Has anyone here had any problems with flatworms damaging galaxea or other corals? I have a few flatworms about half an inch in length that always hang out on my galaxea. I've been noticing that the areas they move over end up damaged and a significant amount of the coral flesh has been "eaten" by them but only half way up the calcium tubes. They won't go near the tentacles. Maybe because it stings. Anyway, If anyone has had experience and can inform me about getting rid of them I would appreciate it.
Flatworms!!
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Yes, you can do a fresh water dip . Make sure that ph and temp are exactly the same as your tank. Also make sure that the coral is 100% retracted when you dip. As an alternant you can get a Chelidonura varians all they eat are flat worms. However like most nudibranchs they will starve after they exhaust their food source. I wouldn't let that stop me though as they have very short life spans in the wild and captive raised ones are easy to obtain.
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Max
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Max
the most common forms of flatworms wont harm it. there are probably some nudibrachs that will however. The white and the red flatworms wouldnt do anything. but if you had enough of the red ones they can shade it. but there are species that could do that.
so may we please see a pic of them to make sure that it is indeed the flatworms that are doing this and not just something else like water quality?
so may we please see a pic of them to make sure that it is indeed the flatworms that are doing this and not just something else like water quality?
Salifret makes a product Flatworm Exit, I haven't used it but thats an option. Also theres an LFS by me that puts a mandarin in every one of their reef tanks becuase they are known to go after flat worms. They actually have had a noticiable problem before in a tank and then days after they are gone. All of their manderins eat prepared food aswell, so they're not starved once the worms are gone.
Your entier tank needs to be dosed 3x's with flatworm exit to eradicate this problem. If you only see these creatures on the coral then dip it immediately in FW with iodide and flatworm exit for 5min.
Then return the coral to the tank. If in 3 days you see more parasites then you need to dose the tank with flatworm exit.
Then return the coral to the tank. If in 3 days you see more parasites then you need to dose the tank with flatworm exit.