FWE and SPS

[duke62]

So I got some chaeto a few months ago and wouldn’t you know it after 13 years in the hobby and being extra careful I got the planaria. Should have fresh water dipped it but I didn’t. I’ve been basting every other day now and it’s becoming a real PITA. Never used this product. I would like people experiences good and bad on using FWE in a SPS tank. Bought it last month and just nervous on using it.

 

[lolgranny]

Planaria aren’t bad as long as they are kept under control, but they can get out of control quickly if the environment is right. I’d suggest getting some wrasses as some will keep them at bay.

If you do use fwe after they die siphon out as many as you can because they release some sort of toxin afterwards. Do a water change and carbon.

 

[dansreef]

+1 Planaria aren't going to do too much damage to your corals as long as they don't get too out of control. Depending on the size of your tank and your other inhabitants, I would do as suggested above, go get some wrasses that will eat them and keep them in check. Yellow Coris are great.

I have some Springeri Damsels that have been great in my system. I bought a trio for my 180 system as they are supposed to be great flatworm eaters. They have been model citizens and the flatworms have disappeared. They dodge and hide from the larger fish. Great fish to consider. You can get them from live aquaria. If you get them from a LFS... make sure they are springeris. Blue damsels and yellow tail blue damsels can be very aggressive and don't eat flatworms.

I like to find natural solutions over using chemicals like FWE when I can.

Good Luck!

 

[jda]

The product is quite safe. The toxin that the worms release when they die is very bad. If you want to nuke a few, then your tank will hardly notice, but you need to run a lot of GAC and have some water on hand for a water change. Don't wait until you have a bunch because it can kill/stress your fish and coral. I had them once, waited too long and spent two weeks siphoning what felt like trillions of them. When I treated all of my acros bleached and it took months for the reds to come back, but the blues came back in a week. I did two more treatments to get the remaining stragglers and nothing even missed a beat.

FWIW - you can buy Levamisole as a livestock dewormer called Prohibit. I got mine on eBay. I am going off of memory, but IIRC, 1/2 teaspoon in 500ml water bottle and then 1ml per gallon of tank water - this should be easy to look up. You can treat thousands of gallons of water with this stuff whereas Flatworm Exit gets really expensive on large tanks.

 

[duke62]

I have a 180. I’ve been syphoning them now for about a month. Every other day. Seems like they have parties after that and produce double the amount. I have had yellow coris, cleaner wrasse and 2 springer. Not one of those fish look at them. I just got a 6 line and a leopard. If neither of these fish eat them I may try a blue velvet nudi and if they don’t do the job or they die before they can do their work then go to FWE.

 

[jda]

All of my wrasses would eat them and they still could not keep up... they can hide and while they are in the shadows react a critical mass where they can reproduce faster than fish can eat them. Good luck.

If you do treat, treat every week for 3 weeks if the tank does not suffer from the first treatment. If it does suffer, then treat again when stuff comes back around. The first dose does not seem to get them all and there are always a few hiding out above the water line or in some bunker underground.

 

[maroun.c]

There was an article on few a while back. Indeed toxins from dying FW can be bad but from that article and from previous experience I believe huge water changes and running carbon immediately after and changing a couple times days after is important as I believe the med can be bad for corals as well. Article compared it to an acid bath to corals if not properly handled.

 

[duke62]

Ok. I will try predators for the next 2 months. All from chaeto