Is the only way to get rid of them using chemicals. If so what is best.

Otherwise is there any fish that eat them (preference) or natural predators. eg shrimp, crabs????

Cheers

Six line Wrasses eat them sometimes. No guarantees.

Salifert flatworm exit will kill them. if you have many no wrasse will eat them all as they will grow as quick as it can eat them.

Try hollywood fish farm as they might have some flatworm exit, beware, really follow the instructions.

I have used the Salifert Flatworm Exit without issue. It does work, as stated by reef, follow the instructions. Its reef safe, HOWEVER its the dieing flatworms that cuase the problems, not the medication.\

As for fish, i've had wrassee, mandarin, scooter blenny etc all 'rumoured' to eat them, personally I think its a bunch of popycock.

Pies

i went and got some salifert f/exit, but was to scared to use it. not the medication but the possible effects afterwards from the dying flatworms. so i waited, and waited and waited. nowadays i still have them but in very small proportions. but hey its up to you.

It seems you'd practically have to have flatworms coating every surface to have enough that killing them would cause a problem. I had them swarming in my tank so much they looked like little red shingles on the rock in some places. Sucked up what I could then dosed the tank. I didn't notice anything being stressed, though I only had a couple fish and corals. But afterwards my hair algae all disappeared.

Salifert needs to sell the SFWE it liter jugs, I think, since it never seems to actually wipe the flatworms out.

If it did not wipe them out it is a good idea to treat again 1 week later so you can kill any that were hiding in the rocks.

I treated it about 3 times, left the fwe in the tank the second two times, they were seperated by about a month.

It seems you'd practically have to have flatworms coating every surface to have enough that killing them would cause a problem

Not sure, I know PC100 had fish loss after using it which he attributed to lots of dieing worms. I've read similar things online, but mostly success stories.

I have treated on 2 seperate ocasions, and both times they have eventually come back. I have none in my display tank, but lots in my sump. As soon as I can get some water, I am going to nuke em.

Interesting comment on hair algae, I have noticed similar things, like I had heaps of cyno, killed the flatworms and it disapeared. Coninsodince? I thought so, maybee not. Maybee the presence of the flatworms does something to the tank?

Pie

i have recently noticed some red cyno as the flat worms have increased in population.

Brianemone had a good theory

He thinks that the population will grow to an unsustainable population then crash naturally.

I think this sounds logical.

If so once it has crashed maybe this is the time to treat em to the taste of some mean chemicals. To finish them off.. :evil:

He thinks that the population will grow to an unsustainable population then crash naturally.

I've heard reports of that too. People have a massive infestation of them, they do nothing about it, and they eventually just disappear.

It works for algae... so i suppose it could work for flat worms?

Layton

I had flatworms for over 12 months before deciding to treat, no signs of them doing anything but increasing in number. Infact there are threads on this fourm about my experances with the SFWE and why I dedicded to treat, something I didn't take lightly.

Crashing - There is lots of info on this, and its the major reason to treat them. Eventually they strip the tank of whatever it is they eat, they crash, that is they all die. As with the treatment, when they all die, the poison the tank. this is why many treat their tanks, better for them to all die in circumstance they control, not come home and find dead fish and no flatworms. They are also unsightly.

I think there is a relationship between algae/cyno and the worms. Just a gut feeling.

Piezola

phew, no flatworms for me so far. got a gorgonian from chris a few weeks back that may have had a few on the rock it was attached too - a freshwater dip for a few minutes was performed just incase!

why not just rub the rocks with your hands?? not only do the smush really well but it makes your hands look like a smokers of 50 years.

n.b the stink is hard to eliminate

I used this flat worm exit 2 weeks back.I removed as many as i could see by sucking them out and then added the recomended amount drop by drop.They died instantly.I had the carbon ready and 25% water just incase(400L).As soon as they died the clams closed instantly and not much else happend.Then i put the carbon it as directed and sucked out the dead ones.The tank the turned urine yellow and had me a bit worried.The fish seemed fine but the coral was starting to pack a sad.So it put in another $120 worth of carbon and changed 400L of water and watched the tank for improvement over an hour.THe anenome was looking real sad so i got anther 400L of water of my mate which did nothing to improve the tank.Now it became a nail biteing waiting game.The first to go was the anenome.The clowns left it which was the first sign.The fish were still fine and had been for 6 hours.I think when the anenome died it help poison the fish because the died staight after except for the clown fish.They seemed unharmed.I took out the anenome and stuck it in a bucket but it was to late for the fish.I rung my mate and he has a key to the local pet shop and we got some moer water and took out all the coral and stuck it polly boxes which we floated in the top of the tank till morning.All i have left now is some polyps.The two fish that seem to have not been affected died after 2 days buy scales and skin falling off as if they were burnt.Only 10% of the coral lived.GOOD NEWS is i have no flat worms.BAD NEWS is it cost me the lives of my fish which i have had for a while which was hard to take not to say all the coral.My tank looks like a water grave.Next time i will strip my tank and dip them.Flatworms 1. Skuzza 0.

Shit that was a major skuzza.

The flatworms are really bad news.

When i see a few flatworms i tend to nuke them asap with the flatworm exit , as they are deadly when they die in large numbers.

gutted skuzza. let me know if there are any frags you need

Aye, if there is a lesson to be learned, get them early before they can cause these problems.

Good luck with the rebuild/restock I am sure you will end up with something 10x better.

Pies

Sorry Skuuzza, on the brighter side I owe you some frags & you have to pass Hamiltron on the way

damn dude, that sux. if you want a couple of free frags to kick start your new setup sing out.

come and get some of my frags aswell, thats with flatworms of course.

Thats one problem I haven't had yet, got a six line wrasse.

Went to buy corals at Jansens way back and the tank was infested with them. Still bought a couple of things but wouldn't now.

lets start a frag drive for Skuzza.

ill call it frag aid.

I,ve got heaps of them

I am worried that my efforts to kill them may kill my stuff as well.

The problem is that my anemone is so sensitive to any bad water quality that he may do the same thing and die.

Also he is missing a couple of tenticles and this could be damaged by the chemicals.

Can you do light doses to reduce the numbers more slowly.

I could dose then do a 60 to 80% water change.

also how much does it cost???