INFESTED! What steps would you take.

[JasonK84]

I’ve got a 30 gallon reef tank that has been up and running for almost 1 year. I take all of the proper steps to keep fish disease out but other pests I haven’t been concerned of. This all started with the intent of only keeping fish but then I traded a yellow tang to a local reefer for a bunch of corals and now here I am. I don’t think these came from the local reefer but since then I’ve picked up other corals and only QT’d for fish disease. I now have millions of red flatworms and want to get their numbers down. Don’t really care about getting all of them gone but just getting rid of the eye sore they create in mass numbers. I also don’t want to risk killing anything with a treatment.
would a six line wrasse be your go to or blue velvet nudibranch? Maybe a different approach! I’ve known they have been there for quite a while but they have gotten WAY out of control. Don’t seam to be bothering anything though.

Ok, ok! I know you all are here for the pics so here they are in all of their ugly, infested, flatworm glory:

 

[ScubaFish802]

Check this -Link- Out!

 

[Albertan22]

I can’t really see them in the picture. Flatworm exit works great if they are the right kind but I know you said you didn’t want to do a treatment. It only works on a certain kind of flatworms, not the acro eating types. Barring treatment, a wrasse is probably your best bet.

 

[Bfragale]

I have no proof: but was told that draggonettes may also way flat worms. May be worth more research though.

 

[JasonK84]

I can’t really see them in the picture. Flatworm exit works great if they are the right kind but I know you said you didn’t want to do a treatment. It only works on a certain kind of flatworms, not the acro eating types. Barring treatment, a wrasse is probably your best bet.

What do you mean you can’t see them in the picture! Except for the green of the GSP everything in the second pic is a solid MAT of flatworms.

 

[JasonK84]

I have no proof: but was told that draggonettes may also way flat worms. May be worth more research though.

I have heard that also. My hesitation with them is that they are unlikely to get through my fish QT protocol without starving.
Maybe I could see taking a risk if they were shipped direct from ORA or BIOTA but no chance from anywhere else.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I have heard that also. My hesitation with them is that they are unlikely to get through my fish QT protocol without starving.
Maybe I could see taking a risk if they were shipped direct from ORA or BIOTA but no chance from anywhere else.

Check out the link I posted above for you
Author went through testing all the natural ways as well as chemical alternatives. I would suggest you don’t go the fish route based off that thread. It’s a very well put together answer on how to fix your exact problem, as well as a warning about the worms releasing toxins when killed

 

[Bfragale]

I have heard that also. My hesitation with them is that they are unlikely to get through my fish QT protocol without starving.
Maybe I could see taking a risk if they were shipped direct from ORA or BIOTA but no chance from anywhere else.

Yeah I can understand that. With out pods For extended amount of time they would starve. I took a chance and just fresh water dipped. Put Them in qt (just to observe) for 3 days. All looked good so I added my pair to the main display. Got lucky. No issues. Now they are fat and happy, been in there for about 9 months. But I didn’t get them for flat worms, just because I like them lol.

 

[JasonK84]

Check out the link I posted above for you
Author went through testing all the natural ways as well as chemical alternatives. I would suggest you don’t go the fish route based off that thread. It’s a very well put together answer on how to fix your exact problem, as well as a warning about the worms releasing toxins when killed

Just finished reading it. Thanks for the link.

 

[JasonK84]

Maybe I’ll move my clown pair to my coral QT tank since everything in it is fish disease free and go through with the flatworm exit? I’m getting tons of water made up at the moment for a huge water change/removal session. Wife is also in the hobby shack replanting her hydroponic systems.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Good lord that’s a lot of worms... I’d look into a combo of a couple wrasses (make sure they eat flatworms!) and flatworm exit to get rid of them. Very tough lesson in learning to dip new corals...

 

[bluprntguy]

I have heard that also. My hesitation with them is that they are unlikely to get through my fish QT protocol without starving.
Maybe I could see taking a risk if they were shipped direct from ORA or BIOTA but no chance from anywhere else.

I quarantined my mandarin and did TTM without any problems. As long as you are prepared with baby brine shrimp and ready to feed a few times a day, it’s not difficult to get mandarins through quarantine.

 

[JasonK84]

Good lord that’s a lot of worms... I’d look into a combo of a couple wrasses (make sure they eat flatworms!) and flatworm exit to get rid of them. Very tough lesson in learning to dip new corals...

Yup! Now that I’ve got my fish room set up with a work area and multiple tanks I need to step up my game on coral treatment. My next upgrade is to my RO/DI system though. I’ve used an RO Buddie for the past couple years and it’s time to get away from those overpriced replacement filters. A couple weeks ago I got the dual DI canisters from BRS and next is the Puratek Deluxe 100 GPD RO/DI Filter System- AquaMaxx.

 

[Rjukan]

I've been through a serious infestation like that before in a 75g. The good thing is they are very easy to siphon out. My suggestion would be rather than siphon out for a water change, set up your hose to siphon into a filter sock in your sump. Then you can really go to town on getting as many out as you can without having to change out so much water. After you have them down to a really small number you can go the wrasse, or mandarin route, or give FWE a try first without worrying about nuking the tank.

Some pics of my infestation:

 

[JasonK84]

I've been through a serious infestation like that before in a 75g. The good thing is they are very easy to siphon out. My suggestion would be rather than siphon out for a water change, set up your hose to siphon into a filter sock in your sump. Then you can really go to town on getting as many out as you can without having to change out so much water. After you have them down to a really small number you can go the wrasse, or mandarin route, or give FWE a try first without worrying about nuking the tank.

Some pics of my infestation:

Sounds like a plan. Thank you.

 

[JasonK84]

Siphoning these worms is going to be painful! My female clown has a no trespassing sign posted and bites when hands enter! Doesn’t really hurt but sometimes it latches on and shakes!

 

[bluprntguy]

Siphoning these worms is going to be painful! My female clown has a no trespassing sign posted and bites when hands enter! Doesn’t really hurt but sometimes it latches on and shakes!

If you have a local plastic store, they should have 1/8 acrylic tube that you can connect to airline tube. The hard acrylic tube will allow you to syphon with your hands out of the tank.