Ohio Reef
Reef Discussion => Pests, Nudsiance Algae and Prevention => Topic started by: Reefd Up on January 30, 2010, 20:47:42
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So, I finally broke down and bought the first large colony ever that I'd been eyeballing for a couple of weeks now. This...is what I found on that one single colony (NOT for the squeemish!) FYI...flatworms really shouldn't be bigger than pistol shrimp.........
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9288.jpg&hash=94d95ead9713931ce78ccf0aaa95f25e0855d230)
1: Really really huge flatworm that's about 4" long fully expanded
2: Really really huge flatworm that's about 3" long fully expanded
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9239.jpg&hash=904857967a90a0d37d8b90c6a2eaf47bd0b1e2fb)
3: Huge bristleworm that I almost grabbed with my bare hands...yikes...
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9242.jpg&hash=f931a67e3c2b12fad2a3a7aed4f18d73423a3358)
4: Long skinny 3" flatworm
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9266.jpg&hash=4c054b4c5dcfc371d8e054d49453e99e8471e147)
5: Tiny (compared to the others) polka dot flatworm (about the size of a dime)
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9289.jpg&hash=2970f9431b6fb9f32800bc666dc237664eef7687)
6: Creepy brittle starfish (they creep me out...shush)
7: The most itty bitty teeny weenie little pistol shrimp that I would've never seen otherwise!
(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi258.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh254%2FReef-d_Up%2F120g%2520Build%2F100_9251.jpg&hash=46183e9250213f58c64c08b58ff6e289067911a5)
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WOW :o
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Nice were was this purchased?
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I hope you're atleast keeping the pistol shrimp :)
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i kinda think the flat worms look kinda cool
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I'd rather not say where I purchased the coral from as I personally like the store...and don't want to sound like I'm giving a poor review for finding some not-so-nice hitchhikers on a collected coral (which can only be expected.)
This is exactly why I cut the bases off of each and every coral, super glue over any exposed non-coral parts, and attach the coral to a new base. I spent about 2 hours getting the colony completely separated from the base rock...and found all those creatures. Imagine a LFS trying to do that to each and every coral! No way that's possible. It's really important to remove the base as that's where Montipora Eating Nudibranchs lay their eggs...and there are plenty of hiding places for other critters and algae.
To reiterate my QT again (b/c I don't think I can reiterate this enough), here's what I do:
1. Cut the coral off the base
2. Place the coral in Flatworm Exit for 30 minutes while acclimating, then in a separate dip of Lugol's Iodine for 15 minutes while acclimating
3. Treat for any specific pests found (like I'd use Interceptor if I found redbugs)
4. Superglue over any remaining rock/dead skeleton
5. Attach to new base
6. Quarantine for a minimum of 1 month, treating for anything as necessary
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I hope you're atleast keeping the pistol shrimp :)
Yes JD, you can sleep peacefully tonight. I got some nice pictures of him...and then said goodbye as I know I'll never see a pistol shrimp smaller than a grain of rice again in my sump.
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Great Pictures and good illustration of why it is so important to dip and quarantine.
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ya but you will hear him all the time
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The big flatworms appear to be giant polyclad flatworms that feed on clam's mantle. Thankfully, I don't have a clam in QT right now, so if there are any remaining buggers, they should starve in QT.
Oh, and to whomever made this thread sticky, I think we should make a new "Why you should QT" thread...and have us all post our nastiest hitchhikers on there. I know Blown76mav would win with his worm...but still...I think it would scare the newbies to death enough to start a QT! :laugh:
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would my gf be a hicthicker lol
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To reiterate my QT again (b/c I don't think I can reiterate this enough), here's what I do:
1. Cut the coral off the base
2. Place the coral in Flatworm Exit for 30 minutes while acclimating, then in a separate dip of Lugol's Iodine for 15 minutes while acclimating
3. Treat for any specific pests found (like I'd use Interceptor if I found redbugs)
4. Superglue over any remaining rock/dead skeleton
5. Attach to new base
6. Quarantine for a minimum of 1 month, treating for anything as necessary
I'm kind of confused by #2, So you take the water the coral arrived in and split in half I'm assuming add flatworm exit (how do you know how much to use or do you just guess?) and then you move the coral over to the other half of water and add Lugol's Iodine? I'm not questioning your method just curious. And are the flatworms dead or did they make it through the dip?
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Oh, guess I should've clarified. I cut the coral off the base, acclimate it to my tank, and place it in a solution of my water + FE at 1 drop per cup for 30 min then put it in a mix of my water + 1 drop Lugols per cup for 15 min. But, always follow the directions on the bottle.
I found the giant flatworms while I was cutting the base off. So, I stuck them in a container of tank water. They're still alive. Want me to try Lugols and FE on them?
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Great idea, I would use it at the strength you normally do and then check in thirty minutes and see if they are dead. The flatworms you found are massive so I'm curious if they will die or not.
