, treating them weekly to make sure I get all of these
worms. I plan to empty the 20long and clean it thoroughly before reintroducing
the treated corals. If I see any worms during treatment, the protocol will be
extended by another month.
In the interim the 180 display, which thankfully has not had any Acros encrust
within it will lay fallow of Acros for the next 45-60 days to ensure any worms I
introduced will be dead. (I can be sure there are no hidden Acros because I
just set up this tank and had only moved over a 2 Acroporids before finding the
flatworms in my tank.
<I see>
All my best and do drop a line to the Boston Reefers if you are ever in town.
M.
<Thank you for this follow-up, detailing your intended plan. Bob Fenner>
Re: Help with Acro Eating Flatworms. 11/5/06
Bob,
Here is an update on my Betadine treatment
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33256
Here is the RC thread on the
topic:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=899108&goto=newpost
Feel free to copy the text of my post to WWM.
<Will do. Thank you Mauro. Bob Fenner>
Flatworm busters...
I thought you might get a kick out of this. A recommendation to use Dylox to
kill flatworms. I am sure that it will kill flatworms and just about everything
else in the tank.
Thank You,
Steven Pro
<Yes... I have an old pond article posted on WWM re (mis-spelled here): DTHP,
Dylox, Dipterex, Neguvon, Trichlorofon... and other names... an economic poison of
organo-phosphate composition... useful for killing arthropods (insect pests,
crustaceans like Argulus, Lernaea on pond fishes...) Do agree with your
assessment here. Bob Fenner, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pndparasitcont.htm
>
AMDA Members,
Marc Weiss and I have a common friend who is director of a zoological institute
near Cape Town, South Africa named Alan Jardine. Alan is an accomplished fish
breeder and a marine hobbyist for over 28-years. Alan has agreed to join in the
search for a control of the pesky flatworm problem. Hopefully Matt and company
already have it under control, but just in case they don't, I will continue to
try to get people involved in finding a solution. I believe we will find the
answer and the hobby will be better off as a result. Please read Alan's letter.
Mitch Gibbs
Hi Mitch
Dr Schleyer has checked around and apparently a product called Trichlorofon which
goes under the trade name Dylox and which was manufactured by Argent (?) is
effective against flatworms at a dose of .25mg / litre. His concern is that this
product may affect the zooxanthellae in the coral, as they have never tried it
on these invertebrates. Possibly one could run a few tests with sacrificial
pieces of coral and see if they begin to bleach. His team is also not sure how
Trichlorofon will affect bacteria in the substrate. Once again, a proprietary
bacteria culture could kick start the system.
Although he can't come up with actual species, he suggests that juvenile
butterfly fish may predate on the flatworms and if young enough, will not bother
the corals.
I'll keep checking around. Best wishes,
Alan
Little Flatworms- Big Headaches!
Hi Guys,
<Scott F. your guy tonight>
I've had those pesky red flatworms in my reef tank for about a year now. I've
tried to leave them alone and hope they crash. I've tried to siphon
them out daily. I even took my whole tank apart and rinsed everything
thoroughly in a very low salinity dip. They still came back.
<These are tenacious, annoying little guys, I sympathize!>
I've been reading about the Flatworm Exit product by Salifert on
Reefcentral's website. The forums suggest the product itself is safe for fish
and corals but the toxin from the dead flatworms is definitely a concern.
<I am not familiar with this product...I usually am skeptical about chemical
formulations that are supposed to be effective against one creature, but
harmless to other reef animals...I like Salifert products, but I don't know
about this one...>
I was thinking that if I siphoned everyone I could see for
a week or longer, the population might be low enough to use safely use this
product.
<Or to safely use some natural control, like a predatory wrasse, etc>
I would also use Poly Filter and carbon to remove the toxins.
<Well, if you're gonna use a chemical, I agree that PolyFilter is good to use
to remove excess concentrations of the product>
While I have never been one to reach for a chemical like this
to solve a problem, I feel it may be my only options to finally rid my tank of
these resilient creatures. Any thoughts on the product or procedure?
<I understand and appreciate your concerns. It's a really tough call. Do you
know what the active ingredient(s) in this stuff are? Perhaps, knowing what
you're going to potentially dump into your tank can help you decide if it's
worth the possible complications...maybe worth an email to the folks at Salifert?>
This problem seems to be affecting SO many people. Has this
problem become more severe the last few years or is it just that
communication is so much better?
