I see many people very hesitant to use this product, but I just wanted to share my experience.
I have bought all mine form Tim at Keen Reef, and it usually is relatively inexpensive at his store. I used it for the second time 2 days ago and it was a success..again. It killed all visible flatworms, and the tank is looking so much better.
I had a big outbreak of red planarian flatworms (http://www.melevsreef.com/id/flatworms.html">info courtesy of melevsreef.com</a>) for the second time. I'm not sure where they come from as my iodine dips on new corals seem to decimate any hitchhicking worms, but oh well. I think there are a few secrets to success thought.
1. Carefully read and follow the directions. They tell you to siphon out as many worms as possible. THis is made easier by attaching a filter bag to the base of your siphon hose, so you can siphon from the DT to the sump without losing any water. It also says have WC water and carbon ready for after the treatment. Do that too. I also rean my skimmer the entire time. Couldnt hurt.
2. The other secrets that arent in the directions is to turn off all in tank powerheads except for one (or use a return nozzle). In front of the one that is still on, put a net that is fine enough to catch the dead FW bodies. THis will catch A LOT out of the column which you can then remove quickly. I bent the handle of mine to stay in place while I did other things, emptying every couple of minutes.
3. Use filter socks on the drain to catch more that go through the overflow. Clean or replace them after the treatment is over (like 30 minutes after they start to die, or whenever you've collected all the carcases you care to.)
4. Use the siphon/bag assembly you constructed in step 1 to actively capture dead worms that are clinging to rocks and the sand as they die. For me, they kinda died in strands, and formed clumps, so they were easy to siphon out. I also siphoned the dead ones off the surface of the sand.
I continued actively removing the bodies for 30 minutes to an hour, until most all visible bodies were collected. Very we were still passing through, so I let the skimmer and filter socks take care of them.
While I cant promise success to you, I can say that I have done it 2 times in 7 months and both times it worked with no visible problems. Just be dilligent, thorough, and dont blame me if you screw up!
I have bought all mine form Tim at Keen Reef, and it usually is relatively inexpensive at his store. I used it for the second time 2 days ago and it was a success..again. It killed all visible flatworms, and the tank is looking so much better.
I had a big outbreak of red planarian flatworms (http://www.melevsreef.com/id/flatworms.html">info courtesy of melevsreef.com</a>) for the second time. I'm not sure where they come from as my iodine dips on new corals seem to decimate any hitchhicking worms, but oh well. I think there are a few secrets to success thought.
1. Carefully read and follow the directions. They tell you to siphon out as many worms as possible. THis is made easier by attaching a filter bag to the base of your siphon hose, so you can siphon from the DT to the sump without losing any water. It also says have WC water and carbon ready for after the treatment. Do that too. I also rean my skimmer the entire time. Couldnt hurt.
2. The other secrets that arent in the directions is to turn off all in tank powerheads except for one (or use a return nozzle). In front of the one that is still on, put a net that is fine enough to catch the dead FW bodies. THis will catch A LOT out of the column which you can then remove quickly. I bent the handle of mine to stay in place while I did other things, emptying every couple of minutes.
3. Use filter socks on the drain to catch more that go through the overflow. Clean or replace them after the treatment is over (like 30 minutes after they start to die, or whenever you've collected all the carcases you care to.)
4. Use the siphon/bag assembly you constructed in step 1 to actively capture dead worms that are clinging to rocks and the sand as they die. For me, they kinda died in strands, and formed clumps, so they were easy to siphon out. I also siphoned the dead ones off the surface of the sand.
I continued actively removing the bodies for 30 minutes to an hour, until most all visible bodies were collected. Very we were still passing through, so I let the skimmer and filter socks take care of them.
While I cant promise success to you, I can say that I have done it 2 times in 7 months and both times it worked with no visible problems. Just be dilligent, thorough, and dont blame me if you screw up!
