Flatworm...

[Pailines]

So just this morning, during my routine check of my tank, i saw a couple of these little 'booger' type thing on my glass.

I thought it was just food particle or snail larvae; since some of my hitchhiker snail spawned a couple of days ago.

But upon closer inspection it was one of these, looking-ma-bob-type of worm.

I tried to search what they are; family, gen, species.

And how to rid of them, if they are bad, yet my searches came up naught.

I CANT be sure that they aren't eating any of my corals atm. Couple of zoa/button polys, Devil Leather, Kenya Trees, mushrooms; they fully extend during peak light period.

AND they dont have the famous red dot on their tail.

So my question is, what type of flatworm are they? Do i need to dose FlatwormExit? Do they eat corals mentioned above? Anything else i should do before i regret not taking any actions?

Thanks

P.S. Worms scares me.

P.S.2. I was considering using none-chemical method of removal, like 6line and syphon. However, my tank is just about 1month old. No skimmer or sump or heavy-duty LR, so any new addition of fish is out.

P.S.3. If i were to move my corals, which isn't alot at this moment, to my spare 10gallon, barebottom and WC weekly, would i be able to dose heavy on the main tank and kill off all the flatworm and then slowly QT and rid my corals of any flatworm?

Edited November 13, 2011 by Pailines

[mnmreef]

We had some flatworms on our mushrooms, took me several times to get them all, But I did it by using a turkey baster and sucking them off of the mushrooms when I saw them. It has been about a month and I haven't seen any of them return. I still keep an eye out but I think I finally got them all. They were only on our mushrooms no other corals. Ours were a bit more round but were flatworms.

They looked like little brown spot on all of our shrooms.

[+o0zarkawater]

Most planaria are fine in our tanks. I've had them in several of my tanks and never saw any ill effects. I did get a sixline and a target mandarin to help keep the populations in check.

One tank had tan ones similar to yours which never hung out on anything other than the glass or rock work. Never saw them on any corals at all.

My 10g reef had a pinkish colony of flatworms that lived on the mushrooms/palys, but never actually hurt them. They were in the tank on the corals for over 2 years.

I personally think people freak out over flatworms more than they should, or just haven't paid enough attention to their tanks to realize most of us get them at one point or another.

There are exceptions to this; Acro eating Flatoworms, and the huge ones that will supposedly eat small critters, but those are both a different story.

[jestep]

I would just give it time. Unless they are some of the nasty malicious coral eating worms, they will most likely go away on their own. You'll get flatworms and nematodes in just about every fish tank. There's just too many of them naturally to try and prevent them.

[Long]

You can buy Revive coral dip (RCA) or similar and dipping all your corals.

This should remove the ones on your coral you are concern.

[wesreyn]

I had flatworms in a tank a couple of years ago where the population got totally out of hand. I would siphon every day but seemed like there were more every day. If I couldn't siphon for a couple of days, they would cover the glass. They never hurt anything but I like to look through the glass at pretty stuff not little worms all over the glass. I tried to use a product from blue vet called Flatworm control. I used it at the dose they called for and it did nothing. I doubled the dose and it still did nothing. I quadrupled the dose and it still did nothing. I decided to try flatworm exit and it totally knocked them out after 1 dose while not harming any corals or fish. After that outbreak I would dose flatworm exit at the first sign of one on my glass. Just because other people says their flatworms didn't harm anything doesn't mean yours won't. I'm not saying they will, I just wouldn't risk it.

[Pailines]

Thanks to everyone that shared their 2C.

Im going to continue monitoring the tank glass/LR for these FWs.

If they start to Multiply i'll be taking legal action, however, for the time being, i'll observe if they are truly a threat.

Cheers.

[hancockrich]

This is just my 2C's

Flatworms are like dog ticks and i wouldnt leave a tick on my dog. And locking my dog in the bathroom while i clean his doghouse will not fix the problem.

When my dog goes back to his house he will bring the problem back.

I have had flatworms before and you can find a ton of info on them online and how to treat.

Flatworm Exit works well, but use with caution.

Here is a good read for them.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

Few things to think about.

1. if you see one than i would bet you have a bunch more that are out of sight.

2. Flatworms make toxins when they are killed. Best to treat and kill them when the popultion is lower.

3. What good can come of leaving them in your tank?

Like I said, just my 2C's.

My intent is not to counter anything anyone else has said...

Wish you and your tank all the best.

V/R

Rich

[FarmerTy]

Yeah, I freaked the first time I saw a flatworm in my tank, after seeing the population explosion that occurred in my brother's tank. I was thinking chemical warfare the whole way. Then I started to notice that their population was directly related to the amount of copepods in my tank. As I watched my natural population of copepods decline (due to adding some chromis), the flatworms went with them. I haven't seen one in two years. My 2 cents, just leave it be and they'll take care of themselves, especially if you know that you are going to add some type of fish the eats copepods off your glass walls and rocks. My theory is all the success with 6-line wrasses and mandarins are more based on them reducing the copepod population and reducing the flatworm food source then actually being lucky enough to find one that has a taste for flatworms.

But, in light of your tank being so new, you could just save yourself the gamble and buy flatworm exit and dip each coral and remove it from the main tank, and then bomb the main tank with it.

-Ty

[Mr Cob]

I've also used flatworm exit successfully on a reef tank with inverts. Only thing it killed was the worms Great product. Need to make sure you remove as many as possible first because when they die off they release toxins and chances are you have way more than you think you do. Melev has a good write up on it.

*edit...I see hancockrich already linked to the melev write up

[Aqua-Dome]

The flatworm in picture is a copepod eating type (evidenced by the forked tail). Sixline wrasses and mandarins will possibly eat these, but they also eat the more common brown photosynthetic ones that rest on mushroom corals etc. (meaning that their success is not due to them outcompeting the flatworms for food). Brown flatworms can be unsightly and explosive, but the one in question is a lone hunter trying to rob your other inhabitants of live foods. I'd suck him out and only use flatworm exit if you continue to see more. One other fish that eats flatworms well is the Springeri damsel.