<Probably a little of each...And do take heart- there is some promising
research going on regarding flatworm control using simple, truly "reef
safe" ingredients...maybe it will pay off down the line...stay tuned.>
Many thanks for years of help, Craig
<Hang in there, Craig...chat with some fellow hobbyists who have used this
stuff, exhaust all other methods before you use it, then proceed with caution.
Good luck! Regards, Scott F>
Melting Xeniids & Flatworms Galore
Hi there WWM Crew.
<Hey, Mike G with you tonight>
Have been enjoying your site and links but have run into
a couple of problems. To begin, let me give you the stats on the tank:
<I personally thank you for giving me the stats on your tank. Out of many, many emails I have answered today, you are the first to provide such information. :-) >
SG 1.025
<Fine>
pH 8.0 in the morning (before lights come on) and 8.2 5 hours after lights on..
<You might want to find a way to remedy this. That is a large pH swing, and would cause undue stress to your pets.>
NO2 (0)
<Perfect>
NO3 (20)
<Okay, but it could be a bit lower>
NH3 (0)
<Perfect>
Tank is set up with l MH l4000K and
2 65W 03 actinic along with a Bak Pak 2R protein skimmer that's skimming l/2 C
of green stuff a day.
Tank temp. fluctuates between 77.5 to 80F degrees lately. Water change weekly
15 gals. Sometimes time doesn't permit, and water gets changed every 2 weeks.
<Sounds fine. I am left wondering how large your tank is, though.>
Problem l: For some reason, my pulsing xenias are dying (melting) and I
can't figure out why. Have had these Xenias now for almost 2 years pulsing and
dividing away and now... What's going on here?
<This is a common problem with Xeniid corals, they seem to "melt" when in unfavorable conditions or after drastic changes in water parameters. Take a gander at the following link, namely the topic "Xenia Health" about 3/4 down the page.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidfaqs3.htm >
Problem 2: My frog spawn frag (originally only 2 heads - now 6 heads) has
been invaded with oval shaped pumpkin colored flatworms - have no idea where
they came from as I do quarantine any and all going into the main tank. I've read that they come and go But, now they've migrated to my pagoda coral and I
really don't want it to take over the whole tank (60 gal)!
<Ah, there we go, 60 gallons. Flatworms have a habit of overrunning marine aquaria.>
On my next water change or sooner, can I do a fresh water dip or Lugol's iodine dip on these two
corals without harming them and hopefully getting rid of the flatworms?
<That is exactly what I would have recommended you do.>
Thank you for your help/advice.
<Best of luck, Mike G>
Downsizing 9/21/05
Hello,
<Hi there! Scott F. here today!>
I first want to thank you for the information you put out in publication and on
the web. So many people love to get into the hobby, but they don't do their
home work and end up with more issues than they could ever have dreamed of.
<Amen!>
Many of us are conscientious, because of the fact that we bought the tanks,
fish, coral, etc. and now are trying to be responsible people and provide a
healthy environment, but many stores don't have educated people to guide us.
<Glad to hear of your philosophy! However, many fish stores do have dedicated
personnel who are knowledgeable and compassionate about the animals that they
sell'>
Now to my issue. I have had larger salt water tanks for about 5 years now. I
have a 180 gal now that, unfortunately I have introduced flat worms and
Aiptasia. I
have tried Berghia which had no effect at all and Peppermint Shrimp that seem
to be making a dent, not completely sure yet. I have just decided
to downsize (too much to take care of right now) to a 75 gal. I have decided
to put in new sand and rock (running a Berlin system). I was wondering if 1) I
should transfer any of the water from the old tank
<Well, it would be nice, but with the flatworm issue, it would be too easy to
accidentally siphon some in with the water and start the problem anew in the 75.
I'd make new water, myself.>
2) What is the best way (if there is any) to eliminate the flat worms
from hairy anemones, button anemones and star polyps as I would like to keep
them.
<There are a number of chemical controls for these pests, but the "cures" do
carry some risk of collateral damage. I'd check on the many hobbyist message
boards to hear what other hobbyists are using.>
Also, is there a quick way to get the anemones to release from the old rock?
<Unfortunately, there is no easy reliable way to get these animals off without
injuring them. Best to chip away bits of rock around them and to glue the small
rock onto larger rock in the new system.>
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Best regards,
Melanie Roberts
Castle Rock, Colorado
<Hope this helps! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>
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