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Flatworms
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
About Flatworms
Flatworms are reddish brown, rectangular worms that release poison into the tank if they die. Flatworms should be removed quickly and not killed in the tank.
How to Prevent Flatworms
You can do some prevention of flatworms by dipping coral in Coral RX Coral Dip and/or Beyer (BioAdvanced) Insect Killer before adding them to your reef tank. You can reduce chances of flatworms entering your reef on rocks by inspecting the rocks being added to your reef tank. You may want to treat live rock outside of the tank and not add wet live rock to any aquarium. This will help prevent flatworms as well as a variety of other pests from entering your reef tank.
How to Get Rid of Flatworms
When getting rid of flatworms, you should siphon out as many as possible, then use a product such as Salifert Flatworm eXit or Blue Life USA Flatworm Rx to kill the few left behind. Per the directions on these products, you should do a large water change and siphon out the dead flatworms as they are toxic to your aquarium when they die. Running activated carbon will help minimize the effect but will not solve it entirely.
What Eats Flatworms
Thankfully, Six Line Wrasse, Melanurus Wrasse and Leopard Wrasse all eat flatworms, as well as a variety of other pests. These are beautiful fish and contribute a lot to the health of the reef tank.
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