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AEFW... chem., bio. controls 1/22/14 Potential Coral Medication... for most every-anything
1/27/12 Stylochus matatasi Flatworm... Clam et al. eater
11/16/11 Coral/flatworm Toxin Dangers to Humans?
2/15/11 Flatworm eXit, 6/7/10 Re: Flatworm eXit, 6/7/10 Parasite control in a commercial fish
holding system. 5/4/10 Hi Bob, <Matt> I've been doing a little bit of reading on the web in regards to treating your entire reef tank for AEFW using Levamisole. There seems to be a little bit of inconsistency in terms of the amount to dose your tank and how to carry out the procedure with minimal loss and hardship on the tank. Would you be able to provide me a procedure on using this product properly? <Mmm, yes... I can/will paraphrase what is stated/furthered by Ed Noga (Fish Disease, Diagnosis & Treatment)... for Prolonged immersion, 10 mg of Levamisole HCl/l (28 mg per gallon) per Butcher 1993> , I in no way would hold you responsible if anything bad happened... I must treat the tank though before populations begin to grow larger. I noticed a few bitmarks underneath a coral which had been losing purple coloration on the tips...I now know why...seeing little brown egg sacks in a couple places surrounding the base of the coral and white bite marks further up the main branches, but not too many of them. I am planning a 3-4 week treatment using Levamisole, what's your recommended dosage/gallon? And how much exposure do I give the tank with Levamisole before executing a big water change/carbon... <A week if no otherwise adverse signs> I have noticed a few other Acropora losing color here and there, I'm confident that once these worms are free and clear, I should begin to see a good amount of coloration start to return. This is my second year keeping and sps tank, first year I had a run in with red bugs which was easily treated in a 3 week period using interceptor, now I'm experiencing AEFW but without a solid method of elimination. I sincerely appreciate your time and help, Matt <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem Ok, I'm going to order that book as this is the second time I've heard of that author. <Is expensive, but well worth it> So let me state this clearly what I plan to do: Add 4592 milligrams Levamisole to 164 gallons (reef system volume). Add directly to tank? or dilute and add slowly? <Dilute and add slowly> And don't change any water in the tank for a week unless noticing adverse affects earlier? <Yes> Does this sound right? <Correct. B> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem, Levamisole use f's 1/4/10 Got it, At end of first week of tank being dosed, I will perform 50% water change. Mandatory GAC? or no. <Not mandatory> How much time after w/c do I wait before adding next dose of ~4.5 gram Levamisole? <Mmm, weekly> I have eggs so I will be dealing with AEFW entire life cycle which = 4 consecutive weekly treatment correct? or 5? In nutshell, 50% w/c followed by new dose every Saturday for a month? <Sounds good> Does the skimmer take out the Levamisole? <Don't know> Would it be better to leave the skimmer running all week without the collection cup? <I would leave going. BobF> -Matt Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem 1/4/10 And because this is a prolonged immersion treatment, I noticed the dose is significantly less than what a dip would be comprised of. <Yes> Does this mean the flatworms will be slowly dying out in my tank from lower concentration. Can you give me a little info on what to expect after first dose, do they fall off within a day? 2 days?..3? <Only experience can/will tell. Is variable> Being that they are nearly invisible, should I be looking for healing bite marks? <Likely so> Again, much appreciated. -Matt <Certainly welcome. BobF> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem. Levamisole, bad reaction series 1/26/10 Hey there Bob, <M> Received 20 grams of Levamisole Hydrochloride 99% strength. (For AEFW) 1) Weighed out 4.6 grams on scale for 1st dose for 164 gallons system volume for my sps reef. 2) Mixed the dosage into 5 gallons of tank water in a bucket and added slowly to system. Observations from 1 1/2hr exposure: 3) SPS coral polyps started to close up tightly almost immediately after adding treatment, 20 or so minutes later..copepods were whirling around the tank dying out 4) Small bristleworms started to appear dead at about the same time <To be expected> 5) Tenennti tang's color was dark and eye's appeared to be under stress 6) Rest of the fish usually are out and about for 5pm feeding time, all were in hiding except the true Perculas. 7) Took a nap for an hr 8) came back and polyps were still closed, noticed more copepods dead, more bristle worms too, couldn't tell if AEFW's were dead too but I'd imagine must have taken some if not all out, except any eggs of course 9) Got nervous about leaving the tank with full treatment overnight, so did a 75-80% water change on the tank after power heading off all corals and live rock for detritus/and possibly stubborn AEFW on colonies. 