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:o WOW :o
These guys are impressive and scary - close call with the bristleworms.
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30 minutes:
Flatworm treated with 1 drop Flatworm Exit in 1 cup tank water - looks unhappy, but is very much alive
Flatworm treated with 1 drop Lugol's Iodine in 1 cup tank water - looks a bit more unhappy, but is very much alive
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1 hour:
Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes - unhappy, but alive
Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes - curled up in a ball, barely alive
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I guess it's a good thing you quarantine for 1 month. I've read that most people use 3-4x the amount of flatworm exit the bottle suggest but it is cool you were able to experiment with the flatworm exit using their recommended dosage.
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I think 1 drop per cup is about 3-4x the recommended dosage...which is why I always start with that. The recommended dosage has never worked for me...and obviously isn't working on this big buggers. Wish I had some Coral Rx to try.
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1.5 hours:
Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive
Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - curled up in a ball, on the verge of death...I think.
Obviously neither of these treatments are realistic options. Corals should not be kept in this strong of an iodine solution...and even with 1 drop per cup they should be limited to 15 minutes. If found, these flatworms should just be manually removed and disposed of. I'm going to bed...they can die overnight.
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wow that is amazing. what kinda coral did you get.
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1.5 hours:
Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive
Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more - curled up in a ball, on the verge of death...I think.
Obviously neither of these treatments are realistic options. Corals should not be kept in this strong of an iodine solution...and even with 1 drop per cup they should be limited to 15 minutes. If found, these flatworms should just be manually removed and disposed of. I'm going to bed...they can die overnight.
I bet they were just faking they probably snuck upstairs and tried to smother you in your sleep
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2 hours:
Flatworm #1 treated with 1 drop FE in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more + 1 more for 30 more - unhappy, but alive
Flatworm #2 treated with 1 drop Lugol's in 1 cup tank water for 30 minutes + 1 more drop for another 30 minutes + 1 more for 30 more + 1 more for 30 more - appeared dead, but came back to life when placed in tank water...so back to the dip he went
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Total Time - About 10 hours
Flatworm #1 (Flatworm Exit Treatment) - Total drops = 5 in 1 cup water, final temp = 60F, no oxygenation in water, result: still alive
Flatworm #2 (Lugol's Iodine Treatment) - Total drops = 5 in 1 cup water, final temp = 60F, no oxygenation in water, result: appeared dead and secreting yellowish substance, but came back to life when placed in tank water. Back to the dip he went
Not sure what'll kill these guys. Kinda scared to pour them down the drain. I think I'll try a freshwater treatment now since obviously the two solutions above don't do anything.
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freeze them into ice cubes for your next party
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About 2 minutes into the freshwater treatment, they started to die - they're mostly disintegrated now.
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so what your saying is if you get these in your tank alls you need to do is turn it into a fresh water tank and you can get rid of them?
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sure if it works lol
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Um, yeah...maybe something like pig dewormer would work.... Chances are, these guys eat clams (notice how they look like a clam's mantle?) so if you don't have clams, they probably will starve to death eventually........
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unless they would tru to eat something else that has a flessy skin
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Most giant flatworms have very specific diets and usually starve in captivity. These are probably no exception, but I'm not risking it!
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i dont blam you
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When I was a hobbyist, I found some of those bigger flatworms on a coral. They never bothered clams or any coral. They lived for many months in my home system. Probably not all varieties are so benign. Kind of like the Asterina starfish.
I can usually cut the bases off corals if customers want that option.
I found the Potassium Permanganate dip works great on the Monti. eating nudibrachs.
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Vince, where do you get potassium permanganate? I've heard that's the only thing that works on Monti-eating nudibranchs. I had them once, but they were on one coral in QT a long time ago...so I just fragged the coral, threw away the base, and never saw any ever again. I'd like to keep some potassium permanganate on hand just in case.
Interesting on the giant flatworms. I'd never seen them before, couldn't find anything specific on them online, so they had to go. I wish I had some small tanks where I could put interesting critters.
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http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Potassium-Permanganate-125g-P6403.aspx (http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Potassium-Permanganate-125g-P6403.aspx)
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I'd rather get it locally if possible
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Some Lowe's stores carry it, and that is where I got mine. You can check online. I have a huge jug of it. It was like $25-$30. You can have some for free the next time you are down. A pill jar (please bring your own container), or something similar will hold enough to do 100s of dips. You only use like 10mg of the stuff. Be aware that it will brown out your montis for awhile. It took a couple of months to regain the color back. It really works in killing the eggs, where most treatments fail.
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Some Lowe's stores carry it, and that is where I got mine.
What is it used for? As in what does a home improvement center sell it as?
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"Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer"
"Potassium Permanganate + Glycerin = Fire"
"Potassium permanganate is often included in survival kits along with glycerine for the purpose of making fire. Another survival use is as a water sterilizer."
Sounds like my kind of stuff ;D
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Wes, I like everything you are saying :)