Living with Red Flatworm (Planaria)

[no_sushi_for_you]

I have a tank that is getting pretty sizeable population of the Red Menace. The more I scoop away the more that come.

Has anyone just left them alone to see what happens?

I am hoping for a natural population crash without using chemicals.

[zxcv123]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestflatwrmanthony.htm

HTH

[Twitterbait]

pull everything out and do a dip with flatworm exit. then replace your sand and start over...

[no_sushi_for_you]

the LFS suggested that a Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians) will eat planaria.

[kyrie_eleison]

There is rumor that a yellow wrasse will predate on them. I have a yellow wrasse but I've never seen them pick at any of my pagodas that had a flat worm issue.

[no_sushi_for_you]

I bought 2 Blue Velvet Sea Slugs (Chelidonura varians) and they really did well when present.

I have a pretty healthy flatworm population in a 70 gallon tank. The tank wasn't covered in them, but there were plenty to be had. I bought 2 since I did not know how fast or efficient the slugs moved. I was also unsure of reports that the slugs would easly starve to death if the population of flatworms was too low.

The sea slugs were very efficient and if I had to do it again, I would only buy 1 Sea Slug for a 70 gallon tank.

Mine ended up both disappearing in my tank after 10 days. The first one was gone after 2 days in the tank. The second, after laying two egg masses and doing a lot of damage on the flatworm population, was gone after 10. The only trace I could see of the last, was a spec of skin with a blue line on it sitting on the bottom of my tank.

The killer might be this rouge crab I have living a piece of live rock near the evidence. There was no other sign of the body.

I have been setting up a camera with the night vision on trying to get an idea of what else might be in the tank at night.

[Loverotties]

Cool looking slug.

[Twitterbait]

i have found that even the critters that predate on the FW will not get all of them, then they starve and die and the FW bloom all over again.

[no_sushi_for_you]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

i have found that even the critters that predate on the FW will not get all of them, then they starve and die and the FW bloom all over again.

I have read that to. That is why I am thinking one Blue Velvet Sea Slug could sustain itself in a 70 gallon tank with flat worms. It seemed like the flat worms were keeping up with the slug. The slug is not that fast so there would be pockets of flat worms that would blow out on one side of the tank while the slug went to work on the others.

What critter did you have that starved to death????

[Rippey]

Are those blue sluggs a pest, they look very cool. If they are not a pest I would keeep them in my tank.