10) Tank therefore only was exposed to the 28mg/gallon (Noga's prolonged recommendation) for 1:30hrs. I don't think there would be any success if we went a whole week as previously discussed or even overnight at that dosage. Guessing there would have been some fish loss the next day for sure. <Mmmm> From what I can see, the drug is very very powerful, much much more so than interceptor. I would change the prolonged tank treatment dosage to even half or 1/4 of the 28mg/gal. maybe something along the lines of 7 or 14mg/gal. wouldn't that slowly kill them over a week's time with less stress to the tank's inhabitants? <Hopefully> My hope is that we can find a treatment procedure that isn't too harsh on the tank yet wipes these guys out. What do you think my next step should be in this process? another treatment next week?, perhaps a different dosage and/or exposure time? <I would wait... see what happens... I suspect all vermiform life is dead/killed> Appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks, -Matthew <Welcome. BobF> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem, Levamisole rxn. series -- 1/27/10 Fish are still a bit shy this morning. Found a big dead Bristleworm laying on top the sand. I placed two sacs of carbon in the sump and cleaned the skimmer...the Levamisole itself is pretty harsh, but assuming it killed off flatworms, they release pretty harmful toxins themselves when they die, so thought this would be a good idea to absorb any shenanigans circulating in the tank. <Yes... a good point for sure> It's going to be very tough to tell when there are no flatworms in the tank, maybe take a couple months to really determine that based on coral health and no more evidence of bites... Will partially bleached coral bases grow back or not so much? <Will grow back given time, good care, propitious circumstances. BobF>Re: re: Fwd: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem 2/1/2010 Alright, so here's an update. After the 1.5 hr treatment @ 4.6 grams/160 gallon system last Thursday. It appeared to have wiped out many bristleworms, pods, and hopefully the aefws. However not the case after a little powerheading on the corals today (Sunday evening) discovered a few mongrel size aefw flew off, not too many, but the point being that the treatment wasn't long enough to take a toll on them. This treatment would have killed the fish any longer than what they were exposed to. So now I'm shaking my head...saying now what.... <Indeed... maybe removing the desired livestock for one last treatment> I managed to capture a worm and experiment Salifert Exit on him. So far doesn't respond at all to recommended dosage. Tried 4 drops per gallon which is way above dosage by 4x the amount, worm kind of lifts his head up at times but resumes function. In any case, so far at this dosage that doesn't even work, I would have to buy 10 bottles of flatworm exit just to treat the tank 3 weeks in a row. So this method doesn't seem too promising... Looking for other options though.. -Matt <Other Anthelminthics. You know where to search. BobF> Re: re: Fwd: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: re: AEFW Problem 2/1/2010 Bob, <M> Most recent update...on AEFW that is.... At 4 drops per gallon with Salifert Flatworm Exit, flatworm was dead at 8:30 when I came home from dinner, started with only 2 drops at 5pm, then added 2 more for 4 drops total at 6pm. Didn't die after 1 hr.... looks like after 2 1/2 hrs it killed him off. So according to the recommended dosage of 4 drops per 5 gallons (per Salifert instructions), you would need to increase dosage to 4 DROPS PER GALLON to rid AEFW, and add this much for 3 - 4 consecutive weeks to kill entire AEFW lifecycle/eggs....etc.... So, I may just end up getting lots of Salifert flatworm exit and using that since it is not as harmful to the fish/reef system as Levamisole hydrochloride.... This method seems to be a successful in tank treatment for AEFW :) <... okay!> Now let's just tell Salifert to up the bottle size of EXit and we're all good :) -Matt <You might want to try your own serial dilution of Praziquantel... BobF> Flatworm Treatment, 3/8/09 Hello Crew, <Hi> I would like to know what is the active ingredient in Salifert's Flatworm exit. <Don't know, and as far as I am aware Salifert's does not publish this information.> I have a few flatworms in my tank though I'm not to concerned about it because I have dealt with this problem before in my previous tank and had success getting rid of them with out having to treat with chemicals. <Good> I am just curious to know what is in this product. If I ever choose to use it I would like to know what is going in my tank rather than just putting a product in because someone recommended it. <If the bottle does not list what is in it, don't add it to your tank, best advice I can offer here.> Thank you kindly Pat <Welcome> <Chris> 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.>
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. >> 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> 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 going to 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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