Flat worms (Da**)

And have WC water on hand ready to use!

If you can find something that will eat them then great, but this seems to rarely happen.

I would do the three different weeks not three days in a row. I don't know how long it takes the eggs to hatch. The eggs would be my main concern I have heard that FW exit doesn't hurt the eggs.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html Al, Some reading for you. In a nutshell ,all that has been posted.

Siphoning flatworms out is a waste of time and effort.

Using the easier modified method, the first dosage of Flatworm Exit is the key. And it's not so much a set dosage as it is a starting point. My experience is that different tanks require different dosage amounts of FWE. In other words, because of differing tank conditions, flatworms in different tanks have differing levels of resistance to the chemical. I do not believe that they build up a resistance.
As you slowly increase the amount of FWE on the first application, it will start to indicate how many flatworms are in the tank because most of them will get irritated and start moving around, coming out from under the rocks and from the sand. But not all of them will die at the lower dosage amount. You do not want them all to die on the first application.
This method of step dosage on subsequent days is really much simpler than it may appear and certainly much less trouble than the manufacturers recommendation and Melev's instructions. It requires AC (activated carbon) but no immediate water change.
Here is the method:

First application:
#1 - remove AC from the system.
#2 - Add 1 drop/gal. of FWE in a high flow area and observe for 5 minutes
#3 - Repeat #2 every 5-10 minutes until a few flatworms are seen floating around dead.
#4 - 20 minutes after last application add a loose bag of at least 1/2 cup AC per 20 gals. in a high flow area, (not in an AC reactor, that's too slow)

Second application:
As early as 4 hours later the above procedure may be repeated beginning where you left off, with the number of drops per gallon last used. (Remember to remove the previous AC and prepare a new bag.)

Just keep in mind that you are trying to kill them a little at a time, not all at once, so there is no need to siphon them out, because they are not dieing "en masse".
The last application should be 1 to 1.5 drops per gallon to ensure death to all flatworms that may have been hanging on till the end. A surprise fact is that, because the chemical is not harmful to other tank inhabitants, once the last of the flatworms has died and their toxins have been removed by the AC, there is no need for a water change, even if final blast of 2 drops/gal. is done.

(Note - for larger tanks more than one bottle of FWE may be required)


Edited by Mark Peterson - November 25 2008 at 7:05pm

I know, I have personally seen a bottle of FWE that must have been just water because it had no effect. To me, that is not evidence of resistance, that's poor Quality Control. If I had flatworms I would be trying to find the pig medication that's been mentioned or at least use the competitors product. FWE has doubled in price in the last 2 years.

the exit does not always kill all of them you will need to up the next dose as they quickly can build a tolerance to it. i did an experiment with this in a few buckets, i set up a few one gal buckets and used the recoomended dose in the 1st one, it did not kill them all, 2nd bucket i put double it killed a lil more and i did this up until the 4th one and where it wass almost 5 times the recomended dose and thats where it killed everything, well as far as i know.